A Little Magic Every Day: Hello Hanoi!

So a day of travel. I had few goals for the day: get the first metro to the airport, get on the flight, get my "on arrival visa", get through immigration and customs, and take a cab to the Little Hanoi Diamond Hotel. And I did that, and more!

Adventure #1: The On Arrival Visa. It really seemed an exercise in creating employment for nationals and confusing all new arrivals. One has a choice of the on-line pre-approval process or sending in your passport to an embassy in your home country. Let's guess what most folks do?

So you pay a fee for the on-line service but you don't "pay" for the visa. Along with hundreds of tourists you enter into the arrival hall. Somehow you figure out to get in 1 line and give them your pre-approval letter, passport, an immigration form, and 1 ugly photo. And then you wait. Sometime later, in no particular order, your name is called and your passport is waived around. And then you pay. In US DOLLARS. Everyone has to pay in US Dollars.

Then you go through immigration.

Sure, it could be easier but then -- how would that be fun?

Adventure #2: My Luggage. I picked it up at the turnstile and then found that the lock had been tampered with and I could NOT open my suitcase. Which was no problem except it was COLD and my jacket was inside! And so my great little cheap lock worked -- it kept everyone including me out!

Thank goodness I got a free pass through Customs (except they could have cut the lock.)

Adventure #3: Get some money. Now, the ATMS are hidden down a hallway and you have to pass by the money changers and SIM card sellers and tourist junkets. The lines were long -- and no one was at the ATMs. So I got the money.

Adventure #4: Get to the hotel. No problem -- get in the line, get a cab & take a picture of the license plate, and jump in. The airport is out of town and took 30 minutes or so. The hostel is in the Old Quarter: the heart of Hanoi -- what a bee hive of activity, sights, sounds, smells. The door man raced out to greet the cab & he negotiated the fee (probably they all get a cut). I got checked in and discovered my dorm room is on the 6th floor (6 up from the ground floor!) and no elevator. They cut open my lock & carried my stuff upstairs. HERE.

Then I began to settle in.