"One of Those Days"

Day 105 - Friday 23rd September 8.00pm

So today has been another one of those days. Arriving into an eerily silent Hanoi at 3.30am after a non-sleeping sleeper bus, we decided straight away to pay for a bed for a few hours kip. Instead, we got a snoring dorm mate and our rumbling stomaches got us up and out earlier than we had hoped.

My camera lens had been acting up recently so I thought I would take advantage of my specialised insurance and get it fixed ready for our trip through Vietnam, with positive news it would be ready before our night bus to Hué. Perfect. Next on the agenda, to our favourite Bún châ street restaurant for the most delicious dish ever, which I devoured until I couldn't possibly eat anymore. We thought our day was going pretty well considering...

Luckily next we spent some time repacking our rucksacks for our trip, leaving my work bits to make it easier to lug around the buses up and down the country. Generally just chilling and chatting to our hostel staff, wasting away the time until our 10pm bus...

Then the frustration began, first wasting my entire millionaires credit packet on my Vietnamese sim, trying to get hold of the insurance company. Then my lovely mummy helped us out from across the sea's - managing to get in touch with them. Next, the issue of the repairs, having to be from an 'authorised Nikon repairer'. When in Asia it is probably not very common to be 'authorised' by anyone, and I'd already committed $62 to the rude unhelpful woman who took away my camera. That's a lot when you budget $1 for a meal each day. My naïvety and rush to repair it before our bus had kicked me in the face, stressing me out even more. Insurance is never simple of course!

So to ease the pain I immediately treated myself to a full body massage and scoffed a Kit Kat ice cream cone (the ice cream was amazing but the masseuse has maybe broken my foot). We passed a Mexican place on the way and immediately decided that would help lift our spirits before another long night ahead, who doesn't love a burrito!

After picking up my camera and reluctantly handing over my credit card (which I was very concerned didn't need a PIN number), we headed to the restaurant feeling excited for a happier evening, but stopping off at the travel agents on the way. The lady we had booked our Sapa bus with had given us some wrong information so we just went to tell her, but next thing we know she is flapping about saying they have been waiting for us... Pick up is 6-6.30pm. Tonight. For Hué. Not 10pm. This was 6.41pm. Right now. We're late. We're not even ready. We're gonna miss our bloody bus we haven't even eaten I was so looking forward to that burrito we haven't even got our bags I'm so hungry ahhhh how's this happened I'm so anal about being organised I really want that burrito we didn't get time to shower it's too late now to buy any snacks ahh what is life let's go go go! Four rucksacks, two stressed girls and one laughing driver on a motorbike, we raced for the bus, obviously stuck behind a blockade of traffic and police, thinking how the bloody hell did this happen. Obviously couldn't find our tickets anywhere in our bags but it couldn't go too smoothly could it. We got on with the last seats at the back, finally able to breathe out. Silver lining is I got my camera back, just as well I had that Kit Kat ice cream too eh mum.

10.12pm
After being told we could stop in Ninh Binh after two hours for food, we eagerly darted straight to the front when the bus stopped. Of course, we were greeted with "No! No! No!" Back to our seats we go.

Then alas, we stopped again, spotting food packets in the stalls ahead. It's dinner time baby!

The appetising menu invited us to try the chicken noodles and chicken rice. Just what we need. Perfect. Of course it will be delicious!

Of course not. They first bought out a school dinner style metal tray, shovelling rice into one section, followed by the grimmest looking chicken parts you can imagine, green slime and cold soggy tofu. This is apparently what chicken noodles meant too. Mmmm. We were so hungry we just went for the rice and greens, steering clear of the other unidentified objects. Perfect perfect perfect.

Oh and of course the toilets, how could I forget?

They seem to have this weird concept of communal squatting, literally a row with two raised bricks for each foot, a slight slope down and a small hole where it would flow along to the next person. We chose the ever so slightly better squat options with doors (fantastic almost-clear windows though). The smell was the best part - something that you truly can never explain with words. Apart from I gagged quite a few times. I'm normally fine with Asian toilets - I've seen a far few mingers on my travels, but this I found quite hard to stomach.

At least I don't feel hungry anymore.



Day 106 - Saturday 24th September 7.22pm

Well this is a new experience. I've had some weird and hilarious leg waxes during my time in Asia, but never have I been standing in a foyer whilst she rips A4 paper off my leg! I'm open to new experiences I guess.

We managed to sleep for a bit on our night bus after our terrible evening, then our day got a little brighter receiving vietnamese tea, fresh fruit and a free upgrade to a private room when we checked in!

It was nice to wash and relax after two very weird days, so we decided to have an extra day here in order to get the chance to chill out a bit. We navigated the streets towards the Perfume River (not sure why it's called that - no fragrant scent radiates from it and it looks brown and muddy), stopping to try the local noodle dish Bún Bò Hué, crossing the bridge to explore an old pagoda filled with dragonflies, Đông Ba market that sells everything plus your kitchen sink, then resting from the heat inside a familiar ice cream parlour for An Oreo cookie shake. Somehow the diets not going too well...

Our plans for later on... Enchiladas! Yes yes yes.