who ... moi?

a social butterfly: scared of much, but not of many. never lets the truth get in the way of a good story. not a fan of acronyms, snakes and angelina jolie. a HUGE fan of Fathead.


this blog is black for ENERGY-SAVING reasons.

thanks for your understanding.
if it's too dark, put your glasses on old one.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

goooooood morning vietnam!

yesterday we stepped on the ground of four different countries. while a direct flight from seoul to hanoi would really take about 3 hours, we went the shoestring route and as a result flew via hong kong, into bangkok and then finally into hanoi.

as we began our decent into vietnam, the skies around us were alive with a lighting display like i've never seen.  it's monsoon season ... which means it rains, alot. and it's so hot, even the air has decided to flee the country.

i can't say very much for hanoi just yet, as all we managed to see on the way in was the usual "airport neighbourhood" and a few dinky streets as we neared our backpackers.  so today we plan to explore the city and get a better feel for the flavor of this place.

walking into our very first backpackers, it felt like everyone in the room could smell our inexperience.  we put on brave face as we entered the crowded common area - noticing every foreigner had a tan and beer in hand.



a glance at the internet stations had me reeling in a panic attack as i noticed two print outs of previous visitors holding snakes.  "i nearly plutzed i tell you!"  nervously scoping the room for any evidence of my worst nightmare, i was fortunately unsuccessful in finding any.  hopfully this will be the one and only spotting thereof.

once checked in, we were shown to our dorm room - a tight collection of clean and comfortable bunkbeds - in total, each dorm room sleeping 16 bodies.



like two paranoid androids we triple locked every zip and bag, and finally ventured downstairs to meet the other residents.



it turns out that this backpackers provides free beer every night - self-poured from a keg which sits on the floor next to the "reception desk" / bar counter.  eager to take the edge off our travelling nerves, we helped ourselves and began to settle in. 



our fellow travellers all share similar stories - following similar routes through vietnam, laos and cambodia - so it was good to gain some advice from a few people who had "been there, done that".

this morning i rose with a weird sense of not knowing - where i was, what time it was, how i was going to dress and shower, what i should do.  so that brings me to here - when after my complimentary cup of coffee and fresh bagette - i decided to do my first blog post of our south east asian trip.

it's 9am and as i type this, Fathead sleeps deeply under the dorm aircon.  little does he know he's about to receive a sharp poke in the ribs.  the owner of the backpackers has kenny g blaring through the communal lounge and is whistling passionately as he goes about checking people in and out.

it must be about 30 degrees already.  right outside of the open-air entrance way there is a small alley leading onto the main road. 


the vietnamese are out and about - everywhere.  there seems to be a whole world of scooters and hooters and food stalls wafting foreign scents - just beyond the corridor.  i can't wait to see it.

so here it begins, i guess.  this is what we've spent months planning and saving and working and anticipating.  wish us luck.

2 comments:

  1. Good luck on your travels! I love this post by the way! Very descriptive. I felt like I was there with you! Ahh what the hell. We're just gonna quit our jobs and join u two :)

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  2. trust you to choose a backpackers that gives free beer to everyone staying there! Well done on that.

    So get out and get back in to write up some more - dead keen to hear what there is to see, eat, smell, hear etc.

    Be safe and happy travels
    TA

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