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Finally after 2 days of traveling on an airplane - legs cramped butt aching, we have reached our destination! As we walked off the plane, the smell is very distinct. It smells like Vietnam We start to walk towards customs with a plan. The my trang (white guy) first, me, my uncle and my cousin in the back (because no one will try to mess with us then.) We were scared we were going to be given a hard time by the stern faced VC soldiers but we walked passed the with ease. Then we go to pick up our luggage, one by one they start to roll out. We wait... Finally the last one hits the conveyer belt but we look down and out carts are empty. We are missing 9 pieces of luggage!!! We head strait to the lost and found. As we stand there waiting, we realize we don't have a phone to call our driver to let him know that we were here, praying he doesn't leave us. We stood there for 2 hours until they advised us that our luggage has not yet arrived and will be sent to our hotel the next day. So for today and tomorrow we have nothing but the clothes we are wearing.
Finally we head out to look for our driver hoping to see a am holding a sign with out name on it but no sign. Crap - hopefully he didn't wait too long and leave us! Thankfully my cousin TV posted pictures of him on her blog so I knew what he look like so I went in search desperately hoping to find him. There he is!!! Here alas, here alas! He said he walked around for hours trying to find us. Poor guy, his sit was folded up in his pocket, no dramatic entrance this time. We went to buy SIM cards but only one phone worked. Then we got packed our car with whatever we had and went on our way to Halong Bay.
We got hungry so we stopped at a pho stand on the side of the highway. Our first meal in Vietnam. The place was literally a hole in the wall, trash on the floor, smells kind of dumpy, and small tables and plastic chairs everywhere. The pho was delicious. 2 bottles of Bia (beer) Hanoi, 4 bowls of pho, 1 plate of fried rice and a bottle of juice = 180,000 VND = $8, not bad at all. As we drive 3 hours to our destination, the streets were empty, we drove through towns upon towns with random pho restaurants on the first floor of people's houses. The roads were so dusty that it looked like thick fog clouds. When we got to our hotel, it was pitch dark and the doors were locked shut. Not a soul insight. We knocked and looked around thinking we were going to have to find another place to stay and lose the money we already used to book this place $28/nt, but then, someone answered! A guy looking tired and confused answered and let us in. After all said and done, we got to our room at 3:30 am. We showered in cold water (they turn off the hot water every night at 9 pm) using hotel soap and knocked out.
4 hours later we were woken to head to Halong Bay!!!
- comments
TV Love it!!!!! SOOO similar to everything in summer it's like i'm there with you i can imagine everything!!! I can't believe he waited and looked for 2 hours! Did I tell you he was the best or what?!?! Tell him we miss him a lot!! Hope you all are enjoying it! More details! No detail is too small! Hahaha make sure you get some Bia Saigon shirts now if you want them (in Hanoi) because they don't have them in the south! Can't wait to read more! Stay safe and keep posting!
mytutym Yep! He really is the best! We gotta buy a lot of Bia Saigon shirts. Uncle Binh wants a lot lol. Ok I'll try to write more details I feel like I'm blabbing too much haha
Mom Cold showers are not so bad when you jog for 20 min, it feels real good!
Maria B. Mytu!!! loved reading your post, can't wait to read the rest you've already posted. Miss you like crazy around here!! Stay safe and have fun!!