We left the hotel at 0730. Now that we understand the metro system we used it to get to the airport.When we first arrived a few days ago (at 0100 hours) the taxi trip cost over $50. Today the total cost was $10.
Bangkok Monday morning rush hour.
The airport was just crazy and Vietnam airlines check in was so SLOOOW.After the check in we went through security.. The lines were long so it took quite some time however the actual security check was smooth and neither one of us were inspected or checked.
Passport control, was just a machine so that went smoothly.
As we were eligible for a sales tax refund due to our jewelry purchase we spent a long time in a line waiting to get some cash back. We got over $50 and then, because we had very little time before going to the boarding gate and we hadn’t eaten all day when we spotted a Burger King we rushed over to get burgers and drinks. Yikes $28!
The flight was 30 minutes late leaving and after getting up altitude for the hour and bit flight they fed us. Too funny!
Hanoi. Immigration was slow due to the huge volume of people arriving but the actual contact with the immigration officers was minimal and fast.
Upon leaving the customs area we immediately went to a cash exchange to get taxi money.
The guy at the booth was a smooth talker and soon we had a taxi ride to our hotel with a fellow worker from the sales booth. The ride cost $28 and we were in a brand new Hyundai SUV- a sharp vehicle for sure.
We immediately found the city totally chaotic and , for us, first impressions were not good. At our hotel we IMMEDIATELY booked 4 days of tours starting tomorrow. One of them is an overnighter which we are looking forward to.
Incidentally google tells us that there are 5 million motor cycles in this city of seven million. I believe it!
Tonight we got info from the front desk as to where go eat local food. We followed their advice and headed a couple blocks away. The food was great and even with three beers it was less than $12.
We did a short walk around the neighbourhood before calling it a night.
