Good morning Vietnam!

Another early start with a trip to the airport bus stop shortly after six am.

I arrive at the Incheon International Airport (which is huge) and looks a lot like the Toronto airport on the outside to be dropped off in area M. There are areas A – Z. I look at the info board for my flight, but the board only goes to 9:30 am and my flight is at 10:15 am so I find another area that says Korean Air is in area K. I go there and am told to go to area D. I get to area D and am told to go to K. I show her the ticket again and it says it is a Korean Air flight being operated by Vietnam Air, which ends up being on the other side of area D. Great. I wait in the line zip off my day pack from the large backpack to the amazement of the security official standing there. I then zip up the shoulder straps, turning the bag into a duffle bag so the straps don’t get caught in the conveyor belts, again to this women’s amazement.

Once at the counter I hand over my passport containing my visa and ticket. She asks if I have another ticket which I respond no. She says you need another ticket. I show her the ones I have for Hong Kong and Africa and Ireland, Toronto. No good. She says no you need a flight out of Vietnam. I say, no I thought it was ok if I just have a flight home from somewhere, not Vietnam. I explain that I would like to leave Vietnam via ground transportation, but she says no, that I have to go buy a ticket out of the country. I am a little bothered, but figure ok. That is how the Africa trip evolved in the first place so I would have a flight home. She sends me to yet another area to buy a ticket. I am still lugging my luggage. I get there. Explain my situation only to be interrupted by another woman, saying come with me, she was wrong. She explains that the original women had it wrong and that immigration will let me in. She takes me to her desk and checks me in. I am thinking ok is this going to happen again? Will I be refused into the country once there? But luckily I was not.

Upon walking through the airport there is a little taste of Peterborough, so I indulge. They had a Baskin and Robbins and since the only plant in the world is in Peterborough I treat myself, it was only $2. Breakfast of champions. You are also never to far from Peterborough.

At the airport there were huge groups of people going golfing. Carts going by with 50 sets of clubs on them. Oh and the people on the flight. A large group of Koreans that had major listening problems. They would stand up and walk around during take off and landing. Who does that? You could tell the flight attendants were really irritated with these people. They would try to use the first class bathrooms continuously. Often it was excuse me, excuse me as the flight attendants give them hell. If you have been on plane you know the service carts take up the whole isle, well four Korean women had there butts in my face trying to squeeze through past these carts, with no excuse me. The flight attendants again just looked at them. I had none of this invasive behaviour in Korea, but the flight was entertaining.

Once arriving in Hanoi I am met by a sign with my name on it as the hotel sent a guy to pick me up. In Korea I booked a place over the internet. That was great, because I don’t think I would have found it on my own. No streets are parallel or perpendicular and the traffic and motorcycles, mopeds are insane. Out front of my hotel it looks like a race as the road is thick with mopeds. No space between them.

I was going to take the bus which was free and an hour and a half ride with my escort but a taxi was $ 10 and 40 minutes, so I did that instead. An interesting ride, in and out of cars and mopeds. Around people with LOADED down mopeds, some containing pigs, others 5 people, or boxes, or vegetables. The pigs were especially cool and freaky. There were mopeds with 2 feet by 2 feet wire baskets on the back and another basket on either side (were my saddle bags would be) all containing LIVE pigs. There must have been 12 pigs on this moped. I have to get a picture at some time. Speaking of pictures. Stopped at the side of the highway is a convoy of people in a wedding. They are stopped taking pictures with the guardrail as a back drop. I was told Vietnam was one of the most beautiful countries in the world, I am sure you can find a better backdrop than the guardrail for the highway. Maybe that is where they met; he picked her up along with four other people and squeezed her on to his moped.

The noise, constant horns, people indicating they are passing or just saying hi. Constant loud noise. Good thing I brought ear plugs. They are working well for sleeping as the hotel is beside a terrible Karaoke bar and the horns. Have I mentioned the horns and the traffic? Actually the hotel is really good. $8 a night for a single room, double bed, ensuite, t.v., mini fridge and toast for breakfast. It is also clean and has lots of hot water.

Over head wires on the street leave much to be desired. There are blankets of wires coming into hydro poles. Coming from the airport there was a transport truck stopped and a guy standing on the side of the box with a broom pushing the blanket of wires up so the truck could shimmy through.

I took a tour of the city and met a woman from Lebanon. She is great. We spent the day together and she gave me lots of info about where to go and what stuff costs. As they are always trying to ripe you off. It is cheap, but should be cheaper. She has two days left in her month long trip to Vietnam. She is finishing where I am starting so she has lots of tips. We toured museums, an old jail, a university and Hoi Chi Ming’s monument. We were ushered into this one huge building heavily guarded only to be met by Hoi Chi Ming’s body. Wow. It was like a funeral procession and all the tourists are there. We went through single file with all the thousands of tourists checking this out. He was a great leader, died in 1969 and they preserved him. A Russian doctor comes back each year to touch him up. He did a great job. He was the best dead person I have ever seen. Very different.

Toured the town the many little store fronts, booths on the street and markets. Or traveling stores on you got it, mopeds and bicycles. You can buy anything here. People said you can take nothing to Vietnam and buy it all there. It is hard to imagine, but really I could have brought nothing and bought better cloths (knock offs, good ones) for cheaper here. One person brought 1 kg of stuff with her and is taking 50 kg home. Good thing I have a backpack and therefore the shopping is really limited.

Going on a day trip today to a river with Salem from Lebanon.