Last few hours in Vietnam
drizzle in Hanoi
05.31.2008
It's a pretty wet Monday in Hanoi, and I'm really just killing time till my plane leaves at 2330 tonight. I checked out of the Gia to the tune of $93. for 2 nights + cab to No Bai airport. Went over to the wonderful Banh Cuon Ky Dong Restaurant at 11 Tong Duy Tan again for lunch: chicken and mushroom soup, crab spring rolls and shrimp in chili sauce with rice + Bia Hanoi (beer) for only 125K VND. Duc and Thuong turned me on to the place, and this was the third time I was there - excellent, and no other tourists around!
(Making crepes at the Banh Cuon Ky Dong Restaurant, Hanoi)
Depending on the amount of sleep I get on my flight to Seoul tonight, I plan to take some sort of Transit Tour of Seoul or the Incheon area. They also have a transit hotel at the airport, so if I need sleep, I might be checking in? Incheon is a mega-airport with a regular shopping mall for transit passengers (supposed to be number 2 in the world for passenger comfort/facilities). I'll be exchanging VN Dong for Korean Won before I leave No Bai as VN Dong is useless outside of country. I've given 2 or 3 of the poor/handicapped my extra chump change today.
I guess I'll climb up to the City View to get some tea for my throat soreness now, and maybe try to find a Vietnam News in English to read. I think I've seen enough of the Old Quarter for one vacation. Only had 500 or 600 hawkers approach for cab/motorbike/books today so far - I actually have learned to take it in stride, and now smile my "no".
See you in Oregon, folks!