So finally, finding some time to blog at work again :)
Ok, back in Continuity Mode.
..............
Woke up and spent the whole morning just reading the papers while Ben puttered around with last minute laundry and packed his bags.
Thought of dropping by WeeLoong's place for lunch and maybe take his Schwinn for a spin. But the fellow just got back from a holiday in Rome, and we figured it best to give him time to sleep and pack instead.
We all met up at Changi late afternoon.
Can't recognise the airport anymore. The last time I was here was probably July 1996, when I took off to KL for my spirit-ectomy in Universiti Malaya.
Had a bit of afternoon tea first, since we'll be reaching Hanoi way past dinner time. The MacDonald's here has more interesting foods than Malaysia, but a lousier Coke-refill policy, ie none to speak of.
Flight took off about 5.30pm, and we touched down about 8pm local time.
The more you know...Hanoi is in the +7GMT timezone, although its longitude is slightly further east than Singapore, which is at +8GMT. This is because West Malaysia and Singapore are following East Malaysia's timezone. Thus we're an hour ahead of everyone else on our same longitude.
Therefore, do the sums and you'll see that our flight took about 3.5hrs.
We were seated pretty far towards the back of the plane. The four of us couldn't get seats together. So I left WeeLoong alone sleeping, while I spent the 3hr flight standing near the loo like a toilet attendent, occassionally opening doors for passengers who looked puzzled by the door latch.
Used the time to find out what Ravi and Ben had planned out for us. And get some vague idea what Hanoi is going to be like.
I was determined to go into this holiday completely blind. With no expectations nor preconceptions to colour my experience. The only research I did was the safety of their tap water, and the forecasted temperatures for this time of the year.
At this point, the bulk of my knowledge about Vietnam was:
- The French, and also Forrest Gump, were there at some point or another
- They're Commies
- Tour of Duty used to show these goblins in black pyjamas killing American soldiers
- Residences in KL where Vietnamese workers live, often see a high rate of pet mortality ('stewing' being the chief cause of death)
- Top quality brides
So, yeah... there's plenty of gaps in my knowledge to fill in...
We took a cab from Noibai Airport into Hanoi. The cabbie will ask for US$15. Pay him US$10 only. Get an airport personnel to back you up on this. But you can't blame the cabbie for trying to get lucky with the occassional gullible tourist.
Google for cheap hotels in Hanoi and you'll often get Salute Hotel. But that wasn't where the cabbie took us to. We ended up at Backpacker's Hotel, which I've labelled on my GPS as Fake Salute. But the room and price was agreeable, and we didn't have any better ideas how to find the real Salute.
Dumped the bags and went out looking for dinner.
There are HEAPS of local food stalls all along the pedestrian walkways! I was dazzled by the bounty of genuine local cuisine! Was just hoping to sit down anywhere and pick out a random dish and be surprised. But I followed the more seasoned travellers and see where they'ld lead me.
We took a few turns around the Old Quarter part of the city, and ended up at ... City View Cafe. My compatriots ordered Nasi Goreng and Pork Fillet.....
I was speechless...
I comforted myself with a bowl of hygienically prepared Pho. Somehow, the Vietnamese noodles I had in Australia tasted better than the authentic article.
But the cafe did have a very good view over the lake. Had a time looking at the bright city lights reflected in the waters, accompanied by the pleasing ambience of motorbike horns.
It was also a good chance to look at the streets and learn how the locals cross the roads. The idea is to wade right into the traffic and move at a leisurely pace. As long as you don't stop unexpectedly in the middle of the road, the onus is on the motorbikes to swerve out of your way.
Cool...
We walked about the Old Quarter a bit more before getting back to the hotel.
The room isn't too bad. But only 2 beds, a queen & a single. We put them together, and could squeeze 4 guys on it if we sleep in an "E" formation.
WeeLoong, unfortunately was the middle horizontal bar. Ravi being the vertical bar. So, WeeLoong had the choice of either Ravi's ass or his dick facing his head as he sleeps.
Ben snores lightly. WeeLoong gnashes his teeth. I sleep through it all.
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