48 hours in Hanoi, 48 things learnt.

1. It’s hot in Hanoi.

2. The roads are mad.

3. There are mopeds everywhere.

4. Literally everywhere.

5. They’re even on the path….nowhere is safe.

6. Egg coffee is some sort of sorcery and tastes nothing like egg.(it’s amazing!)

7. Salted chicken cartilage tastes as disgusting as it sounds.

8. Beer is cheaper than water. (In some places)

9. Jack needs to nap a lot.

10. Watch where you walk otherwise you really will be brits be tripping on food, uneven pathways, holes, unfinished roads, people….

11. Don’t put toilet paper down the toilet.

12. If you do put toilet paper down the toilet and it blocks close the lid walk away, it wasn’t you.

13. Finding stuff in your bag and getting ready in a bunkbed is hard.

14. Sleeping in a bunkbed is quite fun though.

15. School children will come up to you to practice their English so be prepared. Eg. “Hello big one”

16. There is a free gym at Hoan Kiem lake.

17. However don’t go down in the morning ready to workout as it’s only there at night and you shall look like a wally.

18. Be prepared to sit on kids garden furniture to eat in the street.

19. But be prepared to move inside rapidly when the police come.

20. When the police come they shut it down.

21. Saying thank you is harder than you think. (In Vietnamese)

22. You will sweat. Non-stop.

23. You can buy anything you could ever want.

24. They have whole streets dedicated for one type of item. You want tape? Here’s a whole street of cellotape, masking tape, electrical tape, gaffa tape…

25. You need to be able to look both ways and forward at the same time when crossing the road.

26. No matter how much you scrub, you will always be covered in dirt.

27. You can taste the air pollution.

28. You can haggle the prices down on pretty much everything.

29. Public bathrooms are basic

30. Always carry tissues and wipes.

31. People on the back of the mopeds don’t hold on.

32. People driving the mopeds don’t hold on.

33. Even a family of 5 on a moped, no one is holding on.

34. You need to have a flexible approach to health and safety.

35. Street food smells amazing.

36. We need some more practice eating with chopsticks.

37. Google translate is great for talking to people when no one speaks the others language.

38. Google translate isn’t always accurate though.

39. Pockets full of Dong make you feel like a millionaire at the beginning of the day.

40. Hoan Kiem lake at night is beautiful.

41. Vietnamese people pack as much as they can on mopeds. Family of 5 no problem, crates of beer no problem basically, anything they can load.

42. Maps.me is a life saver when navigating the streets.

43. Despite being a city, Hanoi is full of trees, everywhere.

44. Tall people stick out. (Jack)

45. Museum’s are ok for 10 minutes but after that, zzzzz

46. Vietnamese drivers are probably the best in the world.

47. Railway Street Hanoi is a must see at night, it’s good in the day, but special at night. (Who knew trains could be so exciting)

48. Bring on the next 48 hours!