Hanoi

Our trip from Hue back to Da Nang took much quicker than we expected. We were left with loads of time at the airport which was rather boring. We got some coffee which killed about half an hour and then we waited! Luckily the flight up to Hanoi is quick so, when we eventually got on the plane, we were there in no time. There was an incredible sunset on our way, and luckily Ross managed to snap a few pictures. We had pre-arranged transport, so we had a driver waiting when we landed. The airport is about 45 minutes from the city, so we made our way slowly through the traffic and eventually arrived at our hotel. By this time we were starving! Luckily, a friend had suggested a good restaurant to go to, and we made our way straight there once we had put our bags down. The restaurant is run by a Master Chef contestant called Minh Thuy. It's extremely popular, and it was packed when we arrived. Luckily, two Australian ladies were waiting for their bill so we didn't have to wait long for a table. The restaurant is a German / Vietnamese fusion restaurant and the food is amazing! A couple of us ordered their pork schnitzels which were huge and came with either a passion fruit or mustard sauce. The restaurant also served South African wine which automatically put it up a few notches in our books!

The view from the plane to Hanoi

Some tasty, South African red wine = happiness!

"How big is this schnitzel?"

The next day had some site-seeing in store for us, before we caught an overnight train up to Sapa. We were staying right by the St Joseph's Cathedral, which is in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. This is a real touristy area with loads of hotels and restaurants. From there, we tried to find a taxi to take us to Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum. The roads are quite narrow in Hanoi, so there aren't many seven-seater taxis! We eventually managed to find one and off to the mausoleum we went.

When you arrive at the Mausoleum, you have to hand in all of your bags and cameras, take off your hat and then walk in a line two-by-two (they were very strict about this). We walked along a red carpet with armed guards lining it until we reached the building. Here, there were guards with rifles and bayonets! When we got inside, we walked slowly around a square room that had Ho Chi Minh's body in the middle. He pretty much looks like a wax figure, and it's hard to believe that it's actually him. We thought that the whole process would take ages, as the line was ridiculously long, but no one can stop walking to look at Uncle Ho, so it went quickly. Luckily our cameras and bags were waiting for us when we got back to the other end.

St Joseph's Cathedral

Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum

We also saw the One-Pillar Pagoda, which is in the same complex as the mausoleum. They are doing construction around the area, but we managed to get a glimpse of it. We opted not to go in to see Ho Chi Minh's house and cars, as this was an extra fee. Next, we put the others in charge of our next activity, as we (Ross and Mel) have already done everything that we want to in Hanoi. After pouring over the map and looking in the guide book, Cynthia and Kelly decided that the botanical gardens would be our next stop. We managed to navigate our way there on foot (also left to the family to find the way there) and, sadly, were rather underwhelmed by what we saw. There were loads of huge trees and a pretty lake but, other than that, there weren't many plants - which was a bit strange.

The One-Pillar Pagoda

Decisions, decisions!

Ho Chi Minh's house

Mike trying to be taller (he's not really though)

Our tummies were talking, so we headed back into the Old Quarter to get some lunch. We found a place that was having a pizza special, and we tucked in. The food was really good and the owner was also great. She told us all about some tours that we could do in and around Hanoi. When our bellies were full, we decided to take a walk around the Hoan Kiem Lake to walk off some of the food. This lake is the central point in the Old Quarter, and there are always loads of people walking around and doing exercise near the lake.

Bia Ha Noi

We almost didn't see this bike!

Kelly at Hoan Kiem Lake

Hoan Kiem Lake

Mommy's boy

Where are all your friends?

Two of my favourite people in the world!!

After strolling around the lake for a while, we thought we would find a shop to buy some snacks for our over-night train trip and for our stay in Sapa. In the process, we stumbled into a cafe and enjoyed some delicious drinks. It was then time to find some dinner. We walked around looking for a banh mi, and eventually found a decent looking stall to buy from. Armed with our dinner and a few snacks, we headed over to the tour company which we had booked our Sapa tour through. From there we would be taken to the train station and take an over-night train to Lao Cai.