Good morning Hanoi!

Bargaining started immediately outside the airport.

As a newly unemployed cheapskate, I bypassed the taxi ($15!!) and minivan drivers, ignored the motobikes doing the laps, and plonked myself in front of the shuttle bus and negotiated a ride for 30,000 dong (I'd naively imagined a state-run bus service with timetable and fixed price. HA). Sure I would have to wait 20 minutes, and it would only take me to one of its stops so I'd have to walk, but that's ok.

After 10 minutes, and all of a sudden, all the shuttle bus hustlers got on the bus.
"Is the bus going now?"
"No" they said with big smiles.

Then the bus left me standing there alone, and never came back...don't ask me why i didn't get on the bus straight away. I was the only person there and i just didn't think the bus would leave without me! (now that i think about it, the fact that i was the only customer is probably the reason why the bus left without me LOL)
 
After what seemed like ages, the minivan driver that i'd rejected several times beckoned me over as the minivan was getting full with locals...not even they wanted to catch the bus haha. I was SO grateful because i was starving and 80,000 d isn't that much anyway. I even got to sit next to the driver and watch him practice the Buddhist ideal of The Middle Way - driving in the middle of 2 lanes to overtake the slow motos on the right.

I made it to Liberty Hotel, and the lovely staff took me to a local eatery for cold beef noodles.

Now this has to be a real local place - long wooden table, the floor littered with chopstick wrappers, used napkins and banana leaves, and a lady sweeping around our feet while we ate.

thin slices of beef mixed with julienned carrots, bean sprouts and vermicelli, doused with fish sauce and lime juice. YUM!!

First stop after lunch - Hoan Kiem lake. Described as "a tranquil waterbody in the heart of Hanoi", the place is packed with chillaxing locals and couples showing a surprising amount of PDA.

Turtle Tower in the middle of the Lake

Ngoc Son Temple and the beautiful bright red Huc bridge

As I walked along the path around the lake I caught sight of a huge statue to my right. In that split second of distraction i fell into a giant ditch yes a hole so big my entire leg went in and all i could do for the next few minutes was sit there and gasp in agony as blood welled up around my big toe.

This is an endorsement for sanitisers and wet wipes, which I had wisely packed

I soldiered on to Ngoc Son Temple on the lake. Legend has it King Le Loi was given a sword that helped him drive out the Ming Chinese. One day he was on the lake, a giant turtle/Golden Turtle God appeared and took the sword back to the heavans; the King then named the lake Hoan Kiem, literally 'returned sword'. 

Entrance to Huc Bridge and Ngoc Son Temple

the good...and the bad

Bats on temple wall

beautiful incense urn outside the temple

bat on the urn! yes i love bats

a giant soft-shelled turtle specimen on display in the room adjoining the temple; i'd be worried if a turtle like this swam up to me!

people playing Chinese chess in the pavilion outside the temple

***

Dinner was banh cuon nong for only 17,000 d!!

Made fresh in front of me as I tried to settle on my low stool. Bang cuon nong is a soft rice flour crepe filled with minced pork and shiitake mushroom, topped with fried garlic, accompanied by fish sauce, chilli (hot!) and lime. Very similar to the Cantonese yum cha dish cheung fun. It was worth risking my life crossing the road! XD

During my time there, USD$1 = ~ 19,300 Vietnamese Dong