I <3 Vietnam

Just arrived safely in Hanoi, Vietnam to the cutest little hotel I've ever seen. It's called the "Classic Street Hotel" and from the street it simply looks like a garage! When the taxi driver pulled up, I thought..."Am I really staying at this dump?!"...but after ringing the buzzer, the metal garage door flew up to reveal this paradise like tree-house of a hotel. At the front desk the girls had left me a package...I swear I feel like I'm on the Amazing Race or something...a sweatshirt and a letter outlining what to bring on my pre-booked trip to Halong Bay tomorrow morning...also, Hadas has taken the liberty of booking my next 3 flights...to Hue, Vietnam on Sunday and then on to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat...a series of 100+ temples...

The rest of my day in Beijing was uneventful. I had some mushroom soup at the airport which was pretty good...and basically just spent the entire day waiting around. Boarded my flight on time and was surprised that we landed somewhere else in China b/c I thought my flight was supposed to go directly to Hanoi. I was told to stay on the plane b/c it would continue on to Hanoi, but when everyone got off the plane except for me, I decided to check in with the crew...they had to ask around for someone who spoke English to explain to me that I needed to get off the plane, go through immigration, customs and security and be back to the plane in 30 mins...arghhhhhhhhhh...

I made it with not a moment to spare. I then filled out my paperwork for arrival in Vietnam...some of the questions asked if you were experiencing any of the following symptoms: cough, fever, shortness of breath, dizziness, etc. I was hoping that none of my fellow passengers would rat me out for practically hacking up a lung on the flight...

Vietnam has so far made a much better impression than China and I've been here less than an hour.

Someone was waiting for me immediately inside the terminal with a sign that had my name typed on it...He took my passport and passport photos (thanks Nicole!) and I waited about 5 minutes for him to return with my Vietnam visa. Then I waited to go through immigration and through baggage claim...where I passed up all the taxi drivers trying to give me a ride and found the guy holding my sign and this hotel name...

He drove me the 26km to the hotel and we drove through the outskirts of town. Near the airport the area seems much more sketchy but as you get closer to Hanoi the area gets much nicer. There are a TON of karaoke bars! There are also people on the streets selling fruits, huddled around fires...the flight attendant on the plane said that Hanoi was "40 degees C" and I thought...wow, that's hotter than body temperature..and at night?! apparently she meant to say 14 degrees C. It is far colder here than I expected. Thanks to Ester for letting me borrow her sweatshirt!

Well I better get to bed...in my beautiful, clean room! Breakfast is at 7 am and then I'll be off to Halong Bay until Saturday for exploring the bay...kayaking through caves, hiking and sleeping on a boat...sounds exciting ;) to be continued...