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About to board an 8am bus to Ha Long Bay. We’ll be staying overnight at a junk in the bay (so don’t expect to hear from us for a bit); I’m looking forward to waking up to a sunrise over the sea, eating rice like a good chinaman.

What’s Ha Long Bay? Look no further…

Yesterday in Ha Noi we did a DIY Walking Tour where we saw in order:

• Ngoc Son Temple
• Hoan Kiem Lake
• Memorial House
• Bach Ma Temple
• The Water Puppet Show
• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex
• One Pillar Pagoda
• Temple of Literature

I also got lethargic from the heat (yes, I gotta man up before I reach India; I’m disappointed in myself), had a brick fall on my foot, got brushed by a motorbike, and consumed a lot of cold stuff to beat the heat including a:

• Pina Colada
• Avocado Shake
• Mango, Peach, Pineapple, Mint Frozen Yogurt combo
• Mango, Pineapple, Watermelon, Peach fruit shake
• Mango, Pineapple, Orange, Melon fruit shake
• and a lot of bottled water

And things I learned since yesterday:

• Ignore cabbies who approach you; their rates are higher (by 10 fold). Instead, flag one down yourself.
• Everything closes an hour or two ahead of printed closing time. We got to a restaurant that was supposed to close at 10:30, but they stopped serving food at 9. They seated us and brought us menus anyway, but just to tell us we couldn’t order anything. Yes, I was confused too.
• When crossing streets in NYC, run fast. But when crossing streets in Ha Noi, take your sweet ass time; they won’t stop for you but they’ll do their best to swerve around. Any sudden movements, and you = roadkill.

Pictures to come once I find an internet in Vietnam where it doesn’t crash every 5min and whenthespacekeyisactually working well (pounding onthiskeysofreakinghard).

Total Distance Walked: 7-8 miles.- At time of posting in Ha Noi, it was 84.2 °F -

Humidity: 89% | Wind Speed: 5km/hr | Cloud Cover: n/a