07-01-2018
Checked into the Dragon Airport Hotel;
-All 3 staff look under 30, possibly even under 25.
-They all acted like Neeraj, my old manager when I was working in Eurospar. When it comes to serious discussion they really feel similar.
-The room is fine, if a little lacking by western standards. The highlight has to be the ‘shower’ or lack thereof. I washed my hair in the sink instead.
-Its misty and barren outside, in an airport by the motorway kind of way. Buildings are unique, thin and tall with lots of neon in places. Palm trees on the road are centre markings.
-Traffic is not chaotic, but is still noisy in parts. Its not as distracting as I thought it would be.
I will be picked up by Tu Nguyen tomorrow. They will be at Noi Bai airport at 10.05 at arrival hall A at domestic port (terminal 2).
Breakfast consisted of a well presented watermelon slice, followed by 2 fried eggs and toast. Coffee was included, but tasted like the Beijing coffee 9that is, it tasted like hot chocolate). I will not complain though, its nicer to have black coffee by default rather than in Ireland where milk is always in it.
The airport drive was one of a kind. The driver started by driving oncoming in a 5 lane highway. There were no seatbelts, with 6 people in a 4 door salloon, and the driver was texting and calling. There would be instant disqualification for that in Ireland. The total drive distance was not even a kilometer.
I also found out US dollars are not given out at the airport exchange desks. I am stuck with Vietnamese Dong for the duration of the trip. Hopefully it doesn’t mess things up too much.
The watermelon breakfast, the shower, and the business card for the hotel
Note from the future: the hotel in retrospect was really middle of the road, not nearly as great as other Hanoi hotels or the bliss in Saigon, Mui Ne or Phu Quoc. The hospitality was welcome, but as I knew absolutely nothing about Hanoi’s layout at the time it was wise enough to stay at the airport and wait for Tu to help out. Still, its fun to think that at one point a bathroom without a shower was what I thought was going to be the standard in Vietnam!
Paul's TEFL Adventures 