Didn't know that it was the Moon Cake Festival in Hanoi

6-Oct-2006
I spend the last day in Luang Prabang waking up and took some pictures of the offering ceremonies, and then took the breakfast at the market. Noodle soup again, after noodle soup for dinner the previous night. It was a “vegetarian” one I did not want the inner part of beef of pork with the noodle. Alison took the same.
Then, just relaxing and waiting for check out time at 12.00. At around 10.00 I ate another bowl of (this time) beef noodle. It was damn good! Even better than the last two that I had.
The flight to Vientianne was at 14.40 with Laos Airlines (QV104), arriving in the domestic arrival of Vientianne Airport. The flight was nothing special and the arrival terminal resembled more like a bus terminal than an airport.. From Vientianne to Hanoi using Vietnam Airlines (VN840) departing 17.40, and arriving 1 hour later. Hanoi’s airport seemed new and organized, except for the immigration which took an eternity.
From the Lonely Planet it was written that it’s possible to take the Vietnam Airlines shuttle bus from the airport to the VN office in downtown Hanoi. Well, this one did not bring us there, but somewhere else. They dropped us actually in front of the hotel and we were like immediately surrounded by touts, or better called hotel marketing force to get us to their hotel. After refusing all of them, we continue our walk to the Hanoi Backpackers’ Hostel (U$7/bed). I was walking with Gilles, a young French boy studying in Singapore. It was the moon cake festival night and Hanoi is exploded with people on motorbike. Everywhere. The impressive thing is that there are sometimes 4 of them on the bike, father riding, mother and 2 children. One more thing to add is that the father was holding the steer in one hand and writing sms on the other hand!!
But we made it to the hostel (www.hanoibackpackershostel.com) and checked in, received by Max, wonderful, kind, and professional fellow from Australia. It was a room with 8 beds and 1 bathroom. When everything’s done, the clock was ticking 9pm already. Walked a bit with Gilles to find something to eat. Chicken rice noodles (again) this time. Gilles hesitated at first when he observed the place and it was kinda like some dirty stall by the street. But we ate. Too hungry to go somewhere else. Funny thing is that everywhere, people are sitting low on small plastic chair and eat with small bowl or small plates.

At 11.30 pm, I was already in the bed.