I tried to sleep in because I was so tired but I had my daily wake up call of jackhammers next to the window, so I dragged myself out of bed and asked to extend the stay of my room until 5 (when I had to catch the bus to Laos) and I raced to the hair salon to fix my white stripes.
They were really kind and understood that it was a bit on the wild side. I was starting to get used to it and had even rationalized in my head that having white hair is sorta cool. I mean all people with white hair are famous right? No one messes with Madonna, Marilyn Monroe, Dennis Rodman, G Dragon... right? hahhahah Well, maybe but I still decided I might as well fix it while I was in Hanoi. So one hour later, they added some nice strawberry blond pieces in, so I look pretty normal although a bit on the bright and stripy side. But overall, the salon was fabulous and the peole there were wonderful! They taught me more Vietnamese, fed me delicious snacks and told me what to pay for souveniers.
I managed to make it out of the salon before 12 and headed back to the hotel to pack up and get changed and ready to go for my last run around the lake. At the hotel, I met a guy that I had seen on the Hanoi Backpackers boat back from Halong Bay named Bennett from Sydney, and he was also going to do the trip to Laos, so we decided to meet up at 4:30 and then try to face the horrid bus ride together.
My last minute shopping in Vietnam and last run was less stressful than I imagined. I walked into a few shops and got some great presents for my family and friends. I wanted a taxi to drive me to the post office since I was short on time and I wanted to find a guy to do it for 5,000 dong(50 cents) since it was so close. One motorbike driver would not budge his price but a friendly one offered to give me a lift. As he dropped me off at the post office he warned me to be careful not to burn my legs getting off and then tried to say something to me.
"What? Is 5,000 not enough?" I asked him puzzled at what he was trying to convey.
Then I realized as he pointed at the lake and then at himself and smiled, that he was the same driver that had driven me to the lake outside of the Old District my first day. I smiled, and felt like I was really a part of Hanoi. The people here are hard to handle when they bargain and swindle with you, but when you meet the right Vietnamese they are really great and loyal.
I got my packages mailed home for my boyfriend and my family and headed back to the hotel to prepare for the Laos busride. Along the way, I passed a beautiful flower shop with orchids and exotic flowers of all shapes, sizes and arrangements. I decided that the hair shop deserved a bouquet as well as the last hotel I stayed in, which allowed me to use their work computer past work hours to check my korean homepage and allowed me a 5 o clock late checkout. I dropped the flowers off at the hair shop and the staff was truly thankful and it made me feel great.
When I arrived at the hotel Bennett was already there on the computer. I hurried and got showered and dressed in comfortable clothes and we went and got a bite to eat before our bus ride. We were both worried when at 5:15 we hadn't even seen a bus, but then a worker from Hanoi Backpackers came and told us that we needed to follow a man on a motorbike down the street.
"Don't worry... it will seem really unorganized and confusing. It will seem like no one knows what they are doing, but don't stress, "said the Hanoi Backpacker employee as he motioned for us to follow the driver down the street.
We were confused, but hurried down the street and Bennett was a big help in terms of gathering my bags and keeping an eye on the hostile, rushed motorbike driver. I ran across the street to get some beverages for the ride, and when I came back the driver was yelling at us to get on his bike.
"What?!? We can't all fit on the back with all these bags," we replied, but had no choice and grabbed on for dear life, as the crazy driver sped through the streets with me sandwiched between the driver and Barrett, hardly able to hold my 45 liter bag on the side w/ one hand.
He yelled at us to squeeze into this small taxi, that was already full with angry passengers that had probably experienced the same thing. I was sitting in the passengers seat and trying to calm the others when I realized I had forgot something very important.
"OH SHIT! I think I have a big problem you guys, " I said, in fear that the other passengers were going to freak out at me.
"What?"they asked.
"I forgot my passport......," I tried to say in the calmest voice.
"I don't think it will be a problem, but I will just have to get someone to deliver it to the bus station," I said, thinking quickly of a possible solution.
In reality, I was quite worried! The other passengers were already angry and irritated. The driver didn't speak a word of English and I tried to get him to call Hanoi Backpackers, but he didn't understand anything. He pulled over and then the angry motorbike driver appeared with another passenger for our taxi. I explained my problem to him, and his response was classic! He stomped his feet like a child and flailed his arms about with a pouty look on his face. He called to Hanoi Backpackers and then demanded I get out of the taxi and get on the back of a different motorbike to get my taxi and meet everyone at the bus station.
The new motorbike driver was a kind, fast, and careful driver. My fate was in his hands, so I tried to remain calm and just trust him. We got my passport from Hanoi Backpackers in record time and raced to the bus station. Now, if you have never been to Hanoi, you might think this is a simple thing. But if you know Hanoi traffic and ridiculous driving practices, you can imagine the adventure I was in!
The race to the bus station was one of the scariest experiences of my life! I clung to the back of the driver praying that we wouldn't get run over by a bus or a giant cement truck. I was trying to assist him by doing traffic signals and motions when peole got too close. When we got on the freeway, I realized that this might be my last moments of life and I was thinking of everything I was thankful for. I even made a video on my camera at a traffic stop, sort of a goodbye in case it was my end.
Miracles do happen though, and passport in hand I made it to the bus station right when the taxi pulled up. Bennett had met some others that were on our sleeper bus, so we all waited together and then boarded the bus almost problem free.... for a moment! We got some comfortable seats in the back bottom corner and set up camp. We were joined in the back by Conrad a friendly Canada, 2 cool swedish guys named John and Dennis and a few polish guys and some Israeli girls.
The manager of the bus station was an insane, angry women who threw a fit in terms of where people were sitting and was being ridiculous. No one was sitting in their correct seats, but no one seemed to care except her. Finally, after she yelled and screamed for about 30 minutes the bus ride began. We drove for about an hour or two and stopped at a rest station for food and to use the bathroom. We ate some sort of noodles and veggies, and bought snacks for the rest of the journey. After finishing a bottle of OJ and vodka and taking some "sleeping pills", we all passed out on our journey to the Laos border....
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