Days 1-3 After what seemed like a lifetime in the air (16 hours from Auckland, New Zealand), we touched down in Hanoi at around lunchtime. At first sight Hanoi seemed clean, green and not particularly chaotic - the airport was certainly a lot nicer than we expected and the visa process a lot simpler than we had imagined. For us, it was a good start, and the fact that our 9-year old had also made it out of the airport without getting us arrested for taking photos of the soldiers/doing cartwheels in the airport terminal/chatting to the customs officers/trying to go for a ride on the luggage belt was the icing on the cake.
If there was one word to describe Hanoi on our first day it would be soggy. And mad. That's two words but too bad. The maddest part were the roads - however a bit of homework about how to cross the road made all the difference. We not only strode out confidently, we OWNED crossing the street. Unsure what I'm talking about? Well here are some nice photos of a typical street. I'm hoping these pics are demonstrating just how chaotic the streets are. Probably not, but let's move on. The secret, it seemed, to owning the streets was simply one of perception. Once we'd decided that we would pretend that any car/truck/motorbike/bus who came up behind us and blasted their horn was saying "yoohoo, just letting you know I'm behind you" and not "GET OUT OF THE WAY YOU IDIOT TOURIST" it became a lot more manageable. For those who want to practice their own role play - here is what you do. Step out onto the street (or you're probably already there because the footpaths are full of motorbikes). Keep walking, with a steady pace. Think of yourself as a rock, and the motorbikes like water. They will just flow around you. Don't panic and run or stop in the middle of the road, it just confuses everyone. And whatever you do don't expect anyone to stop on a pedestrian crossing. Think of these as pretty road decorations, nothing else.
Hanoi - information Where we stayed: Hanoi Guest House Royal NZD$52 per room per night including breakfast - total for two rooms, two nights NZD$208/US$145.50
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