The hostel was fine – well at least quiet – and after faffing about for an hour we popped out to a bakery we had spotted last night for some excellent chocolate eclairs (thank you Frenchies). On the way back we stopped in at a ‘cafe’ for a local coffee. Thick and very strong with condensed milk and ice (optional) it was excellent. Even V enjoyed it. Then it was back to the buses !

We ended up on a sleeper bus – our tout pulled a bit of a bait and switch on us, claiming that the seat buses we had booked were sold out but he was good about it charging only 40 000 Dong extra (instead of 100 000. We checked later – it was a good deal).

As we settled in it became obvious that it was going to be an uncomfortable day. The Vietnamese pop was cranked up to ‘brainmelt’ as the driver utilized the sonic boom from his hooter to clear a path out of the city. We were stopping continuously for pee breaks and to collect passengers. The beds were packed within an hour and the isles filled up quickly after that. The day wore on as we wore out passing through plains of rice and the occasional distant clump of karst mountains. Traffic, pouring rain and half meter deep potholes made the going even slower. To our surprise each village (and there seemed to be one every 5kms) had a Christian church. Most looked like large Gothic cathedrals in immaculate condition. The town buildings also seemed odd. Brick and concrete but very (VERY) narrow fronts on the street. Tall and deep they seem as if a tiny earthquake could send them all toppling like a domino rally ! V read something about a tax way back that led to this.

Our six hour ride ended up being an eight hour test of our patience and eardrums. We arrived in Hanoi in the dark and at a bus station that was not on our map. A taxi driver approached us before we had collected our packs but we refused his attempt at a fixed fare to our destination. Eventually we got away from him and found an official metered taxi – good thing too, the other guy had wanted 2.8 times the real cost ! He drive through Hanoi was ‘educational’. This place is insane with scooters and hooters. After a 30 minute ride our driver announced our arrival but we could not see the hostel and were honestly scared to step out into what looked like a street in Joburg central ! V spotted our salvation – a bunch of honkies standing at an entrance. The building is another Vietnamese ‘skinny’ – 6m wide, around 20m deep and 8 stories high.

Our plan was to go back into dorm beds but two exhausting days of buses left us begging for a comfortable night at twice the price. What a great room – we have a third of the top floor to ourselves with glass all round offering > 270 degree views of the city. Well worth it. Perfectly appointed (for us). We slept like royalty.

[Pictures: The dodgy alley to our spot in Vinh. Paradise found: from the ‘city view’ room at Drift Hostel, Hanoi the next morning]

– Posted from my iPhone