Vietnam, day 1

The moment we landed in Vietnam, somebody tried to rip us off. I had arranged for a private shuttle to our hotel from the airport. Once the SUV pulled up, we were ushered into the van along with several other travelers. I told the organizer there that we were supposed to get a private car, and he looked at me like he already knew. Annoyed, he called in another car.

I regretted my decision immediately. There is the unknown etiquette that we have in Toronto for Vietnamese restaurants. Don't complain about the food, because it will come back with extra goodness in it. I should have thought of that earlier before requesting a private taxi.

The car that pulled up was unmarked and just seemed to be some guy willing to drive us somewhere. The ride was probably a lot shorter than it seemed. Half the time I felt like I was in danger of being in a car accident, the other half I was entertaining the idea that we might not even be going to Hanoi right now.

Perhaps sensing this, the driver turned on his DVD player mounted on his dash and begun to Karaoke to some 80's remix complete with a dance ensemble. We eventually ended up at the hotel, and got a quick dinner at a backpacker recommended place (horrible) and went to sleep. We had AC, that's all that mattered.

The next morning we set out to explore


We start off with a little breakfast sandwich. Not the most remarkable thing in the universe, but as I've learned to discover, the greatest thing about the food in Vietnam is not so much when you eat it. It's later, when you can still remember how slightly different and new it tasted.



In the center of the city is a lake called Hoan Kiem. I don't know what it means, but it's nice in the morning to walk around. There are plenty of people doing the same or even exercising.