Day 4: Returning to Hanoi

Weather Update: Air Quality Poor, High 21°C

High in The Mountains:

Leaving the border, which sits around 4,000 ft above sea level, was quite the journey. The customs officer was exceptionally helpful and managed to get me on the next bus heading back to Hanoi. Despite having to pay extra due to the common practice of kickbacks in Vietnam, I was just relieved to be heading in the right direction.

This bus was even worse than the previous one, but at least it was heading towards Hanoi. Traveling through the night meant I couldn't see much, but as daylight broke, I realized just how high up in the mountains we were. Unfortunately, the sleeper bus windows allowed only a narrow view of about 4-6 inches.

Lunch not Chicken:

We stopped for lunch, and what I was told was chicken definitely didn't taste or look like any chicken I've ever encountered. The bones seemed much larger, leading me to suspect it might have been dog or some other animal.

Hanoi and Halucinating:

As we got closer to Hanoi, the pollution became increasingly visible. And then my troubles began. Severe lack of sleep led to hallucinations. Lying flat on my back, I gazed out the window and suddenly, my brain tricked me into believing we were hurtling downhill at a 60% angle. The surreal sight of houses built along the slope made it all feel incredibly real. Despite not having had a drink in 40 hours, I could almost hear Graham and Doug jokingly saying I needed a glass of wine.

Hallucinating was both strange and fascinating, a mix of being out of control yet aware enough to remember the vivid experience.

Back Where I left from:

Once back in Hanoi, I needed to get my head straight so i went for a walk to clear my head, headed rpound the corner for some fresh air (or as fresh as Hanoi's air can get) and a beer. Sitting there, I could actually see the pollution illuminated by the streetlights.

Finally, I slept for 10 hours straight and almost missed breakfast at 9:30 am.