Day 78 - Hanoi - Hoi An
Friday, October 29, 2010
Monday 25th October
Two months to Christmas! (Not that there is any sign of Christmas here). Although I awoke just before 8am - not a bad effort I thought, given the lack of sleep on the train the night before - I was the last one up in my dorm, which now consisted of about 7 people. The heat and humidity was horrendous in both the dorms and the bathroom - drying off seemed a useless task!
As my flight to Danang wasn't until 3:25pm, I had a few hours to kill. I ignored the breakfast provided by the hostel (fresh bread and condiments), and found a quaint little cafe down the road to eat in instead. Back at the hostel, I packed my bag and checked out, storing my bags to pick-up later.
Following the Lonely Planet's advice, I set off to try and find a bookshop, in the hope that they may have a Canadian Lonely Planet. After about 2 hours, I realise my efforts were in vain and ended up at the Sofitel Metropole, surrounded by all of its luxury stores (Louis Vuitton? Prada?) Numerous wedding shoots were going on outside, and the road was blocked off to cars for this purpose.
Deciding to have a quick lunch before heading out to the airport, on my way to a cafe I ran into Ashley and Matt, who I had met in Ko Phi Phi. I'd actually just being messaging Ashley that morning on Facebook, finding out they were in Hanoi and had jobs teaching English. They were supposed to have started that day but the woman had cancelled, so were out exploring the Old Quarter. It looked like they were already starting to doubt their decision to get jobs in Hanoi though, as the noise blared around us.
Farewelling them, I had lunch nearby to the hostel, before returning to pick-up my bags. I walked outside to find a Mai Linh cafe, but none were in sight. Not deterred, I started to walk down the streets to find one, when I found a travel agency offered airport taxis for only $9 (normally, the price is about $12-$14). I was expecting a catch, but a nice new taxi turned up and deposited me swiftly at the Hanoi airport, about 30km outside of the city.
Time flew and we were soon boarding the Jetstar flight, which was piloted by two Aussies and also had an Aussie flight attendant on board. The flight was only short - about an hour - and as we made our way off the plane, I ran into the Aussie ladies who had shared my mini-bus to the train station in Sapa. "We thought you hadn't made it!", they exclaimed, having not seen me at the airport. We chatted about our plans for clothes in Hoi An, and I gave them some advice on recommended tailors (as provided by Trip Advisor). In return, they told me of a great market in Ho Chi Minh City where I could find good handbags, and another which had real perfume at dirt cheap prices.
My bag was one of the first off the carousel, and the hotel driver was waiting for me outside. As there were no flights to Hoi An, I'd flown into Danang, a town of 1.1 million people located 35km from Hoi An. The ride took about half an hour, on a street parallel to the beach. Everywhere you looked, beach resorts were being constructed - Sheraton; Hyatt Regency; even a Greg Norman designed golf course.
It was dark by the time I'd checked in, but I was eager to go for a walk and have some dinner. The town has a population of only 10,000, and is very quaint. Finally, a town I like in Vietnam! (Partly due to the clamp down on touts, and that cars are forbidden from the centre of town). I ended up getting massively lost as I walked, but finally found my way down to the 'Eating Street', eating pumpkin soup at the Lonely Planet recommended 'Cargo Bar'. The restaraunt also had an adjoining bakery, full of delicious cakes, breads, and ice-creams, and I made a mental note of its location.
Back at the hotel, I finalised my plan of attack for the tailors tomorrow. I wrote down the names and addresses of the tailors I would head to; what clothes I would get made at each; and ensured I had pictures (or at least, the details in my head) and the clothes I wanted made. I couldn't wait!
Two months to Christmas! (Not that there is any sign of Christmas here). Although I awoke just before 8am - not a bad effort I thought, given the lack of sleep on the train the night before - I was the last one up in my dorm, which now consisted of about 7 people. The heat and humidity was horrendous in both the dorms and the bathroom - drying off seemed a useless task!
As my flight to Danang wasn't until 3:25pm, I had a few hours to kill. I ignored the breakfast provided by the hostel (fresh bread and condiments), and found a quaint little cafe down the road to eat in instead. Back at the hostel, I packed my bag and checked out, storing my bags to pick-up later.
Following the Lonely Planet's advice, I set off to try and find a bookshop, in the hope that they may have a Canadian Lonely Planet. After about 2 hours, I realise my efforts were in vain and ended up at the Sofitel Metropole, surrounded by all of its luxury stores (Louis Vuitton? Prada?) Numerous wedding shoots were going on outside, and the road was blocked off to cars for this purpose.
Deciding to have a quick lunch before heading out to the airport, on my way to a cafe I ran into Ashley and Matt, who I had met in Ko Phi Phi. I'd actually just being messaging Ashley that morning on Facebook, finding out they were in Hanoi and had jobs teaching English. They were supposed to have started that day but the woman had cancelled, so were out exploring the Old Quarter. It looked like they were already starting to doubt their decision to get jobs in Hanoi though, as the noise blared around us.
Farewelling them, I had lunch nearby to the hostel, before returning to pick-up my bags. I walked outside to find a Mai Linh cafe, but none were in sight. Not deterred, I started to walk down the streets to find one, when I found a travel agency offered airport taxis for only $9 (normally, the price is about $12-$14). I was expecting a catch, but a nice new taxi turned up and deposited me swiftly at the Hanoi airport, about 30km outside of the city.
Time flew and we were soon boarding the Jetstar flight, which was piloted by two Aussies and also had an Aussie flight attendant on board. The flight was only short - about an hour - and as we made our way off the plane, I ran into the Aussie ladies who had shared my mini-bus to the train station in Sapa. "We thought you hadn't made it!", they exclaimed, having not seen me at the airport. We chatted about our plans for clothes in Hoi An, and I gave them some advice on recommended tailors (as provided by Trip Advisor). In return, they told me of a great market in Ho Chi Minh City where I could find good handbags, and another which had real perfume at dirt cheap prices.
My bag was one of the first off the carousel, and the hotel driver was waiting for me outside. As there were no flights to Hoi An, I'd flown into Danang, a town of 1.1 million people located 35km from Hoi An. The ride took about half an hour, on a street parallel to the beach. Everywhere you looked, beach resorts were being constructed - Sheraton; Hyatt Regency; even a Greg Norman designed golf course.
It was dark by the time I'd checked in, but I was eager to go for a walk and have some dinner. The town has a population of only 10,000, and is very quaint. Finally, a town I like in Vietnam! (Partly due to the clamp down on touts, and that cars are forbidden from the centre of town). I ended up getting massively lost as I walked, but finally found my way down to the 'Eating Street', eating pumpkin soup at the Lonely Planet recommended 'Cargo Bar'. The restaraunt also had an adjoining bakery, full of delicious cakes, breads, and ice-creams, and I made a mental note of its location.
Back at the hotel, I finalised my plan of attack for the tailors tomorrow. I wrote down the names and addresses of the tailors I would head to; what clothes I would get made at each; and ensured I had pictures (or at least, the details in my head) and the clothes I wanted made. I couldn't wait!
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