Dear ecotravelogers, please checkout the items below. This is the checklist that you have to comply before we depart.

1. a valid international passport which has not expired or has more than 6 months before it expires.
2. flight ticket printed slip. for those who bought the ticket thru me, i will print them out.
3. personal medicine. please do not include viagra, otherwise your wife might be thinking you are up to something else…hehehe. And for mr waje, please dont forget your medication.
4. food. this have been taken care off by me an zani. but please do bring your own personal likings.
5. cooking utensils. cooking pan provided by syuk and paie. ( paie’s utensil is with zani ). liquid stove by arey. Remi’s MSR? tunggu…..
6. clothing – make sure to have thick clothing or just bring long sleeves shirt 2-3 pairs. The weather might be unbearable.
7. hand glove. strongly advise.
8. sleeping bag – thai binh provide sleeping bag. but it is strongly advised to bring your own sleeping bag that can resist a very low temperature say +2 to +5 degrees celcius. you can bring the cheap one, but please request extra sleeping bag from thai binh hotel later.
9. sleeping mat.
10. mess tin, fork, spoon, mug - this is for your own usage.
11. rain coat. we are still in the raining season in vietnam.
12. camera…hehehe. for those who have la. for waje, sempat ke beli dslr. hahaha.
13. headlamp or torchlight

How about food in hanoi?

I somewhat found the following address from this website.

1. 53 Ba Trieu, Hanoi.
2. 10 Hang Thung, Hanoi. 
3. Nisa Restaurant:

90A Nguyen Huu Huan St.
Hoan Kiem Dist.
Hanoi – Vietnam

Contact person:

- Mr. Ben Taat Haji Alias
Mobile: +84 912040537
Email: bentaat@nisa-restaurant.com
- Mr. Azhar Harris
Mobile: +84 934282813
Email: azhar@nisa-restaurant.com

info: http://www.nisa-restaurant.com

i am looking forward to visit nisa restaurant. The food is not cheap, but expected. But at least, we can start estimating the cost of living in hanoi. But i am not sure until what time that the restaurant operate. Below, 2 more malaysian restaurant, “nok make budu ko be…”:

1. Warung Sri belango ” The Malaysia Truly Asia Kitchen”
Menu: From $3US ++++
26 Ong Ich Khiem – Dien Bien – Ba Dinh – Hanoi – Vietnam
Tel/Fax : +844 734 7216
Direct voice: +84917348264
Malaysian phone: +60192710026 / Mr. Zuzainy

info: http://vietnamtouronsale.com/index.php?act=viewrestaurant&idrestaurant=43 ,

http://newhanoian.xemzi.com/en/venue/show/2009/Warung-Sri-Belango

2. Malaysia in Hanoi
136 E, Tran Vu St
Truc Bach, Ba Dinh
Hanoi
Tel: 0084 715 2512

info: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2007/11/24/lifeliving/19529763&sec=lifeliving ,
http://newhanoian.xemzi.com/venue/show/1196/Malaysia-in-Hanoi <– it is defunct. is this true?

and for FULL halal food / halal kitchen listing, please visit the following website:

http://asrichascroesus.blogspot.com/2008/11/halal-vegetarian-restaurants-in-hanoi.html

and this website too: http://newhanoian.xemzi.com/venue/category/66/Halal#1/66

when you look for it, insyaAllah, it will come to you.

Food Schedule

So the final food schedule will be like this:

wed – 11/2 – touch down @ hanoi, going on a train ride to lao cai at night
- breakfast: breakfast at lcct food court. if you are late, then eat on the flight
- lunch: nisa restaurant
- dinner: packed from nisa restaurant

thu - 12/2 – arrived at lao cai, proceed to sapa, and start trekking mount fansipan to 2900m
- breakfast: roti gardenia + serunding
- lunch: nasi + sardin + sayur + ikan masin
- dinner: nasi + sardin + sayur + ikan masin

fri - 13/2 – summit day, goind down to sapa, sleep over at thai binh hotel
- breakfast: roti pita + serunding
- lunch: nasi + kari ayam yeos + sayur
- dinner: nasi + brahim daging + sayur

sat - 14/2 – tavan village tour
- breakfast: fried rice
- lunch: packed lunch fried rice
- dinner: nasi + sardin gulai + sayur

sun - 15/2 – bac ha market tour, going back to hanoi in the evening
- breakfast: nasi lemak + ikan bilis (zani) + telur
- lunch: packed lunch: nasi lemak + ikan bilis (zani) + telur 
- dinner: roti pita + serunding

mon - 16/2 – sightseing hanoi / halong bay
- breakfast: nisa restaurant
- lunch: sri belango
- dinner: sri belango

tue - 17/2 – sightseing hanoi / halong bay
- breakfast: other halal restaurant
- lunch: other halal restaurant
- dinner: other halal restaurant

wed – 18/2 – 7 of us take flight back home at 9 am
- breakfast: on the flight breakfast

thu – 19/2 – todd returns to kl
- breakfast: on the flight breakfast

Note: for dine in, we estimate the cost at USD 5 per person. All dine in at your expense. Total dine in estimated at USD 50 throughout the trip. And we also need to include 2 nights of hanoi sleepover at USD 15 per night, so tatal USD 30. So our cost will be:

Total cost: ( train hanoi-laocai-hanoi + pick up + trekking + 2 nights sleepover @ sapa + tavan tour + bac ha tour) + hanoi sleepover + hanoi dine in

total cost = USD 165 + 30 + 50
                = USD 245
                = USD 245 x 3.612 
                = RM 884.94 + food we bought from kl: rm 50 per person or less.
                < than kinabalu total … hehehehe.

* hanoi sleepover can be cheaper. this is just estimation. i think we can find below USD 15 easily.
* hanoi dine in = day 1 x 2 + day 6 x 3 + day 7 x 3 = 8 x 5 = USD 40 + 10 ( over budget) = USD 50.
* — we can cut down hanoi f00ds if we would like to cook our own food, provided that we can get a hotel that allow us to cook or we just cook at the verandah.

ha noi accomodation

have been thinking of renting hanoi youth hotel. http://www.hanoiyouthhotel.com/infomation.asp?mnz=2&mno=0 . No contact number found but this is the address: 33-Luong Van Can | Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi 8404, Vietnam 

another one is  queen something2 hotel. my brother used my lappy and he shut down the browser…arrghhh. and i ve lost the link .

Prayer time

sapa kiblat direction: 282.462744 (From North Clockwise) 

sapa prayer time

hanoi kiblat direction: 283.699322 (From North Clockwise)

hanoi prayer time

thats the latest update. going to hospital…n