Wednesday 22nd February

Air Asia……..This morning I need to wake early. I have arranged a taxi at 4 am to take me to Suvarnabhumi Airport. I’m on a 6.50 am flight to Hanoi. In the early hours I see fog lingering and as dawn breaks over the terminal building my Air Asia Airbus A320-200 appears out of the gloom. The flight is full and on time. As a budget airline Air Asia’s basic price does not include food, hold baggage or seat selection. Pre-ordered meals are available and Air Asia’s hostesses whose appearance certainly appears a factor busy themselves with their orders. However I’m soon fast asleep. The Airbus touches down in Hanoi at 8.30 am the fog so thick that the tarmac appears just seconds before landing. The temperature is below 20C; there will be no sunshine today.
No Frills……..Hanoi airport has a rather austere appearance especially after the gloss of Suvarnabhumi. I change some money and brace myself for the expected onslaught of taxi drivers who will charge me around $15-$20. I’m not in the mood for that. Just a short walk to the right outside the terminal shuttle buses are available, clearly marked AIRPORT HANOI, for 40,000 Dong. They terminate at the Vietnam Airlines office downtown. From this point you need to have some idea of where you want to stay. An address for the driver will be useful. In the old quarter there are many choices. Inevitably I am approached by motorbike riders eager to secure some business. There seems to be no shortage of advice but language is a problem. I follow a man several blocks to his Hotel Minh Toan. He wants more than I care to pay. I know I can footslog it around the streets and get a better deal but instead I try my best to bargain the price down.
The old quarter……..Not untypical of many big cities, Hanoi’s old quarter with its narrow congested streets displays ample evidence of architecture in the French colonial style. Sadly most of these buildings are showing their age. The narrow streets scream with the sound of motorbikes, taxis, buses and every available transport all eager to prove themselves worthy in a free-for-all horn blowing contest. There are pavements neatly cobbled better that in most of Thailand. However they are used as motorcycle car parks forcing pedestrians into the road where they fall prey to the horn blowing fraternity or used for street vending. Everywhere people sit drinking and eating the local fare. I need to make plans for the morning so I head for the Ga Ha Noi railway station hoping my travel insurance will protect me from the chaos around me in the streets of Hanoi but first a little refreshment. (Cont. on Page 2)