Post Flight Pre Amble

One advantage of returning back to a location you have already been to is that you may understand how things work. The system in Noi Bai airport to get your visa is confusing. You go to one end of a office give them your passport, photos and paperwork. They will give you back whatever they choose to at the time (we kept our forms but everyone else in the queue had handed them over and didn't get them back). You then walk to the other side of the office to try and spot your passport being held up when it is ready. The natural reaction of a English person when you see a queue is to join it, however if you did it in this scenario like a many people didn't then you end up being in the queue with your passport still in hand waiting for nothing. I almost fell for the same thing until I recalled our previous trip. Cue lots of English people moaning about the system!

I was certainly not prepared for the two hour wait for our bags to make it along the belt (hand luggage only last time). It was amusing in places, mixed with the frustration at wanting to get the other side to meet our transport that would have been waiting since 6am. We eventually had our bags around 9:15 (flight was also a hour late in).

I had been trying to prep tash for the journey into Hanoi, the dense
motorcycle packed traffic carrying whole family's, chickens and probably even a kitchen sink. Oddly we didn't see too much of this, as most people had already made their New Years celebration get away. Most of those we did see though were carrying a bunch of cherry blossom, a New Years traditional flower.

We spent the rest of the day trying to beat desire to sleep from the jet lag whilst making plans for the next few days. I introduced tash to Cham, a young lady who was one of our guides on my previous visit whom had moved into being a travel planner for a local tourist office. Vietnam is well known for being a scammers paradise, we paid over the odds in 2011 so finding reliable sources is a must, Cham couldn't do enough for us. She is setting up her own travel company soon so any friends wanting to go to Vietnam should let me know so we can put you in touch.

It's a fairly obvious statement but eating will form a essential part of this trip! There is the handy staying alive part, coupled with the desire to try new food and come back armed with a few recipes. One of the best parts of Hanoi is the make shift pop up street stalls with its small child like seats, rapid service and great food. I was quick to get the first bowl of Pho Bo (noodle broth soup with fresh herbs. Pho = flat noodles, Bo = beef) down my neck. One idea I still like is the condiments, add as much chilli, lime and soy as you like. I had to get more chilli. In the evening we went to a restaurant recommended by Cham, full of at least 200 local people and a scattering of tourists and filled up on sweet rice and baby squid.

To try and keep you interested I wanted to add a bit of fun to the blog. I will keep a count of how many temples (including pagodas) I see, how many bowls of noodles I consume and a rough idea of how many hours of travelling we have done.

Temple count: 3
Noodle count: 2
Hours travelled: 15