It was a really nice flight from Nha Trang to Hanoi with Vietnam Airlines and we sailed through customs and baggage collection, in record time. Stanstead Airport could really learn something from these guys! I knew that the airport was quite some distance from the town centre, so had to negotiate adeal in a minibus packed full of people for about a pound (30,000 Dong). Along the way, I witnessed the usual hustle and bustle of city life, similar to Ho Chi Minh City, with thousands of motor bikes flying up and down the highways, carrying chickens, pigs and anything that would fit actually. I even saw a small motorbike winding it's way through the streets with a 7 foot fridge freezer on the back!! Paying a cheap fare on the bus didn't pay off really because we got so far to the hotel and then the driver turned around and demanded more money (and extra 60 pence or something!). Being the tight-arse you become in these countries, I accused them of riping me off and got out of the minibus, with just my lonely planet for directions. You immediately get bombarded by street sellers and the likes of hotel owners trying to tempt you to stay at their places, which puts you on the upper hand when bargaining for cheaper rooms, but I was looking for a particular hotel which I read about. After a few minutes of fending off hoteliers and vendors selling crap that no-one wants or needs, I located where I was on that map and realised that the 'kind' minibus driver had dropped me off just a block away from the hotel I was looking for so I was sorted really! It's hard to chill out in a busy city like Hanoi, but one must try when on holiday, so I spent most of my time walking the streets, looking at the interesting stuff in the shops, sipping iced-tea in a selection of lovely bars and eating ice cream by the lake. It all sounds lovely and it is, really, but at the end of the day, it's still a mad city with motorbikes flying all over the place trying to kill you and horns sounding ten to the dozen! My friend Judy had recommended that I get up early and watch the sun rise over the lake, which is something I failed to do unfortunately. I would imagine that everything is quite serene at this time of day with little old ladies exercising and enjoying the peace and quiet before the madness breaks for another day. Which brings me on to the exercising. I have never seena nation exercise so much in my life. They do it everywhere and anywhere. Sure, we see joggers back home going about their daily routine, but in Hanoi you seem to notice it far more. Whether it's because most of the exercisers seem to be over 60 years old, or whether it's because of how they I exercise I'm not too sure. Some just walk fast, some fling their arms around, some stretch and contort into unusual positions that you wouldn't think possible at that age. Driving down the highway one day I saw a lady walking backwards as a form of exercise and guy jogging sideways along with all the cars and bikes! Madness! Hanoi is a nice city to visit, although I would rate it second to Ho Chi Minh City as it lacks a certain Vietnamese flair that I felt elsewhere, but makes up for that in it's own crazy way. I only spent 2 days here before flying out to Vientiane in Laos, which is where I will write to you next, after I have something to tell you. With lots of love, Stephen xxx