Touchdown in Hanoi, Vietnam

The arrivals in Hanoi was just as quick and regrettably there was noone from my hotel to pick me up and so I had to look around for a way to get into the old district which is where my hotel was based.

The information booth was next to useless, unless you wanted to book one of their expensive taxi, hotel or trips and when I asked for the bus they just said outside and then went back to doing whatever it was they were doing before I showed up.

Once I had collected up my rucksack I noticed it was a bit chilly and so I put my jacket on, and at the same time realising that day or night I had not actually properly worn my jacket since leaving Las Vegas ( or more acurately since leaving the Grand Canyon just outside Las Vegas).

I was greeted by the usual bunch of taxi hawks even as I made my wy towards the main entrance, but knowing their games I didnt even stop to talk and walk firmly past them and off towards where I could see a few buses and a sign for a shuttle service.

Before I could even get to the shuttle I was approached by a minibus driver and at the price of only US $2 I figured that it was worth it with the airport being at least 26km away from the city. After waiting to fill up all the seats it finally took off and slowly made its meandering way to town, dropping off all the locals first and then the co-driver turned his attention to us foreign passengers.

Aware of their games I resolutley said that I was happy with my hotel and that I didnt need any tour information, which deflected them onto the next pair who were a middle aged couple from France. Although they asked to go to either a bus or a train station the driver and co driver ignored them totally and continued on to their 'friends' hotel where they planned on packing us all into regardless of where we wanted to go.

The eldgerly French couple decided to stay first at the hotel first and then the younger couple were worked on, with such blatant lies "this saturday is a holiday here and all the trains and buses stations are closed, you can go tomorrow but first why dont you stay in this hotel here". When they tried to stand their ground and maintained that they never asked to come here and only wanted to go to the train station the co-driver switched tact as said that he could do that but only for an additional US $5 as it was very far away, even though on the map we were vertually on top of it.

At this stage my dislike for him developing into an active rage, especially as I was now alone in the minibus while they argued outside and it was clear that they were not goig to continue until they had lied, cheated and stole us all away form our original plans. This was more that I could put up with, so I just palmed my 34,000 dongs, which is what US $2 works out at, slung my rucksack on my back and as I escaped the minivan I held he cash tightly together and thrust it upon them as I walked away.

Not knowing exactly where I was, but knowing that I was not staying in their hotel and angered at my original choice for stranding me at the airport and letting me be pickedup by such unsavoury characters I decided to look for a cheap hotel nearby and found one within moments.

I checked in and found that even though they were a hotel they did not have an in-house massage team, unlike most hotels, but they did have a tour desk so I booked a trip to go visit Ha Long Bay tomorrow, found out about a possible train or bus to Guilin the day after and then sorted out my laundry needs.

There does not seem to be too much to do in Hanoi at nighttimes, unless you are a local in which case it would appear that you spend it with your friends or family just sitting on street corners cooking rice on makeshift wooden fires.

It amused me to see an old lady weighing plastic bags befor bundling them all up and wrapping an elastic band around them, as she intened on selling them, but I was slightly less amused when a student who may-or-may-not work for the red cross selling toothpicks asked me to donate to the charity and then when I agreed expected me to part with US $20.

She seemed genuinely angry that I didnt want to put in as much as the rest but that just shows her ingratitude more than anything as not only didnt she give me any toothpicks but even if she did, I inspected a few before I gave her the money and they were more flat ended like matchsticks that pointed as tooth picks are meant to be.

As it was still only early evening I tried to find out if there was a cabaret worth visiting, only to be duped into going to a place that was like a huge glitsy nightclub and buying an overpriced drink. The place must undoubtably get busy later, as it opened at 8pm with around 40 or 50 young female waitresses and no one can afford to pay for them if they are not raking it in. It was free admission before 9pm, 50 K after, so by arriving when it opened I avoided the cover charge but on the other foot I was told that nothing happens until after 10pm.

The bar tops were illuminous blue, with flat illuminous green seats and when I tried to go to sit at one of the comfy leather sofas I was told that I could not as I was on my own. Within my first five minutes of being there I got propositioned to buy flowers ( for who !!! ) twice and my personal waitress kindly wanted to know if I wanted any more drink even though I had only taken a single microscopically small sip from my glass.

Such harrasing I could do without and when I calculated that at this rate I would be pestered again at least another twenty times before anything remotely interesting might appear on stage I gave up and headed for the door. The place was not only full of young waitresses, it was also full of black suited security and one of these tried to disuade me from leaving and suggested that I stick around and try a different seat nearer the stage, but it was a vein hope and I just ignored him and made my way back into the night.

I am beginning to think that one of the reason Brits abroad seem to be so bullish and rude is that if you are not then the locals just wont take no for an answer, and this is as true here as it was back in South America. In fact, I am constantly remembering my fellow Brit traveller who thanks to living in Venezuela could speak flunent Spanish and her favourite party trick is to shout at overly aggresive ( which described most of them ) taxi drivers "If I wanted a bloody taxi I would have asked for one!"

There is an argument that they need to make a living and that the average tourist has more spending money than the average local but is that really a good excuse to forgive them hassling us every moment we are away from our hotel?

Anyway, after leaving the club I got temporarily disorientated due to things looking different at night and the map I had covered such a large area that it was difficult to find any roads except the most major of dual carriageway roads on it at all.

Over an hour later I found my way back to the hotel, that should have been no more than a ten minute walk, having passed numerous big named hotels and even a nighttime amusement park. Tired and with a big day tomorrow I gave up and went to sleep.