The din of honking drifts in through the open window. Sitting on the 5th floor of the post-ironically named Serenity Hotel in the heart of the old quarter of Hanoi, I have a few moments to reflect on a hectic day of travel.
The ride to the Sydney Airport likely left some of the passengers with long term health effects. Our driver, a much mis-understood eastern European man, was fighting off a constant barrage of phone calls, flipping through and writing in his bookings, all whilst swerving through traffic with some all-too-near misses and yelling "I SPELL NAME FOR STREET PLEASE!".
The majority of the passengers were dumped with their luggage on the sidewalk of the domestic terminal looking extremely frazzled, while we tore off toward the international terminal. By chance I looked back to see a very familiar black bag sitting on the curb as we sped away, and ended up sprinting back to get it whilst our driver apologized profusely.
The flights were long and somewhat uneventful, and after a short stop in Bangkok(the most massive airport I have seen), we landed in Hanoi. What a happening place!
If the ride in from the airport is any indication of what is to come we have some real adventure ahead of us. Horns are used to let each other know that you are there, or perhaps just indicating that you would like to make another lane of traffic where clearly only two fit, or perhaps you want to drive the wrong way down the highway - just toot away and all traffic laws suddenly bend to suit your needs.
Our hosts at the hotel so far have been extremely friendly, and we are looking to get a quick trip in to Halong Bay before the others arrive. We also realized that Vietnam doesn't do Facebook, so stick to email or post here for the time being.
Here is the proposed route we are thinking (still have to figure out how to get through Cambodia back to Bangkok).
View Proposed SE Asia Route in a larger map
We had a great time in Sydney: we hung out with Sarah, some old friends from Zimbabwe, got in some swimming at the beaches, and did everything but cycle. Here are some pics for those of you who hate reading.
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| A Monica-sized kangaroo otherwise known as a wallaby - also a great photo exhibition at the museum in Sydney |
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| Kangaroo that is actually taller than Monica |
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| Mmmeat! |
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| If I was a dinosaur... |
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| St. Mary's church in the background |
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| He looks like he wants to come down |
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| Monica playing the who is cuter game |
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| I wanted to take this guy home |
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| Emu |
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| I was actually taking a picture of the kangaroo scratching his armpit when Monica photobombed |
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| This is where I got the inspiration for my hairdo |
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| Paragliding at National Park |
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| My makeshift tripod didn't really do this skyline justice |
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| Sarah on a sunny day! |
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| Monica roughing me up at the beach |
