We had four nights in Hanoi which is a great city. It was full of tourists, but there was lots to see and do. I also caught up on sleep and eating.
I enjoy wandering around on rest days, so I walked a lot through the gradually warming days. The last two days were 30+
The bikes were washed for about $1.50 and I washed all of my clothes at the Airbnb. When you are on the road long term, this is a big thing.
The Airbnb was an interesting place. It looked dingy and it’s fair to say that the outside was dirty and a bit unkempt but downstairs, out of the way, were two upmarket coffee shops and a vegan restaurant. They weren’t busy by any means and it’s understandable given that you would never know that they’re there.
I did some touristy things during a walking tour. I even sat in Train Street as the train lumbered through. I visited the old prison, Maison Central, a temple or two as well as the first university in Vietnam which dates back many many years.
On our last night, Miles came back from a walk and had found a small bar nearby, so we went straight away. It looked like a small local restaurant with a dozen people in it. It was fantastic – everyone said hi and spoke to us. They served us a bowl of tofu with our draft beers. That’s the first time that I’ve had that combo.
