Day 1: Hanoi

Between the wine and the long flights, I left the Hanoi Airport in a bit of a daze. Cars and scooters eagerly sped past me as I listened to the harmonious honks of passerby cars. Approaching the sleepy city just after 10 pm, only a few tall buildings still shone bright. When I finally arrived at my hotel, the Asian Ruby Hotel, I was relieved to confirm it wasn't an underground prostitution club (at least not visibly). No, it was in fact an adequately fine hotel, with AC in my room (read otherwise on Tripadvisor, one customer even complained that he had a dead rat hanging from his bathroom ceiling). Suffice it to say, expectations were low and happily exceeded. Fighting exhaustion, I chatted with the hotel receptionist and decided to venture out in search of an authentic Vietnamese bahn mi. Nearing midnight, the man at the front desk warned me from exploring too far, noting robberies on the quiet streets. After walking up and down a couple of the boisterous streets, I gave up on the bahn mi search and settled for the Kebab Haus. Casually ordering a no. 4 (Special Turkish durum) and a Tiger beer, I amused myself by quietly eavesdropping on 3 girls from the University of Calgary and 2 guys from Brooklyn debating Egyptian politics and the cheapest pubs in the area to get a beer. Oh to be 20 again. They drunkenly fought with the kind restaurant owner over 5 VND, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Briskly walking home clutching my bag, I was relieved I didn't venture too far. Apparently the receptionist was right, nothing good happens in Hanoi after midnight. The search for the bahn mi continues tomorrow!