GOOD MORNING VIETNAM!!!

DAY 44: Singapore to Hanoi, Vietnam

A 5.30am start this morning, but at least we'd had loads of sleep. Another seamless check in at the airport and with tons of time to kill we browsed the hundreds of shops and booked some accommodation for Hanoi online.

To make up for last night's poor effort, we started our 10am flight to Hanoi with a Singapore Sling. And damn nice it was too. It's funny isn't it? When you're flying somewhere all sense of rational thinking goes out of the window. I wouldn't normally have an alcoholic drink at 10am in the morning, but because I'm flying somewhere 'it's ok'. In fact, I think the only time I've ever drunk at that time of the morning is when I'm at an airport or on a plane. Spent most of the three hour flight reading the Lonely Planet book to decide what we might do when we get to Hanoi and soon enough we were starting to land.

After clearing passport control we had to wait ages for our bags. There seemed to be loads and loads of bags on the belt but nobody picking them up, like they'd told us the wrong carousel or something.

Finally out of the airport we had the challenge of getting into Hanoi. This is where the fun began. We'd read about scams where people offer to take you somewhere then drop you off miles away from where you need to be, and then charge you a fortune for the privilege. Tourist Information had told us to get Bus 83, so when we went outside and ignored all the offers of a lift in to town and do you think we could find Bus 83? Nah. We ended up taking a bus that looked like an airport shuttle, and probably was, but with the language barrier and some shifty looking people, we weren't sure. Anyway, it cost two US dollars, so at least we didn't get ripped off.

After about 45 minutes, not recognising anywhere on the map en route, I decided to ask the bus driver where we were and where we should get off. He told us to get off there and then. Slightly nervous about his speedy, assertive response, bearing in mind the advice we'd read, we got off.

It's surprisingly tricky to find your way when you can't see any street names, you don't know where you are or which direction to go in and you don't speak the local language. We asked two locals where on the map we were and they didn't know, so we assumed we were miles away. Then Jen spotted a European looking couple and we asked them. Luckily they identified where we were and it turns out we were only a mile away from the hostel. On balance, the bus driver probably made the right call. Still, we had to lug our heavy bags across Hanoi's Old Quarter which was ok, but a little draining. This was proper backpacking.

Our hostel, the Thu Giang Guesthouse, is a real budget place and apart from the bathroom it does the job. At least it's clean. And for only £3 per night per person, it's good value. Now, the bathroom on the other hand is really basic. The shower hose is attached to the sink and then the head fits in a bracket on the wall next to it making a kind of wet room when you have a shower. I don't think that was the original plan, they just put a drain the floor and there you go - wet room. I heard Jen scream when she turned on the tap and the shower started firing water out all over the bathroom. As we're on the top floor the water needs to be pumped up, using what looks like a fishpond pump.

When we were in the lobby waiting for our key, Jen spotted a passport photo (amongst loads and loads) under the glass table top that looked like our friend, Maddy. Turns out it was. What are the chances?

We hit the streets after freshening up to orientate ourselves. For every one of the three million people in Hanoi, there must be at least one moped. It's mayhem! And boy do they like a horn. Marrakech on steroids, and that's saying something. It's a simple game of chicken when crossing any road - he who dares wins. And mopeds seem to be able to go on any coloured light, even red. Some of the loads being carried are just hilarious. We saw one guy with a Buddhist shrine attached to the back which would have only just fit in a small pick-up truck. Another had five crates of Coca-Cola attached to the back and sides.

The shops are so abundant all selling quite cool gifts at very good prices, so that's Christmas presents sorted then. We didn't get anywhere near the hassle we thought we would, which made for pleasant browsing.

We found a nice spot for dinner in a restaurant called 69, which was lovely. Although I was a bit suspicious when I read 'Chicken noodles 69 style' on the menu. I wonder what you get when you order that? We had two delicious Vietnamese dishes and a couple of drinks. Total cost: under a fiver! Tiger Beer is only 60p a bottle. I like it here already.