I arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam yesterday, and I have to say I am amazed. Hanoi is unbelievable. I am so impressed by how nice the city is, how nice the Vietnamese people are, and just how much I like Hanoi so far. Hanoi is far more modern and nice than I was expecting. There is so much atmosphere and energy here. There are thousands of scooters that clog the streets, with the occasional Lexus or BMW. It all seems like chaos, but it somehow works. There is a busy intersection, with no lights and hundreds of scooters weaving in and out, but no accidents.

More about what I have been doing in Hanoi later. My trip to get from Hong Kong to Hanoi was very long, and involved 2 subways, 4 trains, 1 tuk tuk ride and 1 taxi....totalling about 34 hours. I took a train to Guanzhuo China, from Hong Kong, and then a night train to Nanning China. The night train was very comfortable, and I was in a sleeper with three nice Chinese ladies (we had about 10 words we could speak to each other, but that didn't matter). From Nanning, I met 2 British and 2 Dutch and took a train to Pinxiang, at the Vietnamese border....and then a tuk tuk (motor bike with some seats attached to the back) to the actual border. The crossing was very smooth.

On the Vietnamese side we took a car to the train station in Dong Dang, even though they said there were no trains today (all cab drivers lie in Asia...everything is full, closed, moved, etc.). Our train was pretty much for cargo I think, but we had some nice wooden seats. I thought it was a 4.5 hour trip, but it actually took 7 hours.

Once in Hanoi we went to get some Vietnamese food, but the place closed....so I am ashamed to say we went to get some Italian food.

Today I walked all around with the Dutch that I met on the train. The Old Quarter in Hanoi is winding, narrow, clogged streets. The scooters are all over the place. I learned quickly how to cross the street....you just walk across right through traffic at a slow pace and make eye contact with the drivers, don't worry they will get out of the way.

My afternoon was even better. I joined a website called couchsufing.com before leaving based on the recommendation of my British friends who travelled to Asia. Couchsurfing is a way to connect with other travellers, and stay the night on their couch, or simply have a cup of coffee. I met a Vietnamese girl named Phuong who drove me all over Hanoi on her scooter (don't worry mom, I wore a helmet). She was so nice, friendly and helpful. Tomorrow she invited me to dinner with her family along with a British couple and her French neighbors. I can't wait to have a traditional meal in a Vietnamese house.

Anyway, tomorrow is another day to visit Hanoi, and after that I will go to Halong Bay on the coast and Sapa in the mountains. I will probably travel for a few days at least with a Canadian guy I met. He's travelling alone too, so may as well join forces. Check the videos, I am trying to upload a video showing my ride to the Vietnam border. I will try to upload pictures at some point too and more videos.