DAY 5
KUALA LUMPUR (Malaysia) to HANOI (Vietnam)
Sunday April 10th, 2011
TODAYS MILEAGE – 1353 miles or 2177 kilometres
TRIP MILEAGE – 6118 miles or 9846 kilometres
When on holidays, who really wants to get up at 4:30AM??? Ummmm….....me 
Yeah I know, we were up at sparrows fart, but seeing as AirAsia is based in Kuala Lumpur's Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT), an hour's drive a way, we had to get cracking early.
By road, Hanoi is 2908 kilometres (1807 miles) and 41 hours from Kuala Lumpur. With the advancements of modern jet engine, AirAsia can cover the 2027 kilometres (1260 miles) from Kuala Lumpur to Hanoi directly in 3 hours and 20 minutes.
Luckily enough for those of us over 6 feet tall, the 3+ hours goes quickly enough, as there is no room between the seats. I sat the whole flight with my knees jammed up against the back of the seat in front of me and could not put my feet on the floor of the aircraft. To make things even more interesting, the seat between me and the window was unoccupied, so one of the locals decided to stretch out and tried on several occasions to put her feet in my lap. Get the fuck out of it would ya. I paid for my seat and I'm sure as shit don't want anyone else in it with me.
Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport looks like a big shed that got a refurbishment at the end of the 1970's and not much has happened since. No matter, were not going to be here long.
In order to get into the country, you need to have an entry Visa, $25.00 in US currency and two passport photos. Also remember to NOT be in a rush as with any bureaucracy, things take time and that is something the Vietnamese like to avail themselves of. That's not saying it's a bad thing, but you need to adjust your expectations accordingly. Forget any notion of what we westerners take for granted at out airports, and just go with the flow.
As one of Phil & Jodi's workmates, Julie, was going to the same hotel as us and had a car waiting for her, the 5 of us climbed into a Ford Everest and headed off. We only just got out of the airport and we've got cars, trucks and buses coming directly at me. What the??? We just entered a roundabout and vehicles were coming from all directions. I'm thinking were going to get seriously smacked in this madness, but our driver says this is normal and being a Sunday, that traffic was pretty light. Yeah right, that's like saying the Vietnam conflict was just a schoolyard punch up.
Based on the entrance, first impression of the Cozy Hotel 2 from the group were ones of "have we got the right joint", "what have booked ourselves into" and "looks like the joint is appropriately named". But not to worry, once you get through the narrow entranceway, the hotel spreads out and up like some kind of tardus.
Phil had booked three rooms for the 5 of us, but alas they only had two available. No probs, Wendy and I will be roomies in one room with two double beds, while Phil, Jodi and Kasie will fight over the two queen size beds next door. All of which took about an hour or so and then we're off exploring Hanoi.
Armed with a Walking Tour map, all six of us headed out onto the streets to see what mischief we could get up to. We spent the best part of 4 or 5 hours walking around before Philthy, Jodes and Kasie went for a nanna nap. Wendy, Julie and I went on for another couple of hours before Julie called stumps, which left Wendy and I to find somewhere to park up and replenish the fluids. Just up the street from our hotel, Le Pub looked pretty inviting. Didn't need to be asked twice to put our feet up and enjoy a few adult beverages, while watching Hanoi go about its daily business.
That night, we dined at a great little place – Green Mango, which I had heard about and although they got my duck wrong, I couldn't fault the place. As the Maître D' told me, even though there is as huge French influence in Vietnam, the cooking of Western food is not one of their strong points. Very good information that and something I was to use for the entire trip. You couldn't complain about the service or the price – total bill for six of us came to just over $140.00.
It had been a long day, all 18 hours of it and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out like a candle at a kid's birthday party.