HANOI (Days 26 & 27)
DAY 26
We checked out and took a couple songtheaws to get to the bus station. Traffic was absolutely horrendous and we ended up getting to the airport later than planned. We paid our exit tax, went through passport control and security, and arrived at the departure gate. Eric was already there.
Even though the waiting area was almost empty, when we boarded the plane, it was already fairly full. Apparently they had come from France but hadn't been allowed to get off.
After an hour and a half flight, we landed in Hanoi at dusk. We caught a taxi into town to a hotel, but it was full. A guy from the hotel offered to take us to his brother's hotel. It was expensive but there was free internet and breakfast.They actually take your passports here and won't let you pay in advance (I learned later this was so they could change the price on you in the morning).
DAY 27
We went to the bank to change money and then looked for another hotel. The people at this place were highly distrustful and very unfriendly once they realized you weren't going to book tours or exchange money through them. Their prices and rates were MUCH higher than elsewhere. They also told Eric he might have to leave because someone else MIGHT want his room. He could wait 30 minutes to see. So we all left... but not before they added a bunch of tax to the cost of the room and told Gerald it would cost 33% extra to use his credit card. They also charged Gerald a steep price to do his laundry, which they returned to him wet and crumpled in a bag.
I found a really wonderful place. The people were super friendly, honest, and the place had a delicious restaurant downstairs.
Eric and Gerald went elsewhere but apparently weren't so lucky. They got a couple rooms, gave their passports to the reception, agreed on a price, then left to get their luggage. When they returned, the guy had given one of their rooms away saying they hadn't booked it. He then tried to refuse to give them their passports back, saying he had another room at another hotel. Eventualy they found something else.
Views of the city
We then walked around town for a bit.
It is quite common for a bottle of wine to be stuffed with one or several snakes! Also geckos and scorpions.
Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. It was founded in 1010.
We walked down to the water puppet theater. The show opened with traditional music and instruments. Two women sang and talked about the scenes... or had conversations with the various puppets in the water.
The puppets were controlled by long sticks from people hidden behind a black screen. In the old days, they used to suffer from a lot of water borne diseases, but nowadays they wear hip boots.
There were different characters and skits.... fireworks, a child on a water buffalo playing a flute, farmers planting rice (which even grew!), dragons shooting streams of water at each other, a stork bobbing for fish, a fisherman chased off by a water snake, a group of ducks chased by people and as well as a fishing cat, men with baskets catching colorful fish, dancing birds who laid an egg which hatched, the gold turtle of the local lake who gave the king a sword, boat races, and a long parade.
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