Day 26

We wake up and having already agreed to eat in the hotel after yesterday's ordeal make our way to the breakfast area.....
Shiree wanted to do this yesterday and did remind me so whilst we walked want felt like hours in search of our breakfast.... so I'm surprised when she turns round and asks if I want to eat in the hotel or not....
I take one look at it and see why she's asked..... It's pretty poor... We head out and walk in the direction we think there's going to be food but to no avail..... This place is beginning to grate...., know body in this godforsaken ghost town wants to sell us any bloody breakfast.....!!!!
We have chosen to get a TukTuk to the airport and after eventually finding food again we pack up to leave.... There has been a contact rotation of very willing TukTuk drivers at the end of our road.... Come night or day there is always a group keen for your money...... Apart from today..... We stagger out of the hotel, now barely visible under ever expanding backpacks and there no TukTuks anywhere....
We walk in search and do find one.... Its driver is asleep in the back, but after a prod he's up !! Keen as mustard for our hard earned cash.....
Before long we are loaded into the back and on our way to the airport.... Its 50.000kip and takes 20 mins including a fuel stop...
Stepping onto the plane is lovely..... It's not as up to date as some, but it feels like you've stepped forward 500 years.... Everything is clean and nothing appears broken or cheap.... It's really nice..
The flight on Laos air is short... Just about long enough for the crew to serve us home made sandwiches cut into small triangles and a tea before the seatbelt sign is back on for landing.... I'm so so pleased we went with flying to Vietnam..... For 40mins it was like being back home...... We are loving our time here, but in asia things are done differently.... Its great to experience..... Some things are positively third world, and some things are much better, but 40 mins of familiarity was nice..... And long enough to feel normal again.
We land in Hanoi airport.... Vietnam 20 mins early..... Our "travelling trip" feels like its just about to begin.....
We arrange a taxi to our hotel... Its a little on the expensive side but Vietnam airport taxi drivers have a similar reputation to pick pockets and thieves over here..... Vietnam on the whole has a reputation for being a little more "scam" driven than the other countries so having a pre agreed price suits us this time...
We arrive at hotel ( Hanoi old quarter hotel ) after 45 minutes.... Its a tall thin building with 8 floors.... Here we have a nicer room within the hotel as we'll be staying here a few days over Christmas... We are greeted by two tiny Vietnamese women who fuss around us like bees.... Attentive X10 is nothing on these two..... There really nice and would help us breath if they thought they could....
The hotel, as its name suggests is in the old quarter... Well, it's actually right on the out skirts of the old quarter..
The old quarter is obviously where Hanoi originally stood before it grew to its current size..... Its made up of very tightly packed, very chaotic streets that are full to the brim with activity... It spills out of every inch of space and is a real attack on the senses.... If your looking for a city that never sleeps then this is it..... The street food sellers creating a wonderful mix of very tempting smells..... There are lights coming at you from all angels.... Neon signs flash amongst randomly placed Christmas lights, and motorbike lights pass in vast numbers.... There are people everywhere, all dodging busy, unruly motorists.... There are motorbikes parked inches apparat two rows deep against most large buildings....there everywhere and I mean everywhere.... The pavements in the old quarter are not a place your going to be able to walk on often.... There places for preparing, selling or eating food, playing cards, or parking mopeds and that's about it.... With all the activity and lack of space comes noise.... And it's this noise that its impossible to find any refuse from.... It gets in everywhere... Engines and horns dominant above all.... Its a constant barrage on your ears and its relentless...... 3am or 3pm makes no difference.... Horns Horns Horns !
After dumping our bags off In a much nicer room than we have become used to we grab a map from reception and head into the old quarter.... Its busy.... Really busy, and as usual, it's unfamiliar...
We turn a few corners and find a large modern building "New Hanoi Backpackers" and head inside.... Shirees looking for western food tonight and this place is full of back packers so we assume the menu will reflect the clientele and it does....
After eating we wonder around the tightly packed local streets just taking it all in.... Hanoi is now are most northerly point we'll visit till the end of our trip and its not very warm at night, we are keeping an eye out for warmer clothing whilst dodging the bikes but end up back at our hotel before it's to late to get a early night...