Sunday 24th September
A late night flight saw us get into Hanoi about 10.15pm. Straight through immigration and Customs without filling in paperwork or being checked. We must have honest faces ! Our guide Lan met us and transported us to the Thuy Thien Hotel. The outskirts of the city have changed in the last 3 years and we were surprised at the amount of road upgrades and building that has happened. It will be interesting to see if the country is losing the charm and simplicity that we loved years ago.
Lan had trouble finding the hotel as they changed the name to Thang Long Opera Hotel only a few weeks prior. We checked in and went to bed.
The hotel is O.K but not outstanding, it is however in a great location. After breakfast I went off to find a doctor as my ears were playing up . Located and fixed very quickly with a minimum of fuss. The others had gone exploring so Celeste and I went to the lake which was a huge peaceful location in the middle of the city. We met back at the hotel and Lan picked us up for a tour of the city in the afternoon. Much has changed. Roads upgraded, buildings stretching to the sky but the bustle and charm has remained. The Old Quarter was a favourite and we wandered in and out of shops and along the streets that were filled with people and a great atmosphere. Dinner, then we board the train to Sapa. Boarding of the train is Rafferty’s Rules with not much guidance, Following an organized tour group we found our train then eventually our compartment. The carraiges are 4 berth so it worked out the girls were in one and the boys in another. The Air Conditioning was very cold but the compartments were clean despite the white sheetas being a grey colour. We said goodnight to the girls and off to bed. ( well sort of ) The wheels on the train groaned and creaked at every turn and there was many of them on the rail to Sapa. This was First Class travel and it is not much extra than the sit up version. It is worth the little bit extra. The toilets should be avoided if possible. Squat toilet on a train is “challenging”
