I am woken to the sound of my phone ringing, it's Hoang. I'm too late to answer, but it is followed by a txt saying that we meet at 10 at the cathedral. This is good because I am clearly still in my bed. Not feeling terribly fresh. Up, shower, then out. It's a scorcher today, this coupled with my dehydration from the night before proves to be a difficult combination. I'm nearly at the cathedral when I get a txt saying that we meet at "less dirty kebab" Well that's just great, back where I came from, I amble back and then Hoang calls me and tells me she will pick me up. Thank god, no more walking. I sit down and wait for her and am approached by a number of street sellers, books, tshirts, motorbike, all of it. Then we get talking about who I am waiting for, and If I want a sexy lady?! It's 10am, clearly this is still a good time to offer a foreigner such things. I politely refuse, but some of these boys know a cleaver 3 letter word that they throw out when you say no. "Why?" it's pure genius really, though I have my doubts that they know what my response is, it's a great way to keep the conversation going and so increase the chance of a sale.
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I am saved by Hoang and we head somewhere for breakfast. We have the noodle soup with the burgers. Mmmmm. Delicious, just what I need after last night. We sit and chat for a while and then we go for something sweet, she goes for some peanut milk thing which I try, but I am not that fussed and so I don't order anything. A little more chat and then I have to get back to the hostel to check out, Hoang drops me back and I say bye and thank her for the past few days.
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I get checked out and spend the rest of the day charging my stuff before my 12 hour bus journey tonight. Can't wait! Of course when I Vietnam you work on Vietnam time, this can literally be anytime! I nip out for a last coffee with Trang before I get back for my bus at 6, of course it is closer to 7 when I am picked up. I get dropped to the bus, as I get on I notice that this bus has a toilet on it. More important than that however, is the fact that the seat above the toilet is just a bed, no option to adjust. It is also longer, I jump right up there and can fully extend! What a result! Maybe I will get a good sleep this time!
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You know I was reluctant to leave Hanoi. I think I got sucked in to the laid back attitude of the place. It occurs to me that this is the longest amount of time that I have spent in any one place since I started travelling. I met a lot of people while I was here, and just got in to the social side of things. I'll be sad to leave, but the travel must go on, new places, new people! Let's go!
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Of course having this great seat on the bus really is of no help when I am travelling along the worst road I have ever been on. Imagine the strip of logs that we did during our of road experience, except with corners, potholes and at about 50kph and you will come somewhat close to the ordeal. This journey gets even more eventful when the bus pulls over and I hear the driver and colleagues banging something at the back of the bus. I get out to take a look. These boys have cables hanging out the back of the bus and the are messing around with a torch trying to fix something. Great! I think we end up being here for about an hour. A beautiful delay to an already long journey. Miraculously I manage to get some broken sleep on the trip. Lucky to report that with the bus route being so shaky, no sign of any cockroaches. Always nice.