Day 1 - Hanoi

A few things I learned quickly:

• Sweat - it's not a body fluid, it's a way of life.
• Bargaining is overrated.

I arrived in Hanoi airport around 12 noon, and took a taxi into Central Hanoi. Just like the Lonely Planet (LP) book says, the taxi took me to a hotel that I didn't want to go to. So I dragged myself and my bags, to the nearest LP recommended joint, where they promptly gave me the highest-priced room (US$22). But it was close and easy, so I took it.

The first day in Hanoi was a shock, no matter how much I thought I had prepared for the beeping horns, pollution, people everywhere, narrow streets, and so on. Since then, I'm fine, but the first day was unsettling.

Day 1 mainly consisted of organising my tour of Ha Long Bay, mailing stuff to England that I didn't need, and going for a informal tour with a motorbike driver. Went to many landmarks around Hanoi, including the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Opera House, West Lake and other prominent lakes around the center of Hanoi, similar in size to Albert Park.

Also went for dinner at KOTO, a restaurant that teaches street kids skills to work in a restaurant. Too much Western food for my liking, and overpriced, but a good cause anyway, as proceeds go back to the program.

Obviously there was lots of Communist merchandise to go around, and it was a little sad to see Western tourists snapping up stuff that for my parents would find unsavoury, but then again, I was in the capital, and the heart of the Vietnamese government. But if they don't understand full meaning of what they're buying, and what they're "supporting", why buy it?

So Day 1 finished, still getting used that I'm not in Kansas anymore.

DN