Hanoi, Vietnam
Day 4
We skipped over Kangaroo cafe today - Danny found a place that sold the best coffee in Asia and apparently that trumps Vegemite and Weetbix (I don't see how). At least it had heating. Today was another freezing cold day but thankfully it was our last one for a while.
After our sub-standard breakfast we wandered through a temple then up to the biggest market in Hanoi. It was a crazy three storeys tall and sold mostly white goods, so it wasn't particularly relevant to us. Due to the crowds and the pushy people (salesmen and customers alike), we didn't stay long.
We next walked around the more authentic side of Hanoi, which were full of cheap stores selling local foods, people eating on the streets and not much English. With not a whole lot to capture our attention we hit the touristy area again, stocking up on a few fake branded items just for the sake of it. The rest of our time was spent in Danny's coffee shop (warmth!) until we left for the airport.
On the way to the airport we drove past the longest ceramic wall in the world. Three kilometres of continuous mosaic tiles. Every picture, pattern and concept conceivable was represented on this wall. I was glad we saw it while travelling in a car, rather than walking the entire distance.
Hanoi International Airport was the quietest "large" airport we had been to in Asia. There was no line at any stage and only around 100 people at the boarding gates. Our plane was small. And by small I mean tiny, particularly for an international flight. There were 19 rows and our seats were in the very last row. Plus it was loud. I don't think this helped with Danny's minor fear of flying. The only benefit of being in the back was that we were fed first, we got off the plane first, we passed through immigration first and we were out of the airport first. Where it was warm! Welcome to Laos!