Back to the city... Welcome to Hot Hanoi
Our stay in Hanoi was commenced after a $30 private car ride, which we managed to split with a back packer from Chille who was staying in a hotel near by. The ride took us into the city again where we are once again confronted by traffic, rubbish, and packed in housing. I even saw the aftermath of a car accident for the first time! There are a lot more cars in Hanoi which makes getting around and crossing the roads scarier than HCMC! Our arrival at the hotel was very confusing as the sign outside said "serenity" but it is the "dragon rising estate" inside... The receptionist further confused us by insisting that we had come from Australia and had missed the car booked for us... she began to tell us about the options for our SaPa tour until we managed to convince her that she had some details confused... Wandering around in the heat again was not a welcome change though we did find some beautiful local food and local people to make up for it. :) The highlight of the Hoan Kiem district is the lake. It is surrounded by a lovely shady park and our lap around ended with a chat to local students who wanted to improve their English. A tasty dinner at one of many Gecko bar and cafés ended our first day. Day 2 started off with a lazy morning packing for SaPa in the air con. We then went for a late lunchtime wander, returning to the hotel for an escape from the heat after our 2.00 meal of freshly cooked spring rolls, fresh salad and stir fried chicken with lemongrass. At 4.30 we decided it was time to brave the heat again to look for a snack to serve as our dinner before the train. We found many eating places, some electronics stores, a church, but didn't get a chance to have a meal due to the sudden storm which caused a blackout in the district and had us soaked! At around 7.45 we were picked up for our trip to SaPa...








