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Published: January 11th 2016
Hanoi
Everything is carried by scooters or mopeds.Our trip to Vietnam has finally arrived! It was such a relief to arrive in Ho Chi Minh City and be able to stretch our legs after a 12 hour flight. The temperature was an unbelievable 26 degrees at 5.30 am! We only had one hour forty minutes before our onward flight to Hanoi so you can imagine our panic as all the luggage was collected from the conveyor belt and ours had not made an appearance. After an extra 20 minute wait with about 6 others they finally arrived and we found our departure gate with time to spare. The drive from the airport to our hotel in Hanoi revealed a landscape similar to China with all the land alongside the motorway being cultivated and divided up into what looked like allotments. The ouskirts of the city consisted of a selection of unusual buildings, many in a dilapidated colonial style.
The welcome at the hotel was second to none and we were made to feel very welcome. We were based in the old quarter where the streets are narrow and crammed with very small shop units selling all manner of goods, the sellers and their wares spill out onto
the pavement as well as customers perched on little plastic steps eating street food - forget health and hygiene! The pavements are also used as parking space for the thousands of scooters/mopeds which everyone seems to have in this city. This means that pedestrians have to negotiate all these obstacles and end up having to walk into the road, risking being mown down by the scooters and cars. In the newer part of the city there are traffic lights but not the old quarter. You have to have nerves of steel to cross the road. There are pedestrian crossings but traffic does not actually stop. You have to start walking when you see a gap and rely on the drivers to drive around you! Crossroads have to be seen to be believed.
The hotel staff surprised us on Tuesday with a Happy Birthday messages spelt in petals on our bed then with Music, candles and a cake when we came down for our meal. One of them had noticed Chris' date of birth on his passport!
So far we have tried to get our bearings and discover the city on foot but we did take a tour in
Hanoi
Or bamboo pole! an electric bus which helped us understand where things are and fully appreciate the volume of traffic. Hanoi is certainly a very hectic city but we are enjoying the challenge of moving around and trying to fit in the sights before we leave for Sapa on Wednesday.
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Jules
non-member comment
Vietnam
Hiya interesting..love seeing the pics..just cant imagine it . Whats the food like?