This was my first solo trip and to say I was shitting myself was a bit of an understatement. I’m in my 30s, been all over the world and LOVE to travel, but I had never gone a trip alone. Now, to be fair, I was joining a group tour when I reached Vietnam but I still class this as a solo adventure. Trust me to choose to go to Vietnam and Cambodia by myself. It would have been a lot easier to go somewhere in Europe or the USA by myself.
I’d been feeling nervous and excited ever since I booked the trip about 6 months before. I’d wanted to visit Vietnam for a few years and Angkor Wat was high on my bucket list. I think it was actually the Top Gear episode where they drive up Vietnam that first sparked my interest, so I technically have Jeremy Clarkson to thank for this trip!
I packed my backpack the morning I was leaving, was picked up by my parents and driven to Birmingham Airport. I held it together until my dad left to sort the car parking out. I just burst into tears. I couldn’t help it. I was terrified! But I was definitely going on my trip! My mum refused to leave me until I’d gone through security, no matter how expensive the car parking would be!
Anyway, I went through security, whilst still randomly bursting into tears the entire time I was sat in departures. I even gave up trying to hide it! To say I was openly sobbing in public, only one person asked me if I was ok and that was a lady on security. I think she was checking I wasn’t travelling against my will! Whilst I was sat in the departure lounge, I facetimed my friends and promptly made her cry as well. I also received loads of supportive texts and Facebook comments, which were a massive boost.
Now I’m a big believer in fate, and fate had me sat next to another girl around my age who was also travelling solo. She was a seasoned solo traveller and was heading to Thailand for the summer but she was so nice and made me feel so much better. I was massively grateful to her!
I flew with Qatar Airways and this was one of my favourite flights to date. The plane was quite new, it had USB ports, you could change the tint on the windows and had a very fancy entertainment system (compared to my usual economy experience). As with other Middle Eastern airlines I have used, the service and comfort were fab.
For some reason there was a slight delay so we arrived at Doha a little bit later than planned. I had 45 minutes to make my connecting flight without the delay so things were cut really fine. I think there was something like 20 minutes until take off by the time I got off the plane and that included queuing again at security. I showed an airport worker my flight ticket and he rushed me through. I literally had to run across the airport to make the flight to Hanoi as it was on final call. I’m gutted because I really wanted to get a picture of the giant teddy in Doha airport. Also, I was worried that I was on the wrong plane as this one stopped in Bangkok, which I wasn’t aware of. Luckily, I made the flight and it seems quite a few people on my original flight were also getting the connecting flight.
After asking at least 3 different flight attendants if I was on the correct flight, I settled in for the remainder of my journey. It was 6 hours to Bangkok, an hour or so wait at Bangkok then a further hour and a half to reach Hanoi.
Once I’d reached Hanoi, I’d relaxed a little. I got through customs easily and quickly and was pleased to get a new stamp in my passport. After I found my backpack off the carousel, my first task was finding some money. I’d managed to travel half way across the world with absolutely no currency whatsoever. Luckily, ATMs were plentiful so I withdrew cash (having no idea what the exchange rate was) and got a taxi into the city.
I loved the ride into Hanoi but nothing had prepared me for the craziness that is the Old Town. My hotel was in this area. I can only describe the Old Town as a rabbit warren of the busiest, most mental traffic and stalls. I loved it! It is an assault on the senses but felt like what I’d expect traditional Vietnam to be.
One thing you learn in Vietnam is that EVERYONE drives mopeds. I have never seen so many in one place. The traffic is crazy. Not only does everyone drive a moped but they also use them like cars or vans, in that they cram as many people and/or objects as possible on the. I frequently saw entire families on one moped, I’m talking 6+ people and also saw someone transporting a fridge!
By the time I reached my hotel it was 7pm. Given that I’d left my house around midday the day before, I was well and truly tired. I literally checked in my hotel, found some food, had a quick shower, then slept.
The next morning, I woke up early and had breakfast. I went for a little wander around the block as I was too scared to try and cross a road! Then I went back to my hotel room and slept again until about 3pm! I then had another wander down to Hoan Kiem Lake. This is where the Old Town ended and Hanoi became more modern. I crossed the famous red bridge and visited the temple in the lake. It was so humid!
On my way back, I bought a large bottle of water and crisps and they cost 50p. God bless South East Asian prices! By this time, it was time to join my group tour and meet my travel buddies for the next 17 days!
Emily's adventures 