20240124 Jan 24.The flight. Pleasant walks in a Jungle

Enjoyable and well victualled flights. One hour up and one back down with 4 hours in between sums up both flights. FYI Travel Tip: I try to ablute just before the breakfast/arrival food trolleys and the resultant traffic jams occur. I sat next to a very young couple heading to Australia, it’s so funny watching someone clutch anothers arm in turbulence or when landing. You’ll rarely see Arab flights employing any of their home-bred women as flight attendants. I remember my daughter being terified once at an Arab stop-over, she thought that the burkered up women were suicide bombers.

Doha airport Hamad, was fairly large, bright and gleaming but seemingly 75% more is yet to be built based on the all night construction crews and the number of cranes. The aim is for 58m passengers a year. Presumably if the planes arrive from Europe the passengers will be powering the propellors rather like slaves on a galley-ship as batteries wont work, you cant even place them in checked luggage for fear of fires. OMG – plants thrive on Co2? What rubbish.

The terminal wing open already is of course a long walk from one end to the HUB. Several watch shops to spend some time in, occasionally there’s someone who’s genuinely interested in horology, its a joy to hear their passion.

Hamad sports a ‘jungle’ area called The Orchard, a bit centre-parc but refreshingly humid and a pleasant break!! Its roof structure was impressive, it filters sunlight and is free standing. I still had an Aldi butty plus Qatar Air had fed us well before landing so I could forego the normal 20 quid for almost nothing (HK is an exception).

At the gate for the Hanoi flight I asked the all important question “Is my checked baggage with me?” Tap tap on the keyboard, “Yes sir your item is on the plane”. Yippee well done Qatar Air. So far, so good.

Hanoi airport Noi Bai is growing used to an increasing number of tourists so it’s immigration and visa process is evolving well with 45 day single entry visas being issued on arrival. I’d opted for a 90 day multi entry/exit evisa. Due to my incompetence and lack of awareness of the date, this cost me more than it should have done. I had a birds=eye view of the military style shift hand-over ceremony. The staff wear green uniforms with well-starched Red Epaulets and enormous hats also in Red. There is a lot of red in Vietnam, they are also proud to display their flag, unlike the gormless Brits who seemingly cant tell when they have a good, relatively free life.

I wonder where me bike will emerge, Wide Guage Luggage area was the answer. Sure enough the box appeared and was hoisted onto the free trolley. Customs were busy making locals empty their luggage, presumably, like India, searching for imported booze and fags. Why anyone would is beyond me given how cheap booze is in VN. They looked at my enormous package and waved me through out into the sub-tropical 10 yes 10C outside. My friend Miss Giang from Vinh Yen arrived shortly afterwards in a large taxi and the first travel hurdle was completed.