There is nothing quite like waking up, sitting on the top deck and floating past some of the most idyllic, breathtaking scenery I have ever witnessed. Luckily for us, we had 4 hours of sailing to enjoy before we had to depart and head back to Hanoi. The weather was perfect - sunshine, blue skies and not a cloud in sight. It truly was relaxing and will undoubtedly be one of my highlights of this trip.
Just after lunch, we took the bus back to Hanoi which arrived at about 5ish. Our plan was to take the train down to Hoi An but much to our surprise, every train was full. We didn't even consider pre-booking a seat on the basis that its off-peak season. We had 2 options; take the bus which left in 15mins or wait another day for the train but even then there was no guarantee. The 5.30pm departure not only meant that we would have to get a shift on but also that we'd miss the water puppet show.
Reluctantly, I agreed that it was probably the better option and I'd catch the show in Saigon. We quickly had time to run to the shop, buy some supplies for the 20 hour journey, before jumping onto a minibus. Well, I say jumped...we were hauled (quite literally) and left standing. Granted the minibus journey was short but it wasn't the safest way of travelling (sorry 'rents if you're reading this). According to Raj, my face was a picture! Luckily for me, a lovely French family took pity on me and let me share their seat. They were a very sweet family from Lyon who were on holiday showing Mia (youngest) her roots. The little lad, Paul, was the prefect distraction. He genuinely seemed pleased that we were taking the same bus, so much so that he decided to move so he could sit in front of me (on the sleeper bus that is!) Raj and I parked ourselves on the back row. 3 beds to ourselves...result! Erm...not quite. About 45 mins into the journey, more people joined including a rather tall British lad called James. He joined our back row meaning that I was sandwiched between 2 gentleman for the next 12 hours at least. In James' words "some ladies would pay a lot of money for the privilege". I'm sure they would!
The journey was bumpy as expected so sleep would be minimal. The only thing that bothered me was sliding off the end of the bed as unlike the boys' beds, I didn't have a metal bar to stop me. Still, we eventually stopped at a "service station" for some food at about 10pm. I say food, the only thing even remotely edible was a "hot dog" and even that wasn't particularly palatable. The toilets were horrid but once again, all I kept thinking was "it's all part of the adventure...". We got back on the bus and I managed to get a couple of hours kip. About 7.30am, we arrived in Hue and everyone got off the bus and unbeknown to us, we were meant to do the same. Instead, we continued sitting on it, assuming that it would continue onto Hoi An. As we approached the bus park and realised there wasn't another sole on the bus, Raj and I both looked at each other and thought it's probably best that we make the driver aware that we are still here. With fury in his eyes, he yelled to the back of the bus and told us to get off. We were quite literally stranded in the middle of nowhere. We tried to speak to him numerous times but either got ignored or pointed to sit back down. It was only when Raj went to check on our bags that we realised they weren't there! Thankfully, the story ended happily, the driver took us back to the main office and we were reunited with our bags. We now just had to wait until 2pm for the next bus.
To kill a few hours, we wandered around Hue and had a spot of breakfast. It was a very hot summers day and we were tired from the bus so we spent a good hour or so chilling in a restaurant around the corner before it was back on the bus. This time, the bus was a lot older and much less comfortable. Clearly the first bus we took was first class. About half way through the 4 hour journey, a mother and baby joined us. The baby can't have been any older than 6 months yet not one man got up to give them their seat. I personally found this appalling having lived in London where everyone gives up their seat for the elderly or mothers with babies. Raj clearly felt the same and gave up his seat. Manners cost nothing as my Gran would say!
We arrived at the bus park shortly before 6pm to be greeted by guys willing to take us to our hotel on a motorbike. My bag is pretty heavy so we decided to get a cab instead of walk or risk the bike. The hostel was nice and one which was recommended to us. It was pretty basic but it was clean and did the job except the bath wouldn't drain and the sink was coming off the wall. These were easily fixed with a trip down to reception. Still, it had a lovely balcony and a pool so pretty good for 20$/night.
We managed to catch the free happy hour and headed out for some food at a Vietnamese restaurant in the centre of the old town. Within a few moments walk in the old town, I knew I'd love it here. This is how I imagined Vietnam. Surprisingly, I still hadn't seen as much of a French influence as I thought I would but I assumed that was because we were still quite far up North.
Tomorrow was set to be a busy day so we headed off to bed for 10pm...hardcore!
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