GOOD MORNING VIETNAM!!!!
After a very interesting overnight train ride I arrive in Hanoi, Vietnam...at 6:00 in the morning (and it was raining). I took the soft sleeper from Nanning, China to Vietnam and even though it was a full train with a full crew (at least 25 crew members) there was only 7 passengers! Luckily for me... there was a very nice girl from England and we were planning on staying at the same hostel in Hanoi. So when we arrived we shared a taxi to the hostel.
The train was not what I was expecting it to be. Frist, the whole train is a soft sleeper and because of the lower number of travelers...I had the whole cabin to myself! (very exciting).
You leave Nanning around 6:15 p.m and arrive at the boarder around 9:45. At that point you have to debaord the train, with all of you belongings, and go through Chinese customs. Then you reboard the train. Because there was such a lack of passengers...but we had to stick to the time schedule... we sat in customs for two hours! Then around 1 a.m. they wake you up again and you have to go through Vietnam's customs (taking everything off the train pen more time). I was not really prepared for this stop and so I am sure that I looked pretty fabulous with my hair frizzing everywhere and my pj's on.
Today I spent most of the day walking Hanoi and let me tell you, you have not experienced chaos until you have tried to cross the street with a million motorbikes swarming around you. I have yet to figureout if there are road laws and even if there are...no one follows them.
Tomorrow I leave for Ha Long Bay where I will be sleeping on a boat and then spending one night on Cat Ba Island. I then will come back to Hanoi and catch a overnight bus to Da Nang/Hoi An. This part of the trip was not planned, but everyone said I should go and check it out. I then plan to come back to Hanoi, see the perfume pagodas, and then go to Sapa. From there I will walk across the Vietnam/Chinese boarder and spend several weeks in Yunnan.
First photo: My cabin on the overnight train (soft sleeper)
Second photo: A barber who has set up shop in the park next to my hostel in Nanning, China. There was also a dentist...who was actually pulling out a woman's tooth. I tried to find out if he was licensed, but had no luck.
Miss you and send my love.
MF: sorry to hear about the slow progress on the road. Lafa: does your house still smell? MomL: thank you again for the travel journal...it has been very usful.
Today I spent most of the day walking Hanoi and let me tell you, you have not experienced chaos until you have tried to cross the street with a million motorbikes swarming around you. I have yet to figureout if there are road laws and even if there are...no one follows them.
Tomorrow I leave for Ha Long Bay where I will be sleeping on a boat and then spending one night on Cat Ba Island. I then will come back to Hanoi and catch a overnight bus to Da Nang/Hoi An. This part of the trip was not planned, but everyone said I should go and check it out. I then plan to come back to Hanoi, see the perfume pagodas, and then go to Sapa. From there I will walk across the Vietnam/Chinese boarder and spend several weeks in Yunnan.
First photo: My cabin on the overnight train (soft sleeper)
Second photo: A barber who has set up shop in the park next to my hostel in Nanning, China. There was also a dentist...who was actually pulling out a woman's tooth. I tried to find out if he was licensed, but had no luck.
Miss you and send my love.
MF: sorry to hear about the slow progress on the road. Lafa: does your house still smell? MomL: thank you again for the travel journal...it has been very usful.
3 comments:
We are all so happy to hear from you. I think your dad was beginning to think you were lost somewhere. The good news about the slow road construction is that we are actually getting decisions made now that we should've made long ago.
Have you tried to speak vietnamese?
I have not spoken Vietnamese--I keep on trying, but it comes out Chinese.
Remember that we can always get the building permit with the drawings you already have, but I can make updates or do extras once everything gets started.
VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE TIGARS.
Hey, Claire. It's me--your 1st grade teacher. I am so happy to read about your trip and so proud of you being such an independent woman! I was amused to read about your frizzy hair. I remember another time and another place you were worried about hair--Lookout Mt in Chattanooga. I will love reading of your adventures!
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