Vietnam: Hanoi

Erin and I caught the 1:30 bus Wednesday afternoon for Hue, and upon arrivang a 5:15 pm, we agreed to try to catch the next bus for Hanoi. Luckily, we made it to the tour office just in time to hop onto the 5:30 pm bus. We had originally planned to stay in Hue for a night, but due to unforseeable circumstances (ie. our tailoring fiascos in Hoi An), we were a day over in our itinerary. Therefore, we had a quick "look-see" of Hue from the windows of our bus, and soon we were barrelling north to Hanoi.

After the many hours of lost sleep (and after checking to make sure my bus seat reclined properly), it was easy to fall asleep, and by 9:00 pm it was lights out for me. After a not-so-deep but surprisingly comfortable sleep, we arrived in Hanoi yesterday morning, my birthday, at 6:00 am. We quickly discovered the obvious differences between the friendly local folk of the south and the people here...while searching for a guesthouse, we were approached by a determined motorbike driver trying to sell his "hotel". After politely dismissing him, he turned to us with red eyes, saying "Fu** You!!!". Erin and I were appalled, to say the least. Just two minutes later, the exact same thing happened with a different motorbike driver. Maybe "Fu** You" means "Happy Birthday" in Vietnamese.... hmm....all we could do was laugh at the poor, lost motorbike-driving souls.

Erin and I finally found a cheap place, dropped our bags, and took long naps. We later wandered around the Old Quarter of Hanoi, which I quickly fell in love with, despite its angry residents. That evening, we met up with David and Anna-Karin, the two Swedish pals we met in Cambodia, and we, along with three of their new-found friends, played cards in their room before setting out for a fun night out to truly celebrate my birthday.

Unfortunately, we were unable to find much of a nightlife in Hanoi. Our first try, the "New Century Nightclub," turned us away because our traveler flip-flops were out of dress code. We finally found the "Funky Monkey," a dive bar that closed as soon as we arrived. After a quick "Happy Birthday" serenade from my friends, Erin and I admitted defeat and headed back to our hotel.

This morning, we slept in before joining David and Anna Karin for a taxi ride across town to Hanoi's water park...Unfortunately, the swimming season has yet to begin, as the park was closed down. Instead of pulling a Griswald, but still determined to swim, we took the cab back to a hotel, where we were dismayed to learn that a day's swim in the cold pool would cost us $5 each. Finally, we all headed back to the lake by the Old Quarter, where we tossed around a frisbee (numerous curious locals stopped by for a stare, photos, and even a few tries with this crazy invention) and a quick workout.

After our play in the park, we all went out for dinner, followed by ice cream, (even though a cold drizzle had begun to fall on Hanoi) and cheap drinks. Finally, we bade a final farewell to our Swedish friends in anticipation of tomorrow's trip...a visit to Halong Bay. I must say, celebrating my birthday in Hanoi has been quite a disappointment, but fortunately our fun night in Hoi An a few days ago was enough to make my entrance into year 26 most memorable!