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Published: November 3rd 2012
King Winter just had time to say hello
Before we left 15 cm of snow fell over Oslo, so it was a good time to leave for usAfter years of fantasizing and saving up, our travels finally begin! We managed to get just enough of a taste of winter before we left so Øyvind would have something to remember during our trip 😉 And off we went!
Our route was Oslo-Copenhagen-London-Hong Kong-Hanoi. To any of you smart-alecs who are wondering why not just fly Oslo-London, it made the whole trip almost twice as expensive. Go figure. Airfare is something Sadie has gotten a degree in recently, though it is sadly far from an exact science... Additional resctrictions included our life-long vow NEVER to fly Lufthansa again and to try and not have to use Munich or Frankfurt as a connection. Yes, it really has been that bad in the past... All our connections were tight, so we knew we were in for a bit of a tiring start. The worst was London, when I actually (after already having run through the airport for about 30 minutes) left Øyvind behind at security and continued to run all the way to the gate in order to make the plane wait for us. We were the last people on, sweating and trying to pretend like we weren't stressed out of
Øyvind at the Oslo Airport
Two backpacks is more than enough for 6-9 months out traveling our minds...
And then we were finally in Hanoi! The visa we ordered online through Vietnam Visa Center (
http://www.vietnamvisacenter.org/) worked well (everyone there had made similar arrangements), though it ended up costing double what we expected for a multiple-entry visa for one month. Chalk it up to experience. Visa in hand, we headed to collect our bags and to be picked up by our driver (a service from the hotel, in order to avoid numerous scams at the airport) only to realize that Sadie's bag had not made it. Good thing she had been a packing maniac and had everything she needed for a couple of nights in her carry-on! So no, Øyvind, being overprepared is not ALWAYS crazy. Just most of the time.
Our hotel (
http://www.hanoirendezvoushotel.com/) was nice, clean and simple, with superfriendly and helpful staff. We collapsed and Sadie went to sleep wanting to believe her bag would arrive in the morning as promised.
A yummy hotel breakfast in our bellies, we went for a walk around Hoam Kiem Lake and drank some ice coffee in a quiet cafe overlooking the lake. The roads there were busy and chaotic, and the rare presence of streetlights
Sadie at the Oslo Airport
Sadie couldn't agree more (or their actual use even when present) is replaced by the adage "move at a steady pace through the traffic" (that seems to be headed right at you at all times). Øyvind, despite his lack of experience with chaotic cities, proved to be master at this.
After Sadie's reunification with her backpack, we headed out for some Bun Cha, which Sadie had been longing to try in true Hanoi style. We were sent upstairs where steaming bowls of delicious broths, vegetables and meats were given to us, while we sweated out the chilies and an old woman (who turned out to be the dishwasher) slept behind Sadie with her feet up. It was hot, it was spicy, it was delicious! And of course, cheap!
We later went our to Puku for dinner, where the people-watching was excellent. All in all a relaxed first day.
The second day we decided we had to be a bit more productive and went to see the Temple of Literature, made even more interesting by the fact that it was a Saturday and what seemed like all the city's newlyweds were there to be photographed. After that, it was lunch at Quan
Bun Cha - hurah!
Øyvind enjoying his first proper Vietnamese meal at a local joint An Ngon (mmmmmm anything grilled in lemongrass and chili) and on to Hoa Lo Prison Museum to visit what was first a terrifying prison for those considered to be a threat to the french colonialists, and later a rather enjoyable (or so it seemed) POW holdsted for American pilots during the Vietnam War. It was interesting to see, as there are references to the war everywhere in the city, but most verge on kitsch (renderings of movie posters like in our hotel lobby) or even joking. It seemed to us, at least, that the history of the war was either too much of a sore subject or just not a subject at all for many.
We decided to be true to our expat-status and eat dinner at a restaurant with English menus and things like "cheese-filled beef tenderloin" on the menu, and get back and repack for our next adventure (and one of Sadie's biggest dreams) to visit Halong Bay!!! We are leaving on Sunday morning for a 3-day trip (2 nights on the boat with multiple excursions) and will be heading to Cat Ba Island after that... It will be good to get away from the smog and
Wedding day 1
It seemed like all couples in Hanoi came to get their pictures taken at the temple of literature... into the sun, the scenery and nature (and maybe our malaria prevention pills, not sure yet)!
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Ingunn
non-member comment
Så godt å høre fra deg Sadie! Jeg har bookmarked bloggen din, slik at jeg kan følge med på hvor du befinner deg til enhver tid! Kjempegøy!! Du er flink til å skrive (også!!!!) så det er så moro å lese. Du er liksom flink til alt du:-) Holder deg oppdatert på hva som skjer her hjemme også. Kort oppsummert: Første frostnatt igår, klokken er stilt en time, hytta til helgen, kjørte skispor i fjellet nå, masse FRIIIIIIII, har begynt å danse zumba!!!, hadde jeg aldri trodd, kjøpt Iphone, hadde jeg heller aldri trodd! Frisk og rask og glad. Men fortsatt ikke på Facebook:-)) Tastes!! Ingunn