Lack of sleep, non-stop walking (and relentless eating) can make anyone, even Lagalog and ironwulf, tired so caught up on sleep for most of the morning in an inn tucked near ma may street. The advantage of a loose itinerary means one can have a late, leisurely lunch which we had at the much-recommended Little Hanoi which didn’t disappoint. Going out to Hoan Kiem Lake to wait for the sunset, we were besieged by sellers of shirts and salakots at every turn (we ended up buying some to take home). The overcast skies didn’t give us the sunset we wanted but it’s nice to just relax the afternoon away before repairing to the Huo Guom Café right at the side of the Hoan Kiem Lake for an early dinner. Post travel notes:
- always prepare loose change
- always have dong on hand. sellers and establishments can be arbitrary in setting their own dollar-dong exchange rates
- haggle, haggle, haggle. the language barrier makes some sellers take advantage by offering goods at double or triple the real cost
- avoid the colored taxis and ignore those parked cabs as their meters charge more than double the real fares
- prepare to wander and wonder
