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!

NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: This is the first post from my notebook that I wrote in while on my travels. Plenty of writing contain cliffnotes and references that may not make much sense without some context so be kind. For names, Jack is my brother, Ann Marie was his then Girlfriend, Eve is my sister, Tiger and Mary are my cats (yes, Mary is my cats name, and she is as much a queen of spades as you would expect!).
Lastly, something I didn’t write down at the time but really wanted to was that I met Cian At the London Heathrow leg of the flight from Dublin to Hanoi by overhearing him ask an old lady about Vietnam. He turned out to be one of the Irish lads I would spend the most time with throughout my time in Vietnam, along with Jack, Odhran and Johnny during the initial internship. Prepare to see these names crop up a fair bit.
Enjoy!

05-01-2018/06-01-2018

Jack was good enough to drop me at the airport. He went above and beyond; a fast travel time, online checking in, seeing me all the way to the ticket check in. Ann Marie knew her stuff and said what airlines usually do for long haul flights.

Eve & the cats will be missed. Mary was very affectionate without Mum & Dad, so she has been with me. Tiger got a loving pickup & stroke. Eve’s brownie cake will not be forgotten, she was so sweet & kind to do that.

Granny is delighted I am adventuring. I want to do her & gran proud, exploring the unknown & sending many postcards.

I appreciate how amazing my old life and area was. Dun Laoghaire is beautiful, if bitterly cold and windy during the Winter. I just wish I had appreciated and reflected on things more before this. Still, work sent me off really well, and friends also wish for me to succeed over here. Here is hoping.

Bia Hà Nội = Beer Hanoi

Bia Hanoi tastes like Yanjing, a Beijing beer. I wonder how it compares to Saigon gold. Perhaps the ultimate brewing battle is about to begin?

I am watching Bitcoin, a Vietnamese heist movie about stealing the titular currency. It could do with subtitles, but its well made, even if its derivative. League of legends gamer, an old timey smoker, a Vietnamese cop, a wussy criminal and a young girl steal the currency…somehow. Its still a better concept than the emoji movie.

-I don’t know a single word of Vietnamese. I hope the travel guides have decent survivalist phrases
-Halida, another Vietnamese beer, this time with an elephant on the can. Owned by Carlsberg allegedly, 5% vol.
-Finally, Stella Artois, unremarkable & familiar.
Leaving the Airport was fine, no hassle & $5 USD

First off, if you are reading this, thank you for taking the time to read into the life of times of me on my travels!

I have created this blog for a few reasons;

1) Simply to type out some of the interesting or mundane things that are happening as I travel around, add a few pictures here and there, and let the world know what I am doing.

2) This can be a place to link my various vlog uploads and video uploads from YouTube and Facebook, a handy place to keep records of my videos, and…

3) I will begin converting the text from my travel diary on here, so It can be a digital copy for anyone interested in reading the book of Paul. Maybe you will find something interesting in those pages too!

Heres to a productive blog!