Vietnam time.
We made it to Hanoi yesterday after getting up at 5am then finding out our flight had been bumped, then getting held to ransom at the new Bangkok airport where they charge billions for everything while they pay it off.
We got introduced quickly to the scams of the city, as soon as we got out of the arrivals hall in fact. Went to get the shuttle bus then got lured into a 'good deal' on a cab, then the cash we had managed to negotiate off the price magically got added back on when we got to a toll gate (all of about 300m away). The driver pretty much sat on his horn and tailgated every vehicle, big or small, all the way to the Old Quarter.
Then, he dropped us off at the hotel we had requested, only we were very sure it was not the hotel: something stood out for us in the fact that it was a travel shop... hmmm. Magically, the 'owner' stepped out of the shadows and said that the hotel was full but he could take us to the sister hotel. We politely declined. Managed to find a sweet wee place down the road anyway so headed there, amongst a trail of other salesmen trying to get us to their hotels (I wouldn't want to guess, but it might have been the massive backpack on Quent's back which gave our predicament away).
We've had a great time so far though, exploring all of the Old Quarter, where every street sells a different kind of product/group of products: bamboo ladder street, cameras street, lanterns street, candy street.... a bit like a town-sized supermarket.
Today we checked out the military musuem and Ho Chi Minh's old digs, plus looked at his mausoleum, which I was really keen to see, but it was shut for winter repairs. Went to a few of the other touristy places but I won't bore you with a blow by blow account.
Oh, and the best sight I've seen so far is a dude with three calf carcasses slung over his motorbike.
And we have the Chelsea channel at our hotel.
And the traffic is COMPLETELY nuts.
Off to Halong Bay tomorrow, yeehaaa! Back soon.
We got introduced quickly to the scams of the city, as soon as we got out of the arrivals hall in fact. Went to get the shuttle bus then got lured into a 'good deal' on a cab, then the cash we had managed to negotiate off the price magically got added back on when we got to a toll gate (all of about 300m away). The driver pretty much sat on his horn and tailgated every vehicle, big or small, all the way to the Old Quarter.
Then, he dropped us off at the hotel we had requested, only we were very sure it was not the hotel: something stood out for us in the fact that it was a travel shop... hmmm. Magically, the 'owner' stepped out of the shadows and said that the hotel was full but he could take us to the sister hotel. We politely declined. Managed to find a sweet wee place down the road anyway so headed there, amongst a trail of other salesmen trying to get us to their hotels (I wouldn't want to guess, but it might have been the massive backpack on Quent's back which gave our predicament away).
We've had a great time so far though, exploring all of the Old Quarter, where every street sells a different kind of product/group of products: bamboo ladder street, cameras street, lanterns street, candy street.... a bit like a town-sized supermarket.
Today we checked out the military musuem and Ho Chi Minh's old digs, plus looked at his mausoleum, which I was really keen to see, but it was shut for winter repairs. Went to a few of the other touristy places but I won't bore you with a blow by blow account.
Oh, and the best sight I've seen so far is a dude with three calf carcasses slung over his motorbike.
And we have the Chelsea channel at our hotel.
And the traffic is COMPLETELY nuts.
Off to Halong Bay tomorrow, yeehaaa! Back soon.
posted by Nic at 4:58 pm
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