Advertisement
Published: April 1st 2008
I arrived in Hanoi on Saturday morning but it has been hard to write, not a lot of time since we are the go constantly. My flight on China Airlines flight was very pleasant. A brand new 747-300 with t.v. screens on each of the seats, good food and good service. They really have our airlines beat. The flight was 14.5 hours LAX to Taipei and then another 2.5 hours from Taipei to Hanoi on Vietnam Airlines. Total flying time 17 hours, total sleep time 2 hours. Man was I jet lagged. I had a hard time remembering things I was told 2 seconds before.
When we arrived at the airport, Shelly had her ATM card eaten by the bank machine. Good way to start the trip with no cash but we figured out a way to get her cash. She sent the money to my pay pal account and I took it out for her. Gotta love pay pal.
We got into the city at about 11 am and checked into our hotel the Nhat Tien Hotel in the Old Quarter. The room was a bit musty and the air con did not work the greatest. I should of brought a travel candle. Shelly and I headed to the Temple of Lit and the Hi Loa Prison (Hanoi Hilton). The prison was just ok and we got to see some pictures of John McCain. The Temple of Lit is well worth it. It is the oldest temple complex in Hanoi, established in 1070 and served as a learning center for mandarins for more than seven centuries.
We then stopped at the Sofitel Metropole for some iced coffee which was delish. They make it very sweet with condensed milk, yum. Also the Metropole Hotels French Colonial setting made it extra special.
Next it was time to meet and have dinner with the rest of the group we will be traveling with for the next 2.5 weeks. We all had dinner and drinks at a place called Cyclo Restaurant. Great food for only $9 which is still a bit expensive for here.
The group consists of 4 Americans, 4 Canadians, 5 Aussies, 1 Brit, and 2 Estonians ranging in age from late 20s to 60ish. Good group.
The next day we are waking up at 8am to head to Halong Bay for an overnight cruise. I will need to figure out how to post the pictures. Ive already filled up my 1G memory card in 4 days.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.13s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 10; qc: 58; dbt: 0.1039s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Steve & Paula
non-member comment
You go girl!
We're so excited for you. The group sounds like a great mix - - in age and in varied nationalities. It all sounds thrilling!! XOXO