Christmas is here! It took us a long journey yesterday but that is actually part of the Christmas story, really. We started off from Xin Nuea and ended up being dumped the middle of a relatively busy road in Hanoi. All this took about fourteen hours on two buses.
the first bus set off at 8ish. It could possibly have been carbon-dated to antediluvian times but no motorbikes this time. This one was blue. When we got off I noticed a sign that indicated to me that no alcohol, cars or bikes were allowed on the bus.
However, along the way to the border the bus slowed down to a low gear while various parts of vehicles were thrown through the door along with food stuff and sundry parcels. I imagined that before the trip was done we would be constructing a bike on board with the bits. However, at other points the cargo was jettisoned into the arms of people lining the route - an interesting system of delivery!
The border was remarkably quiet. Our luggage went through the X-ray machine and the customs officers marked our passports. The driver shared a bong with with some of the other passengers in full view of everyone and on we went. I wonder what is not allowed to enter Vietnam.
On the other side of the border the roads were considerably better - they were tarmacked for a start. They were much wider and they had paint on them. We had survived our driver's face off with a digger and survived a near head on collision with a truck. Now Vietnam held promise of prosperity and a more comfy ride.
After over 8 hours of being bounced and jiggled, we suddenly turned into what I initially thought was someone's private forecourt. It was actually a market-cum-hawker-cum-bus station in the middle of what looked like a remote village. One of the passengers told us to get our stuff and get off and wait for the Hanoi bus. Communication problems are half the fun of travelling - it is the joy of not knowing.
Amazingly, it arrived within minutes and it was a bus with reclining bunks and padded floors. Luxury. As we were now back to having contact with the outside world my phone pinged Christmas messages from Singapore, Sweden, Sydney, Stevenage and other places not starting with "s". Wow, the wonders of the internet!
Again, our lack of the local tongue led to not knowing where we were. We were going straight through Hanoi at around 10pm. The streets were dark and of course nothing was familiar. When the driver realised we needed to get out in Hanoi he stopped in the middle of a road junction. We got our bags from the storage area under the bus and stood in the middle of the road wondering what to do.. So this is Christmas!
By 11 we had been dropped by a taxi a way away from our hotel because the streets were chocka with motorbikes - so much so we walked faster than them. The still ones were parked on the pavements so we walked down the road with the almost still ones!
Finally we found the hotel - the end of the trip was nigh. But NO. The hotel explained that my room had a broken "pip" so water cannot. I will translate. The toilet, shower and sink were out of action because of a broken PIPE! They were very apologetic, offered a free taxi etc... We went by foot - our decision, as it was faster - to a sister hotel.
Then Beer o'clock and bed. What a day!
Merry Christmas.
Love
Andie
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