PicsFromTrips

Hanoi is the next stop, but I only got to spend a short time there After another early morning flight, I arrived in Hanoi and hopped in a taxi (after waiting for a stupid shared van that was just not leaving the airport anytime soon) with another traveler. We had different cost structures in mind though (he accepted the first place we went to, which was just a little to sketchy for me) so I moved on to another hotel (which at $15 was probably 50% more costly than his hotel). I walked around on the Lonely Planet's self-guided tour of the city, and while on the walk, stopped in at a travel agency and booked the one remaining spot on a trip out to Ha Long Bay leaving the next day.. giving me only 1 day in Hanoi. I spent the day on the Lonely Planet's suggested walk, stopping at an awesome street location for some lunch - which was just excellent. There's nothing quite like food served right out on the sidewalks. I also stopped in at a few cafes along the way, breaking the heat with an iced coffee or two. For dinner I found yet another great restaurant and enjoyed the umpteenth excellent Vietnamese meal. The next morning it was back on the back of a motorbike to get to the travel agency where we boarded a bus out to Ha Long Bay.