First Day in Hanoi

I met up with my fellow travellers Bob, Carolyn, Harold, and Suzanne at the airport around 10:30 p.m. I could tell right away that they are a fun bunch. I also got to meet the local organizers for Kids First Vietnam, Liz and Erica. It didn't take long before we were on board and taking off for Taipei. The flight was empty enough that I was able to move to a pair of seats against a window and stretch out. I slept most of the way to Hanoi, with the few hours I was awake spent eating and trying to cram in some Vietnamese. We met up with the final rider, Anna Lou, in the Taipei airport before taking the connecting flight to Hanoi. This flight was also uneventful (yay), as was customs and immigration.

The Kids First Vietnam Founder, Roger Ferrell met us at the airport with one of our tour guides and drivers. We drove for about forty five minutes from the airport to Old Quarter of Hanoi, passing through rice fields most of the way. These fields are still farmed the traditional way and we saw many people and oxen working in the fields.

From Kids First Vi...

We checked in to our hotel before heading out for a quick lunch. The picture below is from our hotel lobby. The troupe of riders from left to right includes Suzanne, Bob, Carolyn, Harold, Eden, and Anna Lou. I think we are holding up pretty well for having spent the last 20+ hours couped up in airplanes and airports.

From Kids First Vi...

Lunch was at a restraunt around the corner from our hotel and consisted of a soup appetizer, fried squid rings, fish spring rolls (DIY), and rice with pork curry. It was all delicious and a good sign of food to come.

After lunch we finally tracked down Carolyn's missing bag (it was delivered to the wrong hotel) and took a walk through an outdoor marketplace and around the nearby lake. One thing that really struck me was how many tourists were about. I don't think I saw this many tourists in most parts of Tokyo. I am certain this will change once we head for more rural areas, but after my visit to Shenzen, China last fall, I was surprised by the contrast.

Time for dinner. Expect an update with even more pictures when I find a faster Internet connection.