Hanoi Day 6

Good Morning Vietnam!

It feels so right to use this famous Robin Williams greeting from the movie "Good Morning,Vietnam". After all, I am in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Yesterday morning I spent some time looking for "so called" free walking tours. I thought I reserved a spot for 1 today and 1 tomorrow. Both replied for a day earlier date than I marked on my calendar. The first to the Vietnam Military Museum, I thought I had reserved for today and he thought it was for yesterday. I was the only one signed up so far. My budget would not allow me to tip the guide for what would have ended up being a personal tour. I cancelled. I will plan to take the public bus today to the museum. I read that most the signs and display plaques at the museum are also in English. The bus ride will be about 45 minutes.

The second tour, I also cancelled after receiving a note from the guide that the typical tip is between $18 and $50 usd. Doesn't sound like a Free tour to me. Maybe tomorrow I will also go to this location using bus or Grab moto. Yesterday early afternoon, I stopped at a small corner restaurant where I ordered spring rolls and lemon tea. Just a light snack. This restaurant and many others have very small almost like childrens stools to sit on. There are small short tables for the food. These stools are a bit challenging for me to sit down on and even more challenging to get up from. (See below for video link on YouTube)

Sometimes I take some small video clips while I am out and about. They don't seem to display well here. I will post an assortment of these clips on my travel Facebook page: Doug's Travel Page and also on my YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/@thabiso11 Recent video clips posted on YouTube include, afternoon lunch, traffic scene, and beer street.

I didn't take many pictures, but I did take this one of a street vender selling water chestnuts and fruit. The fruit portions were too big for me. Having taken a pictures, she insisted that I buy something. I ended up buying a half bag of water chestnuts. There was also a lady selling fried donuts. They trick you, saying "have a sample". If you are gullible enough to try a sample and decide not to buy, then they want you to pay for the sample. I am speaking from experience. Yes, I bought donuts too.

Yesterday evening I sat at one of the street side craft beer cafes. This one was on a corner. I was being amused by the traffic or all kinds. Delivery vans, tourist vans, cars motor scooters and pedestrians. The best way to discribe these intersections is by calling it a weave. Although there are street lights at some of the major intersections, mostly there are none. Vehicles and pedestrians enter the intersection and weave through other vehicles and pedestrians. No one stops, some slow down, but I haven't seen any collisions. 

Bargaining on the street is not optional, it is mandatory unless you want to greatly overpay for everything. It takes a few days to get an idea of how much things should cost. Even then, as a foreigner you will always pay more than a local. 

After my corner beer stop, I continued walking to the real beer street. I was there early, but already the streets have been taken over by small table and chairs, leaving barely enough room for people to walk and making it very challenging for the occasional motor scooter to pass through. Very festive, chaotic, noisy and colorful. (See video clip on YouTube).