On our last day in Hanoi, we had a couple of hours before
heading off to the airport around 4pm.
After getting up, we first wandered around the city all the way up north to where the Pagoda was on the big lake. It was about a 30-40 minute walk and I was drenched in sweat by the time we got there. First we crossed the railway tracks, which ran right in between the cramped residential houses in the city. On the way there were a lot of museums and government official buildings. There was also a lot of French style mansions, some were consulates of other countries. We also passed by the Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh. It was a Sunday and people were just sitting outside, chit chatting and enjoying the sunny weather.
Around
noon time we went back for a quick shower, checked out, then went out for more
exploring again. It was really warm, so I thought we should head to museums to
cool off. Most museums were closed around noon time and not opened till later
so we had to wait outside for a bit until it reopened. But when I got in, I
almost fainted, there were no aircon, just a few weak fans on the ground. After
the 2nd museum I was feeling faint and was having a slight heat
stroke. We found our way to Dunkin Donuts near the big fountain with the
circular road. The Air Conditioning in there was as strong as the arctic wind.
Cooled off at last!
4pm
came really soon and we had to head to the airport. The traffic wasn't really bad, so we got there in no time, only to find out the flight delayed for about 2 hours. It was because of a man in Shanghai bombed himself at the airport and our plane was delayed coming from Shanghai. We were offered a restaurant coupon worth $8 USD for any restaurant within the airport. That was more than enough for a bowl of pho and a drink. The International Terminal of the Hanoi Airport was newly built recently and it isn't very large. However it's very nice, modern, and orderly. Most of the shops were souvenir shops. I ran out of things to read, typical of me while traveling, so I walked all the way up and down both ends of the terminal looking for bookstores. There were 1 small store on each end selling the same books, The Economist magazines, Vietnamese cook books, and some novels. I picked up 2 novels and read them to kill the extra 2 hours of waiting time.
I think overall this trip was really enjoyable, mainly because of the suburb areas of Sapa and Tam Coc that we visited. Vietnam has so much nature to offer and the views are breathtaking. In the future I'll come back to visit Ho Chi Mihn in the south so I can get a complete view of what Vietnam is like!
After getting up, we first wandered around the city all the way up north to where the Pagoda was on the big lake. It was about a 30-40 minute walk and I was drenched in sweat by the time we got there. First we crossed the railway tracks, which ran right in between the cramped residential houses in the city. On the way there were a lot of museums and government official buildings. There was also a lot of French style mansions, some were consulates of other countries. We also passed by the Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh. It was a Sunday and people were just sitting outside, chit chatting and enjoying the sunny weather.
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