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He only went out for some milk A blurb of monstrous proportions - it was only supposed to be a couple of lines and the odd photo.

Hanoi part 1

VIETNAM | Thursday, 29 March 2007 | Views [1214] | Comments [4]

Me looking cool?
ok maybe not...

Me looking cool? ok maybe not...

It's a plane journey to Hanoi...NOOOOO! another one, so much for me travelling without flying.  We are nearly ripped off within 30 mins of setting foot outside the airport. $2 for the ride into town which turns into $3 to take us to our hotel - they didn't tell us it costs extra.  They also lie about where we are dropped off and take us to the wrong hotel.  It's a blatant con, not a misunderstanding or an issue over language, it just wastes our time rather than loses us money, as we see right through it.  Not the best of impressions for Hanoi.

It takes us a few hours to sort out our bikes for the trip around North West Vietnam so we don't really get to see any of Hanoi.  We hire Russian (Belarus) Minsk 125cc, 2 stroke motorbikes.  I am quite nervous, day 5 on a bike, and this really is a motorbike - no automatic clutch this time.  It takes time to sort it out - i watch a blind man walking across a 5 way intersection while Darren tries out the bikes.  The blind guy walks into EVERYTHING along the way, I'm not sure if he's new at it or just really bad at it, when he reaches the intersection my heart goes in my mouth... the traffic casually goes past him like it's an everyday occurrence.

We get our bikes ready to leave at 6am the next day...that's when everything REALLY starts to go wrong...

 

Comments

1

so, 2 hours this evening and I've finally caught up with you in Vietnam... you're a hop and a skip from China but I guess you're not coming here. What an amazing adventure, absorb & enjoy & continue :)

  Tam Apr 1, 2007 10:51 PM

2

PS: that hair.........!!!!!! <br>- Shane: Grrrr - i had a haircut (butchering) from an old man in Son La. I actually wanted my head shaved, it was too hard in the end to make him understand - that turned out to be he best decision of my life. With very shaky hands he gave me a shave - my first and last by somebody else. He kept having to sharpen the cut throat on a wet stone, it hurt like hell...he even 'shaved' my forehead and eyelids...i didn't realise my eyelids were hairy...

  Tam Apr 1, 2007 10:52 PM

3

Yes - that hair !! Come back with SOME, won't you? <br>- Shane: You can't talk, you have more hair on your upper lip than your head!

  Tony Apr 2, 2007 2:36 AM

4

I see haircuts like yours on TV all the time - troops in Iraq, convicted criminals, cancer patients even Britney Spears. shane: grrr. There's good reasons I don't like many pictures of me being taken...i'm wearing a hat for any future ones

  Jan Apr 26, 2007 9:51 AM

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one ruined t-shirt and one ruined pair of trousers.  cool.

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