Spontaneous again
A train ride from Nanning to Hanoi
The original plan was Sichuan. Jiuzhaigou, to be precise. But a quick look at the weather forecast (and the radar) made the decision for us. Constant rain, 14 degree Celsius. We pivoted south and ended up in Guangxi instead. A good call, as it turned out.
Beihai was our first stop. In all honesty, it wasn’t the destination that stood out. It was the timing. Our first holiday together after months apart. Beihai itself felt average at best: an unremarkable city, a seaside that didn’t leave much of an impression. Pleasant, but forgettable.
Nanning changed the tone completely. More developed, greener, calmer and with a much better food scene. We stayed three days, wandering through parks and pedestrian streets, and riding rental e-scooters through the city at night. Easy, relaxed, enjoyable. Then came the highlight. A spontaneous one.
From Nanning, we took a sleeper train straight to Hanoi. Old train, but clean and surprisingly empty, apart from a few young Chinese travelers, likely students. We slept most of the way, only waking briefly for the smooth border crossing around midnight.
Hanoi, however, wasn’t quite our type this time. Adventurous, yes. But we were in the mood to slow down. Luckily, our hotel near West Lake was comfortable enough to turn the first half day into a food-delivery-and-recovery session, courtesy of Grab.
Eventually, we ventured into the Old Quarter. Chaos in every direction: constant noise, cars, motorbikes, people flowing everywhere. A metro system would do this city wonders. Still, where there’s hustle, there’s food, and Vietnam rarely disappoints in that department. Veggie rice noodles, the famous pork in sweet sauce, and a lot of coffee.
The next day, a green patch on the map caught my eye: a river island. It looked promising. In reality, reaching it meant walking past piles of rotting trash. We turned back, crossed a rusty bridge, and returned to the city. Back to the familiar mix of noise and good food.
In the evening, we went to Train Street. The train moves much faster than expected, but the experience is unique. Cafés packed with tourists, tight spaces, high energy. A great vibe, once you get over the initial shock.
Our final day was slow again: grocery shopping for souvenirs, a walk around West Lake, and—once more—food delivered straight to the hotel.
Early the next morning, we flew to Hong Kong. We explored Sham Shui Po, then escaped the density on a hiking trail outside the city. By evening, we were back on a train to Guangzhou. Closing a trip that started with a weather detour and ended up somewhere entirely different than planned.
Sometimes, those are the best ones, and sometimes they are just ok. Like this one.
