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Filandwil
Hey everyone we've just finished our trip round Vietnam and so thought it would be a good time to share our adventure so far!
Hanoi
- After 3 days of flying and a night in Bangkok we finally arrived in the capital of Vietnam, where our tour would begin. To be honest, both of us were expecting really budget accommodation; having to share beds, no ensuite and only a communal tv (if we were lucky!). But it turned out that a couple of quid really does go a long way... the Vietnamese really know how to host!! We had our own traditional style room with really comfy beds, a nice ensuite bathroom - although, I've never had to sit down in a bath to take a shower before! After contemplating staying in and watching basketball on ESPN in our room (yes thats right, our own tv!) we decided that we should really have a quick explore before meeting our group.
This quick explore actually turned into the funniest yet possibly most difficult trip to the bank I have ever known. We walked in to the bank and were confronted by a sea of female staff - the looks on their faces (and giggles I might add) gave us our first indication of how much of a novelty Westerners are in Vietnam. All we wanted to do was change our travellers cheques - an easy task I hear you say and you would be right - yet somehow, it took about 8 of the bank clerks to do it!
After running back to the hotel in the pouring rain we soon met up with our tour leader (a Kiwi named Aaron - see photos) and the rest of the group which has turned out to be incredibly varied in terms of age (18-42) and also nationality including Kiwi, American, Scottish, Canadian, English and Geordie (well, Sunderland actually).
After the introductions we headed out to a local restaurant - where Phil made the startling discovery that he liked seafood. Perhaps the highlight of the evening was the "Beer Hoi" - basically sitting on small plastic chairs on the street corner and drinking the local or home made brew for 5p, no wait.....6p! (Naylor, I can feel your jealousy!!) All in all a pretty good day!
Our next day in Hanoi was devoted to being a tourist - we saw the Ho Chi Minh (Uncle Ho as his affectionate name) Mauseleum, where despite wishing to be buried, he is actually put on display for all to see - and guarded quite heavily. We also saw the "Hanoi Hilton" - you probably think we mean the hotel, but that's ok because so did the taxi driver, we actually mean the famous prison used by the French and the Americans to hold the Vietnamese. This was quite intersting, but the highlight of the day had to be witnjessing true Vietnamese culture in the form of Karaoke! They may know how to host , but they certainly don't know how to sing! It really is a strange experience; in Engl;and, Karaoke is something to do when you're drunk and probably a bit nervous - but in Vietnam it's just what you do, have a drink, pass the mic around.
To round off the day, a few of us decided to relax with a Vietnames massage. This seemed to be a cross between a massage and a visit to the chiropractor - felt good afterwards though. After visiting a jazz bar just opposite our hotel we headed to another local restaurant for our final meal in Hanoi - like most restaurant6s in Vietnam, you can eat well for under $4. Hanoi was a great start to what has been so far, a fantastic trip.
More from us soon - thanks for all the msgs, glad you like the pictures. Keep those messages coming!
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