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MeznG. In the air, on the road, river or sea again
Today we travel from Hoi An to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. After a swim in the ocean and a yummy breakfast, Quyen gets us to the airport in Danang in time for our flight.
We travel with Vietnam Airlines. In Hanoi we are met by our local guide and driver and we are taken into Hanoi. Hanoi has a population of 6 million and 3 million motorbikes. They export over 8 million tonnes of rice / year and on the drive from the airport, the road is lined on both sides by rice fields and other crops. We cross over the Red River and we find ourselves in the midst of crazy traffic. Thank goodness we don't have to drive. As strange as it seems the traffic seems to flow and to us there appears to be no regard for any rules.
Our hotel The Sofitel Metropole is pretty much in the middle of the city. It has a very French feel about it and is very classy. The bell boys and hostesses are dressed very traditionally and we are treated like royalty. Here we meet our guide Hong, who will be with us for the next few days. We will come together with the rest of our group at 2.30 to have a city tour.
Our room is beautiful, shame we are only here for one night!
There are 10 including us in our group but we have not properly met them yet. From what I have gathered they have only arrived from Singapore today.
Our tour this afternoon takes us to the Vietnam Museum of Ethnography which is a visual collection and explanation of the different tribes that make up Vietnam and their customs.
Next we visit the Lacquer house where we have a demonstration of how the decorative lacquered pictures and home wares are made using eggshell and/or mother of pearl.
We walk through the temple of Confucius which was Vietnam's first ever university dating back to the 17th .Century.
Lastly we walk through streets of the old quarter of Hanoi. A lot of the shops are still the traditional businesses that have been there for years but some have been converted to boutique hotels and guest houses. The fresh food market is fantastic to walk through but our very sensitive tummys wouldn't cope with meat that has been sitting out in this 37 degree heat.
Once we are returned to the hotel, we have a chance to freshen up and venture back out into the street to find some dinner.
There is an art to crossing the street here because it is so busy, you don't get a break in the traffic so you just walk slow and steady and the cars and bikes go around you. As long as you keep a steady pace they can predict what you are going to do but if you hesitate or run, you have a good chance of being flattened!
We eat at a local restaurant that is pretty basic but it has lots of people in it so we take this as a good sign.
Back in our room, we have an early start tomorrow for the drive to Halong for our cruise on Halong Bay.
We travel with Vietnam Airlines. In Hanoi we are met by our local guide and driver and we are taken into Hanoi. Hanoi has a population of 6 million and 3 million motorbikes. They export over 8 million tonnes of rice / year and on the drive from the airport, the road is lined on both sides by rice fields and other crops. We cross over the Red River and we find ourselves in the midst of crazy traffic. Thank goodness we don't have to drive. As strange as it seems the traffic seems to flow and to us there appears to be no regard for any rules.
Our hotel The Sofitel Metropole is pretty much in the middle of the city. It has a very French feel about it and is very classy. The bell boys and hostesses are dressed very traditionally and we are treated like royalty. Here we meet our guide Hong, who will be with us for the next few days. We will come together with the rest of our group at 2.30 to have a city tour.
Our room is beautiful, shame we are only here for one night!
There are 10 including us in our group but we have not properly met them yet. From what I have gathered they have only arrived from Singapore today.
Our tour this afternoon takes us to the Vietnam Museum of Ethnography which is a visual collection and explanation of the different tribes that make up Vietnam and their customs.
Next we visit the Lacquer house where we have a demonstration of how the decorative lacquered pictures and home wares are made using eggshell and/or mother of pearl.
We walk through the temple of Confucius which was Vietnam's first ever university dating back to the 17th .Century.
Lastly we walk through streets of the old quarter of Hanoi. A lot of the shops are still the traditional businesses that have been there for years but some have been converted to boutique hotels and guest houses. The fresh food market is fantastic to walk through but our very sensitive tummys wouldn't cope with meat that has been sitting out in this 37 degree heat.
Once we are returned to the hotel, we have a chance to freshen up and venture back out into the street to find some dinner.
There is an art to crossing the street here because it is so busy, you don't get a break in the traffic so you just walk slow and steady and the cars and bikes go around you. As long as you keep a steady pace they can predict what you are going to do but if you hesitate or run, you have a good chance of being flattened!
We eat at a local restaurant that is pretty basic but it has lots of people in it so we take this as a good sign.
Back in our room, we have an early start tomorrow for the drive to Halong for our cruise on Halong Bay.
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