We are up early to check out the free breakfast that is offered by the hostel. We have to go to the sister hostel across the street. The breakfast was poor. Some eggs, ham, bread and coffee. I fill myself up, because it is free after all. Not much left but I do my best. Back to the hostel after that. Just chill downstairs after. John has been shaking away, and today we are supposed to be meeting some people from Shakey Shakey. They are Chinese so John will have no issues talking to them, apparently they have been in Hanoi for a while, so maybe they can show us around.
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They say they will meet us at 10.30 but it is more like 11.30 by the time they arrive. We go to a coffee shop and I get myself a coffee, but they automatically put sugar in it, and iced sugary coffee. Not so good. The Vietnamese coffee, had a chocolate taste to it. So it as already sweet, never mind the addition of sugar! After this we head to the lake and go across to the island where we have another temple. It's a nice setting and not too busy. These Chinese girls are pretty much exclusively talking Chinese to John, I'm just kind of walking around like a dick. It's ok, it's too hot to be heading off on an adventure, so I'm content.
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We stop at a stall and get a sandwich made up. Traditional Vietnamese style, it was pretty good. A lot of French influence here in the food, plenty of bread, baked fresh, and sweet pastries. I'm liking it, as I have been starved of good bread for a few months now. We head on to the old original market in Hanoi, we take a walk round, but it is all looking the same. Little shops, with more stock than space. Unlike China, I am not being heckled in the street to purchase from the shop, which is nice, although most shops have about 5 people waiting inside in ambush, if I was to venture close. Of course the street vendors are a different story. People coming up to you constantly, offering you fruit, pastries, drinks, books and shoe shining. They all speak English, and try hard to sell to you. The level of English here is better than in China or Japan, quite refreshing.
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I'm getting bored of these girls, and the fact that I am not really communicating with anyone. They want to go to the museum, I'm not interested and tell John that I am just going to head back to the hostel. He decides that he is feeling the same way, so we say goodbye and head back to the hostel. Little rest before dinner.
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Go out for dinner with some other people from the dorm, Abdullah, an Iraqi who grew up in the Netherlands and Ray an Israeli. Just go to a local place up the street, again with these small stools. Some crab dish, it was pretty good, then on for some bia hoi, which is the local beer, at only
15p per glass you can't be too bad to that. A lot of glasses disappear very quickly and then it is on to a bar that has live music. A band playing, the beer is significantly more expensive than in the street and as a result there are not too many people in the bar. After listening to a few tracks Abdullah asks if he can get up and play, he just starts jamming on the stage with the band. He is pretty good, I must say. Then he performs a solo flamenco number, all improvised for about 5mins, quite the talent.
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We have to speak to John, as he is eating the nuts that we have on the tableland just throwing the shells all over the floor. Ha. Maybe in China John, but not here. So he has to pick them up. It was hilarious. After this we head back to the hostel before bed.