Today we are leaving the Imperial City for a quick stop in Hanoi before taking the overnight train to Sapa. That's one of the places I didn't get to in 2008 when I was here on my Golden Jubilee tour so I'm super excited.
Our drive to the airport to catch our flight was eerily calm as our driver hardly used his horn and seemed happy to chug along with traffic. We are flying princess class so the airport procedures are quick and painless before we head to the CIP (VIP) Lounge to wait for our flight. The one hour flight was a far cry from the ten-hour overnight train ride that I'd taken in the opposite direction seven years ago; fast, comfortable and luxurious.
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We were picked up by the folks at the Essence hotel and after an uneventful trip arrived at our hotel. The moment we arrived, I knew we'd be comfortable here with a central location in Old Town close to West Lake. The staff is fabulous, especially Quan who welcomed us warmly and got us set up for the rest of our stay in Vietnam. We rented a room for the rest of the day so we had a base of operations and could get cleaned up before heading to the train station at 9:00.
After a brief moment of relaxation, we headed toward the lake to check out our surroundings and grab a bite of lunch. There are less people in Hanoi than HCMC but the traffic is still wild especially in Old Town as most of the streets are very narrow (not really wide enough for two cars to pass each other). We found a spot with a view of the lake for a vermicelli bowl and then continued our explorations.
I checked out some of the shops and Ken several art galleries as we got our bearings. Pretty soon it was time to go back to the hotel to get cleaned up and grab a bite of dinner. We opted to eat at the hotel which was an excellent choice. Imperial spring rolls to start followed by a bowl of the most fabulous Pho for me and excellent sweet and sour stir fried chicken for Ken. The Pho was perfectly balanced and brimming with succulent chicken and noodles with greens for colour and added flavour. Best I've had so far.
Off to the train station with an escort from the hotel to make sure we got on the right train. Love the service at this hotel; they think of everything. Walking by the other cars to our train we could see that the berths were vey small and hoped our Deluxe cabin might have a bit more space. The photos make it look luxurious. Luxurious, well no but clean and we'd arranged for a private car so there weren't strangers in the top bunk snoring above us. Lol, I should have gotten a photo of Ken's face when we went in the door. I was a bit more prepared having been on an overnight train in Vietnam before. That one was three bunks high on each side.
The attendant was quite insistent that we needed a beer but we'd stocked up,with beer, water and snacks in town as advised by Quan. Soon enough we were clickity clacking down the track toward Sapa. Didn't seem we were likely to get a lot of shut-eye so we cracked open a couple of beer and Ken kicked my ass in crib. Time for lights out to try and get some sleep. The bunks were narrow and hard but we were tired so eventually drifted off. Woke up at one point and it was freezing so put the two blankets they left each of us to good use and drifted off agin. Still excited about tomorrow and Sapa. Both will be here soon enough.
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