Vietnam sucks: The Floods and Rip offs and hassels

In retrospect we were in Hanoi for the worst floods in 25 years.
And the rain continued in Hue, and was only a bit better in Hoi An.

I meet Helen and Anthony here, in the streets of Hue, walking down the street looking not as happy as last time I had seen them. We sat down and confessed to each other how much we were hating the experience of travelling in VIetnam, and all thinking of going home cause it was so bad. (More on that later). They have travelled the globe for over a year and this was the country that has been the least pleasant, as far rip off attempts and hassels. It was good to know that i was not alone!

Katherine and my experience of vietnam is not great. People try to rip you off in every transaction, you ar viewed as a walking purse here more so than anyother country I have been to.

The best of the lastest of many many many encounters was in the hotel at Hoi An. We had a room with air con for one night, then no air con for four nights. The receptionist denied us telling her we did not need aircon. And pulled in the house cleaners who said that they could tell we had used air con, when we never had. The house cleaning staff had observed this when cleaning our room - which they did not do once. So this resulted in at least an hour of failed reasoning - before walking out the slamming the money we should have paid (not the inflated price) on the counter. Katherine tells me she got a high five in the street from a Canadian who had watched the encounter. Interestingly, he and his partner, and others they have meet are all cutting their time in Vietnam short. As we are. Every one here just seems to be counting down til getting the 30 days for the thai visa.

Phew it is out the system and I go to thailand in 3 days :)