The flight was delayed in Singapore and after they eventually let us into the departure lounge they decided that it would be delayed even further, and made us all leave again. It was very odd, and we had to sit outside the lounge for another hour and a half, then go back through all the security measures again.

After the security crap they placated us with a goodie bag with a couple of chocolate bars, chips and a bottle of water. So everyone sat around for another half an hour munching their chips.

Getting on the plane finally I discovered that I had left my headphones on the scoot flight, and looking online here I think that the chances of recovery are extremely low. Time for some new ones.

Hopefully the flights home will be far less traumatic!

When we arrived at Hanoi we passed through customs and ventured out into the throng of passengers and tour companies picking them up.  I’ve never seen so many tour guides in one place at one time, and it was rather overwhelming. We wandered back and forth along the line and eventually Ross spotted our names on a placard held by a young man. After breathing a sigh of relief, off we went following him through the traffic to the very nice SUV to take us to the hotel.  They don’t seem to honour crosswalks here (big surprise!!) and I did think we were going to get splattered as we weaved among the cars and buses.

The motor bikes were the usual entertainment that you get in Asian countries. One had a long double decker trailer with metal girders on it, and another had several large water bottles stacked on and around it.

The traffic was truly crazy on the way to the hotel but the guy manoeuvred the car expertly around it.

We did reach the hotel safely, and it is very nice.  Tammy, the young woman from the tour company visited us to tell us more about the tour and then we ventured out briefly to have a look around the neighbourhood.

It was a very brief walk as this place is absolutely insane! I was in fear for my life as we walked along the streets. You have to walk on the street due to the fact that the footpaths (what there are of them) are jam packed with motor bikes and scooters and people selling all manner of fish and meat and vegetables.

There were even live fish in shallow pans swimming around frantically, and the roasted chickens had their heads still attached.

We persisted for a little while but since I didn’t want to get killed on my first day, even though there were lots of men on bicycle rickshaws wanting to take us to various places (I feared for their lives too), we decided it was time to return to civilisation at the hotel.

The rooftop bar proved to be a nice respite from the madding crowds and we partook of a calming cocktail while looking over the city of Hanoi.  I have to admit though, the view wasn’t overly spectacular.

A quick shower and we were off to the charming restaurant in the hotel basement for a delicious Vietnamese meal. Enormous spring rolls were followed by a beef noodle dish for me and an amazing concoction of pork skewers and various vegetables that had to be wrapped in rice papers.

It was delicious, and the young wait staff were absolutely delightful. 

Now it’s finally off to bed after an extremely exhausting day, and an early start tomorrow for our trip to Halong bay.