VIETNAM - Hanoi - Part 3

Back to Hanoi! Piled in a small car with a few other travelers and started back to the capital. Few minutes into the drive we pulled over and unloaded into a bigger bus, thank god. Once back to the city, a kind man from Sweden offered to share a cab and pay for it which was so nice of him. After that I got back to my really cool hostel and ran into a German boy who invited me to join him for lunch. So we went walking around and he turned out to be a really rich kid spending his parents money which was hard to spend time with him after I found that out... so I showed him around town a little then went back to the hostel and rested. After that I went to dinner and tried avoiding the German boy so I wouldn’t have to listen to his first world problems. Had some good Bun Cha which is basically a plate of rice noodles and lettuce accompanied by a bow of yummy and spicy broth. It was soooo good! Best Bun Cha yet! Next I went to the hostel and got some free beer which led to a series of events. I met a guy from France named Batista, a New Zealander, a Australian, and Danish. We all started talking and sharing stories and they were all interested in my travels... but most likely because I was a girl I think. Batista was really funny and had a thick accent, he kept buying us beers though and he was having a blast. As time past I couldn’t tel if he was speaking English or French but I was enjoying the moment. Next thing I know it 1 in the morning and Batista suggests we try and find this secret bar called the Spy Bar. 5 beers in and I was ready for an adventure! So off we go roaming the streets of Hanoi where it appeared to be a ghost town! So strange considering it was a huge city and at 1 in the morning no one was out. It was like an apocalypse! But after walking half a mile we found the bar and it was hiding in a dark alley. Once inside it was so crowded but music was playing, beers where being passed, and people were sucking on balloons! Yes. “Happy balloons”. I went upstairs to the VIP room and there was even more drugs scattered across the table. At this point I was ready to turn back because it was not my scene. But first I went to the bathroom... horrible choice... it was covered from floor to fielding with vomit. No counter or section was clean so I just left. Walking back was fun with the guys. We were dancing in the street and climbing on buildings. We got back around 4 in the morning and I went to bed accidentally spilling a bag of cashew nuts all over my bed but didn’t clean them up so I woke up the next morning around 8 in a bed of nuts and really dirty clothes. Not my best but I had a blast. That morning was a little rough but I headed out across town, still a little drunk I think, to go see the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. And this was the weirdest thing ever... from the moment I bought my ticket I had to follow strick  rules from the military and follow a red carpet. The mausoleum was only open from 8-10 in the morning so it was my only chance to go. Still feeling horrible, but also confused at the really strick rules, it took a group of people forever to actually enter the mausoleum. Oh and hey also took our cameras and electronics. Once I entered the doors you had to be completely silent and keep your hands crossed in front of you. I finally go into the main section which was a dim lighted room with Ho Chi Minh’s body embalmed inside a case. He still looked alive. I thought I was still drunk or or drugs because it was the weirdest experience I have ever been through. So weird. After I got all my stuff back and went to see the other museums in the area which weren’t worth it in my opinion. I started feeling really shifty so I walked back to get lunch and to the hostel. Which good thing I did because I arrive and had a note on my bed saying I had to leave... and it turns out I forgot what day it was and I had a flight in 2 hours! So I quickly packed my bags and ran to the bus and got to the airport with 5 minutes to spare. Thank god. And then I realized that my plane would land in Dong Hoi  30 before my train to Danang would leave. So I landed and got my back and hopped in a taxi and motioned to him step on the gas and go fast! I jumped out of the taxi and paid him and ran down the platform of the train station waving my arms as I watched my train leave. Dam. I missed it. Started to cry a little bit because it was getting late and now I was stranded in an unknown town for the night. But a really cool thing happened. An old lady appeared from an alley and put a clanked over me and handed me a napkin to wipe my tears. Then she had me sit down and she made me a cup of instant noodles. I waited there until the I found out there was another train leaving at 1 in the morning to Danang that I could catch. So I waited in the freezing cold platform and go on my train. This was a horrible train. I was so paranoid the entire time because there were no workers in my trolley and it was just me and a homeless man. Also the window was locked in the open position so the freezing winter air was blowing in my face and I used all my clothes to make a blanket. I tried to sleep but woke up every 2 hours to frequent stops here and there. It was a 7 hour journey. Worst travel yet. But in the morning around 6 I woke up to beauitufl beach scenery that reminded me back home in Big Sur, California. Finally got to the train station in Danang and waited for a taxi to take me to Hoi An,. I was just so glad I made it.