Months of planning for and excitement about our Hanoi trip, which was our 6oth birthday gift to our Mom, got dampened by a distressing incident upon landing at the Noi Bai airport in Hanoi. We took a red-eye flight, and we--my sister, her husband, my mom, Francis, and I-- touched down in Hanoi at about 12:45am (15 minutes delayed, but not really bad) only to line up at the conveyor belt and discover that our (mine and Francis') luggage was nowhere in sight. After filling out forms and being assured by the local airport personnel that they'll inform us as soon as our luggage turns up, we all shuffled to the hotel shuttle service so we can finally check in to our hotel. Poor driver, he had to wait for us for a couple of extra minutes because of that conundrum.
Long story short, Cebu Pacific responded to our complaint 24 hours after we sent our email. They confirmed that our luggage got left behind at NAIA. How and why, I have no idea, considering we checked in on time and our luggage had its proper label. So Francis and I had to endure about two and a half days without our essentials: clothes (I planned my OOTDs for each day only to have no clothes at all!), underwear, toiletries. Despite the distress (I cried myself to sleep that first night at our hotel), we still managed to make the most of our trip. Yes, we did have to buy new clothes and underwear, and I had to borrow a few pieces from my sister.
Putting all that (and a few more glitches that I just want to forget so that I'd have good memories of that four-day trip), our Hanoi experience has been generally fun and wonderful. In fact, I enjoyed the city more than I did Ho Chi Minh. Hanoi has more flavors and colors, and there's always something that will catch your eye in every corner. Here are the daily highlights of our Hanoi experience in photos, starting with our first day in the city--left luggage not included.
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| The very charming details in our hotel--Golden Sun Palace. This is the view from our T&B! I'd like to note that all the hotel staff had been very friendly and accommodating. They helped us follow up our missing luggage, and all were very patient with our requests. |
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| First stop was the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, which accepts visitors from 7am to 11am. There was nothing much to see except for the impressively well-preserved body of Vietnam's iconic hero. Cameras are not allowed inside, so we were only able to take photos once we were outside the building. |
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| Every street is filled with souvenir shops that it's easy to be overwhelmed! These colorful, plush key chains are on display at Swan Embroidery. The place, in my opinion, carries merchandise of better quality compared with the others in Old Quarter. Of course, I didn't leave the store empty-handed. I bought a sling bag with pretty Hmong embroidery. |
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| The amazing neo-gothic architecture of St. Joseph's Cathedral. The church sits gallantly amid the hustle and bustle of the Old Quarter district. |
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| We explored the grounds of the church, and found equally interesting French-inspired architecture, showcasing the strong influence of the French colonization of Vietnam. |
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| My family and I took a breather from all the walking here at the Hoan Kiem Lake, a famous historical landmark of Hanoi. That's my sis and her hubby (seated) and my svelte mom. I hope to be as fit as her when I turn 60! |
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| The Turtle Tower on Hoan Kiem Lake |
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| We all went back to our hotel to rest before heading out to dinner. Since there were a few more hours to spare before regrouping, Francis and I decided to check out Old Quarter some more. We also took this opportunity to buy new clothes while we still didn't have our luggage with us. Before heading back to our hotel, we made an impromptu stopover at Cong Caphe near St. Joseph's Cathedral. Here, we got our fill of delicious innovative coffee--one with yogurt and another with coconut milk. Later in the evening, we came back with the rest of our family in tow to cap off the night with more cups of coffee. It could have been a bad idea, downing caffeine before bedtime, but our tired bodies won, and we all slept like babies! |
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| Our last agenda for the night: watch the Water Puppet. Though the play was in the vernacular language, we didn't have a hard time understanding the context of each act since it was written in the program handed out to us. Basically, each act features the traditions, customs, and legends of Vietnam, particularly Hanoi. |
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| Of course, our first Hanoi experience (second for Francis) would not be complete without these motorbikes and scooters--the main mode of transportation in the country. The trick to not getting run over is to hold your breath and cross without hesitation. The motorists are used to crossing pedestrians that they'll be the ones to avoid running you over. Bravery is key! |
Day 2 will soon be up!
