January 18, 2018
Hanoi
The first one
While packing, I realized that my bicycle box is too long to fit in the car. So I cut it down to 1.4 m. Then I glued it shut with my glue gun.
Qatar Airlines took my bicycle without questions and it was waiting for me when I got to the carousel in HCMC.
Vietnam customs placed a piece of tape on the box saying "Do not remove". I panicked because, if they ask me to open it, I may not be able to close it properly for the flight to Hanoi.
So I used the "something to declare" exit. I followed the lead of the other passengers and put my stuff through the X ray machine. Then loaded it back on my trolley without anyone raising an eyebrow.
I landed just after midnight in Hanoi. It took me 35 minutes to assemble my bicycle. After the 3 km ride to the hotel, I showered and got into bed at 2 am.
I woke up at 10 am rode into the city. My first stop was at a supermarket. To prevent getting home sick, I bought a litre of Ceres orange juice for 2.40 dollar.
At the dollar shop next door, I fell for my first Vietnamese scam. The prices on the shelves was missing and I ended up paying 4 dollar for a pack of Doritos.
Then I went to Heritage House, the temple on Hoan Kiem lake and the National Heritage Museum. But the highlight of the day was the "Hanoi Hilton" - the prison were Senator John McCain was held after being captured during the Vietnam war.
On my way out of Hanoi, I stopped at a Viettel store to buy a SIM card. The clerk showed my handful of SIM cards with their numbers written on them and asked me to pick one. I said "The first one" without looking at it. He paused. "The number could bring bad luck, but clearly you don't care," said his eyes before starting to work.
Although it's quite warm, it's still winter. The day was too short and I could not make it out of Hanoi.
Today's ride: 52 km (32 miles)
Total: 52 km (32 miles)
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