Hue - Hanoi

Tuesday, March 10th

The weather in Hue at 6:00am was foggy, threatening to rain, but by the time we departed it was actually starting to clear up.

By 8:00am when were collected by our guide and driver, the hotel entrance was chaotic - a but load of Japanese was leaving and their bus had blocked most of the narrow street. We're still amazed at how stoic the Vietnamese are when everybody is behaving badly - cars going nowhere, motorbikes going where they shouldn't, pedestrians just standing around, and nobody taking control. Back home testosterone would play a larger roll.

At the airport we got the dews that our flight was delayed an hour due to the "weather" (fog?). Those flying to Saigon got worse news - their flight was delayed six hours due to a mechanical fault. However, according to the flight schedule both flights had already departed.
 

It's only a one hour flight to Hanoi, most of our flight being above clouds. We already knew that drizzle was forecast for Hanoi (indefinitely), so we weren't surprised to see how lush the countryside around the capital was. We also knew that it would be cooler than the south - 20C rather than 30C.

And the tarmac showed clear evidence of recent rain. There was also evidence of a not so recent war.
 

There's a brand new freeway from the airport to downtown Hanoi, and a huge brand new bridge spanning the Red River nearby. Thank you Japan.

The trip to our hotel was therefore quite quick, and with a seventh floor room overloking the street, we could even glimpse the small lake which is a feature of the centre of the city. Pity about the drizzle though.
 

We both felt hungry, and with Hanoi's French past, we thought a baguette sandwich might be a possibility, perhaps even a Chicken Mayo?! Indeed, we found a cafe selling sandwiches near the lake, and while they did serve chicken mayo, we had to settle for a bun rather than a baguette.

While we ate, we were entertained by the chaotic way people crossed the six way, uncontrolled intersection outside the cafe. It seems that rain and wet roads makes no difference to the way people drive, ride or walk in traffic.
 

That's our cafe on the left.
 

In the middle of the lake there's a small island which is accessed by a red wooden bridge. We'll investigate the island when we return to Hanoi in a few days.
 

We consulted TripAdvisor for a good bar and restaurant, and found both on the top floor of a nearby hotel. Unfortunately, the weather was setting in.

After the mandatory G&T we had lime juice with an excellent (Vietnamese) meal and got an early night - tomorrow we're going to Mai Chau for a few days, departing at 8:00am. I hope the weather improves...