We had a lie in, breakfast, then a mild panic as I realised a job application deadline was on the 1st September. We checked out, the girls went out to lunch and I started the application. As the clock clicked onto 1pm I grabbed my rucksack and hurried to meet them for our 13.10 train to Hanoi.

We made it, I ate my take away vegetable fried noodle on the train (80 000) as we chugged along for ~2 hours to Hanoi. The train was pretty normal, save for the Hanoi announcement giving a history of the ‘great city’, dragons and all sorts - plus a bit of war propaganda. We bought train tickets at the second Hanoi station for Lao Cai (520 000 for a soft sleeper, well worth it as you get a comfy 4 bed lockable compartment!). Our train left at 19.40, we had to arrive an hour early so Ellie, Jo and I agreed to meet at 17:40 to grab dinner while I finished my application at the station cafe and they did a suncream and insect repellent run. I hit send on my application at 17:45 and moved to the lockers with our bags, the girls were an hour late, leaving me to worry. No dinner but we made our train and had plenty of snacks!

  The guy we shared with was a 25 year-old single doctor for Lao Cai, he had ninja skills at getting into bed, which Ellie tried and failed to replicate. It was a comfortable night, a little bumpy (bottles fell on my head).