We were expecting to be part of a small group since we had booked our accommodation and a series of local guides with a company in New Zealand – Active Travel. They use Focus Travel in Vietnam and it soon transpired that we were their only guests – which we were really happy about. The trouble with groups is that ‘there’s always one’ and our Japan trip was spoiled somewhat by that. As Jim, our Japan guide told us, “there’s always one, and if you haven’t worked it out by the 3rd day – it’s you!”
Someone from Focus was meant to pick us up at the airport, but nobody showed up. We called ‘Tony’ and he was mortified that he had forgotten us. We caught a cab into town and he met us there, apologizing profusely and offered to treat us to dinner (yippee!) But first, his colleague took us on a walking tour of the old quarter of Hanoi.
If we thought the traffic in China was bad – this was just CRAZY! 6 million people live in Hanoi and I think most of them must have a bike or scooter! They beep their horn continually and miraculously dodge each other in the street.
You can’t use the pavement because that’s where they have stalls and park their scooters of course, so the trick to crossing the road is to nonchalantly walk across the street and let both lanes of traffic just weave either side of you. (It also helps if you close your eyes!)
