The Amazing Eurasian Odyssey
as told by characters Matthew Garrick and Stephen Williams Part 7: Hanoi, Part 1

The ride from Da Nang to Hanoi was uneventful, except for the presence of one train attendant who annoyed us. As the others who had shared our berth had departed at an earlier stop, this man made sure we would not be able to sleep much past 6:30 am. It seems people in this country don't sleep past that time.

While kids were running up and down the hallway in the dimly lit dawn hours, we would close our door. Within a minute, the attendant would open it loudly, sit down on the lower bunk, and look out across the hallway and through the window. A few minutes later, he would leave, and we would again close the door, only to have him return in the same fashion.

Y'all, I'm just sayin'....we young Americans need our sleep, and it's extremely dangerous (some would say a death wish) to keep us from our slumber. I put a quick end to his shenanigans by relocating to the bunk he would sit on. The next time he opened the door, he had to hang his head in defeat and leave us for good.

I considered writing a strongly worded letter to the Vietnamese Train Authority, but official agencies of Communist governments don't usually care about customer service and satisfaction. ("Did you get to the destination? Yes? So what's the problem?")

We rolled into Hanoi at around 5 pm and hopped a free taxi to the Old Quarter where we found a hostel.

Consulting our trusty Lonely Planet (don't ever leave home without one!), we located a recommended pizzeria and chowed down on a yummy pepperoni pizza. After returning to the hostel, we booked a two- day, one- night cruise at Ha Long Bay, which is described as a must- see site in Vietnam.

We were up super early the next morning for our bus ride to the bay. It took about three hours, and we both got in some good reading. As is customary here, we stopped at a place that sells artwork made by handicapped children. This is a common ploy, as the tour company gets a commission for the number of people he brings, as well as a commission for whatever is bought by his group. However, it does help to subsidize the cost of the bus trip, so I will accept a 30- minute stop (and incidentally, a chance to stretch my legs) to save a few bucks.

We arrived at the bay with a load of other backpackers, and as is usual for this part of the world, were not told what to do, so we huddled around like a mass of sheep. At one point, we had a pleasant surprise, when, lo and behold, a Dutch guy whom we had met on the train in Cambodia strolled by on the pier! We exchanged greetings for a few minutes before we were finally herded onto different boats.

As the boat cruised out into the bay, the scene was breathtaking... rocky, mountainous islands jutted skyward out of the seas, looking as if they were held together only by the numerous saplings that had rooted triumphantly to the rock faces.

Next week: Hanoi, Part 2