Hanoi

TUESDAY 12 JULY 2011

After breakfast, I needed to change rooms and requested a room with a window. I was shown a room with a small internal window, but I said I wanted an external window. I was then shown a much nicer room, with an external window. Zang then said we needed to go to the police station again, so once again I went on the back of his bike. They had found the taxi driver who was at the station, but he said he didn’t know the other man at all and was paid 220,000 dong for the trip. It is now looking less likely that I will get my money back. I had thought because I had the number of the taxi, it would be easy!

There is a lovely lake in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Hanoi where I had lunch and then made my way down to the south west, checking out tour agencies and shops on the way. I visited the Temple of Literature, which was Vietnam’s first University. I had been walking nearly all day and was very tired, so agreed the price of 100,000 dong (about £3) for a cycle rickshaw to take me back to the hotel. He dropped me at a corner, and pointed down the road for me to go to the hotel – I then found he had dropped me only half way! I didn’t mind too much as I had had a bit of a rest, and could explore more shops on the way.

 
There are some lovely inexpensive Vietnamese restaurants in the old quarter. Crossing the road is an experience in itself. There is a constant stream of buses, cars, motorcycles and pedestrians. No one stops at all, but weave in and out of each other and hoot constantly. The only thing to do is take a deep breath and walk calmly across, just checking on the way that the driver of the bike or car coming towards you is looking at you and not behind him!