The bus from Vang Vieng to Hanoi may have been the worst 30 hours of my life. I had no food, the bus was around the same temperature as the surface of the sun and crossing the Vietnamese border was ridiculous. I arrived at the border at 2am. It didn't open till 6. When it did finally open I had to walk a kilometre over the border and then sit and wait while the immigration officials painstakingly checked every inch of the bus. When I finally arrived in Hanoi I was tired. I was smelly. I was starving. It's safe to say I was pretty grumpy. I then managed to check into the wrong hostel. By the time I'd found the right one all the restaurants were closed so I had to do with cheese crackers and oreos for tea.
But enough complaining! I was in Hanoi safe and sound and happy to be there. My hostel had huge bunk beds that felt like I was sleeping on a cloud and being cuddled by angels (or was this just because I was sleep and food deprived?). Either way I fell asleep within 5 seconds of my head touching the blissful pillow.
The next day I set off to explore Hanoi and get some culture back in my life. I wandered through the bustling Old Quarter with an Australian girl I met over breakfast to Hoan Kiem Lake where a mysterious 200kg turtle lives but we failed to spot it. We then visited the Vietnamese Women's Museum and learnt a lot about what rural and traditional Vietnamese life is like for women. It started out all about marriage and family life but as we ascended the floors there were exhibitions about female troops and militia who did heroic deeds during the Vietnam war and the top floor was dedicated to the "fashion" of the various hilltribes and the textile techniques they specialise in. There was embroidery and batik and appliqué and the traditional clothes were so beautiful I wanted to steal them.
We ate a delicious street food lunch and continued on to Hoa Lo Prison museum. It was in the actual prison building and was really interesting but a bit like something out of a horror film. That evening I went to a water puppet show which was fun but very weird. The puppets look like they've been made by children and I didn't understand any of the Vietnamese dialogue. I left feeling slightly confused. I later met up with Jess the Australian and Nico, an Ecuadorian, and went salsa dancing! It felt very much like a school disco when we walked in, with the girls sitting on one side and the boys sitting on the other but it quickly livened up. Nico was apparently an expert and me and Jess were definitely not. We got some of the Vietnamese guys there to teach us some moves though and by the end I had the snake hips down!
The next morning, James arrived in Hanoi and we went to the Temple of Literature which was incredibly beautiful and peaceful. Again, we went turtle spotting, all to no avail. We walked through the baking heat to West Lake and pootled around on a swan pedalo before searching in vain for wine and pizza in an attempt to recreate some home comforts but settled in the end for a burger and a beer, which worked just as well.
But enough complaining! I was in Hanoi safe and sound and happy to be there. My hostel had huge bunk beds that felt like I was sleeping on a cloud and being cuddled by angels (or was this just because I was sleep and food deprived?). Either way I fell asleep within 5 seconds of my head touching the blissful pillow.
The next day I set off to explore Hanoi and get some culture back in my life. I wandered through the bustling Old Quarter with an Australian girl I met over breakfast to Hoan Kiem Lake where a mysterious 200kg turtle lives but we failed to spot it. We then visited the Vietnamese Women's Museum and learnt a lot about what rural and traditional Vietnamese life is like for women. It started out all about marriage and family life but as we ascended the floors there were exhibitions about female troops and militia who did heroic deeds during the Vietnam war and the top floor was dedicated to the "fashion" of the various hilltribes and the textile techniques they specialise in. There was embroidery and batik and appliqué and the traditional clothes were so beautiful I wanted to steal them.
We ate a delicious street food lunch and continued on to Hoa Lo Prison museum. It was in the actual prison building and was really interesting but a bit like something out of a horror film. That evening I went to a water puppet show which was fun but very weird. The puppets look like they've been made by children and I didn't understand any of the Vietnamese dialogue. I left feeling slightly confused. I later met up with Jess the Australian and Nico, an Ecuadorian, and went salsa dancing! It felt very much like a school disco when we walked in, with the girls sitting on one side and the boys sitting on the other but it quickly livened up. Nico was apparently an expert and me and Jess were definitely not. We got some of the Vietnamese guys there to teach us some moves though and by the end I had the snake hips down!
The next morning, James arrived in Hanoi and we went to the Temple of Literature which was incredibly beautiful and peaceful. Again, we went turtle spotting, all to no avail. We walked through the baking heat to West Lake and pootled around on a swan pedalo before searching in vain for wine and pizza in an attempt to recreate some home comforts but settled in the end for a burger and a beer, which worked just as well.