We had booked a sleeper bus to get to Hanoi, which was originally meant to take 26 hours. We thought it wouldn't be too bad, however after a stressful border cross, back ache and numb legs it became apparent it would be over 30 hours in transit! My longest journey yet.
Hanoi is so far north it is quite cold at this time of year. It was strange to be wearing jackets and gloves again after so long. We arrived quite late and as there is a midnight curfew we headed straight out to a bar for a couple of drinks - We needed them after being sat down on the bus for so long. If you are through the door before 12 a lot of the bars will let you stay until past 3am; as long as you are inside and upstairs so that the police are unaware.. Yet even then the police will often come in to close down a bar if it is open after hours, as we experienced on our last night in Hanoi.
The hostel we stayed at, Hanoi Backpackers, was fantastic, and one of the best I have been to. It just so happened that the day we arrived Erna (the girl who I traveled Koh Phangan and Cambodia with) was also booked in! We spent the next day exploring the city. Despite being a large city, it is all very close together and busy. The electrical poles are an electricians nightmare, all tangled up.. They looked very dangerous.
Hanoi is so far north it is quite cold at this time of year. It was strange to be wearing jackets and gloves again after so long. We arrived quite late and as there is a midnight curfew we headed straight out to a bar for a couple of drinks - We needed them after being sat down on the bus for so long. If you are through the door before 12 a lot of the bars will let you stay until past 3am; as long as you are inside and upstairs so that the police are unaware.. Yet even then the police will often come in to close down a bar if it is open after hours, as we experienced on our last night in Hanoi.
The hostel we stayed at, Hanoi Backpackers, was fantastic, and one of the best I have been to. It just so happened that the day we arrived Erna (the girl who I traveled Koh Phangan and Cambodia with) was also booked in! We spent the next day exploring the city. Despite being a large city, it is all very close together and busy. The electrical poles are an electricians nightmare, all tangled up.. They looked very dangerous.
Through our backpackers, we organised a trip to see Halong bay for a stay on an overnight boat. When we arrived we took kayaks out to see some of the fishing villiages. We also stopped in a cave to have a little explore. The evening was mainly centred around getting wasted, and after the biggest game of Kings Cup I have ever played, we put on some music and partied on deck surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. Halong Bay is one of the natural wonders of the world, and it is easy to see why. I had such a funny night. One of the highlights has to be when Tommy got so excited about a song he jumped up and down until the stage collapsed under him.
We got back to Hanoi in time for one final drunken night out with Tommy and Steve before my journey to India to meet Jonny!
We got back to Hanoi in time for one final drunken night out with Tommy and Steve before my journey to India to meet Jonny!
No comments:
Post a Comment