Up
an early for our flight to Hanoi on Jetstar - Qantas's budget airline, where
the flight sounds cheap but you pay for everything, including your luggage and
any food or drink (including water) on the plane
Hong Kong centre has many flyovers so getting
around the city is quicker than expected
We discovered that an airport bus, the A11,
stopped right outside our hotel. It takes about 1 hour 15 minutes but is much
cheaper than the express train. We paid 9 HK dollars (R18) each for the bus,
the train costs R160 each. And we got a great view of the city, the bay and the
countryside on the way. This is the timetable
It’s a modern and very comfortable bus
We sat in the back for more room, as we had all
our luggage with us. Big cases stay in the front
There are lots of these vans in Hong Kong and NO,
we don't think they are for transporting grandmothers
An old hilltop mansion on the edge of the city
A final view of Hong Kong as we cross the causeway
And a last view of the bay and the islands with
its fast ferries
Nearly there
On board our flight, we had seats in front and
could see into the cockpit
Waiting for our car arranged by the hotel. It was
very hot and humid. There is no public transport from the airport and we were
warned about the airport taxis
Entering Hanoi, crossing the suspension bridge
Election or celebration flags? we never found out
which
At reception in the Golden Sun Villa Hotel in the
old city. This was listed as one of the best Hanoi hotels on TripAdvisor and
was remarkably inexpensive
The first room we were offered, on the 5th floor
had the desk we needed to work on, a mini bar and
a good shower room
The room we opted for was the one on the top floor
(9th), which is called the panorama suite. We were upgraded at no extra cost
Views of the city almost all the way round and
lots of light. The air conditioning was very effective
Looking out at a stormy sky
And at the buildings below. Space is at a premium
We rested and then, at about 5, the storm hit,
lovely refreshing rain with thunder and lightning
Time for some supper and we took our hotel 's
recommendation to go just one block away
The Pho 10 (it's a chain of restaurants and each
one has a different number behind of the name). Pho is the national dish of a
rich meat stock, sometimes started years before, which is added to every day
and boiled and boiled. Rice noodles and some vegetables are then cooked in the
stock. There are many variations
It was busy and you share tables but the turnover
is fast. It is very popular with locals and with visitors
On the table are condiments that you add to the Pho
according to your own taste. A hot chilli sauce, fiery yellow sliced chillies,
lime wedges, vinegar with shallots and garlic, fish sauce in the bottle on the
left
The Pho with a raft of fresh coriander and spring
onions on top and slices of raw beef cooking in the broth
The menu. We had the top dish. Currently there are
about 1500 Vietnamese Dong to R1. So these bowls of Pho cost approximately
R36.50 each. They are substantial, you don't need much else
Preparing the Pho. In the background are the huge
stock pots and in the front of them (to the left) the meat waiting to be added
for the next boil
Yes, we did need that brolly for the walk back to the hotel
We were one road away from St Joseph’s Roman
Catholic Cathedral, which is 120 years old. The chimes told us the time but
very softly. It does rather resemble a mini Notre Dame
The bikes are everywhere. They are the chosen
transport in Hanoi and take up most of the pavements and fill the road at all
hours. It means that pedestrians have to walk in the gutter or in the road. Not
at all pleasant. Crossing the road is indeed taking your life in your own
hands. You are told to just walk, they will avoid you. We did not see any accidents,
but each road crossing is an adventure, and not a pleasant one
One of the street food "restaurants"
which work on the pavement and cook in tiny burners. If the bikes are not
taking up the pavement space, the small chairs and tables for all the patrons take
the rest
The entrance to our hotel was down a narrow
corridor. There was a small neon sign outside, which you have to look for
'Home' to spend the night cool under the
air-conditioning. In fact, for two of the nights we stayed, it was cold enough
to need a duvet, even with the aircon turned up to as high a temperature as
possible
