Hanoi, Vietnam

This is our last day in Hanoi and my last entry from Vietnam. We arrived in Hanoi 3 days ago and planned to do a 3 day/2night boat trip in the Halong Bay. Unfortunately we are not lucky in Vietnam. After recovering in Nha Trang and skipping Hoi Anh and Hue we only wanted to see this world heritage. However, due to a typhoon hitting the coast all boat tours are cancelled until the 27th of September - the day of our flight out...
Besides that, it is horrible how many fake and copied tour agents there are - having the same name and color of the signs and offering the same packages for half the money and telling you only the best. The worst thing - they even wanna talk you in buying their tour even when officially there is no boat allowed in the bay these days. (So it was easy to identify all fakes... but what if there is good weather?) All the guide books are warning you of the fakes, and still you can see lots of tourists inside...
So no tour for us. It's heartbreaking.
We have had some very rainy days here and a sick Holger with an otitis externa. Hanoi is actually really nice. We stayed mainly only in the old quarter with lots of shops, cafes, food stalls, markets and French influenced architecture. And because of the bad weather there are not that many tourists and mototaxis around, so the usually crowded loud streets calmed down a bit. So we wander from cafe to cafe, did a bit of bargaining and try to get the best out of the last days,...

One thing you can find in all the countries we've been so far is that the fastest and cheapest and the most local way to get around is by motorbike and a constant honking (i wonder why they don't just build in a button to turn off the honk!) and driving just insane! But after getting a ride here and there it is a really cool and fun way to get around - I won't miss this constant noise of pressing the honk 20cm next to you, but I WANT A MOTORBIKE!!!! :)
Well, and since the bike is really a thing to have here, it deserves a special place :) like in the middle of the living room! yes, that's right. in vietnam the houses start usually with a tiny vendor space and right behind is the living room where everybody can have a look inside... and in the middle right next to the table or couch is the perfect spot for your vehicle.

Vietnam is a great place and there is still so much left to see, so we've already decided that we definetely have to come back!!!

So tomorrow I head to Chiang Mai, Thailand to trek a bit in the jungle before I start the island hopping.