April 19, 2013 Day 6
I booked this day tour from the hostel I was staying in for 30 USD. I could have shopped around but decided against it. Booking these tours was somewhat like Russian Roulette anyway. Either you get lucky, or you don't. The van picked us up on time at 8am and like most group tours, we picked up maybe ten people more from other hotels. So I think that took nearly an hour. We got to Halong Bay at around noon and two of us joined another group who was doing the day tour. I was really tired by that time. Good thing I got to meet fellow SEA citizens lol : Aon and Noi from Thailand, and Yvonne and Jane from SG. The meal at the junk wasn't really spectacular and I didn't get to eat much since I forgot to bring my Lego spoon/fork with me and the boat don't have one. I had to use chopsticks. How the hell am I supposed to eat rice? Haha Double blooper since the four of them that I'm sharing table with all eat with chopstick. Oh! And I was the only one unaware that drinks are not part of the package and I had to pay 30.000 VND for a soda. Oh well.
We were given options whether to do kayaking for free to go see some lagoons or ride a boat for 120,000 VND. I can't risk the life of my camera and I'm not that good in kayaking either so I opted for the boat ride. I went with Noi and Aon. There wasn't much to see really but it was nice being able to get closer to the fishing village.
The cave with colored lights inside. Sorry, but personally I thought the only thing it had going for it was its size. I've been to a few spelunking trips before and I've seen better caves.
We left around 3pm and got back to Hanoi at around 8pm. I tried looking for the night market without success. So I just went and buy two North Face bags for me and my sister from one of the shops around Hoan Kiem Lake. I bought them at 700.000 VND a piece. The vendor said it was authentic but I'm not sure. I did check for the hologram, the whistle, and the YKK zipper. Went back at the hotel with the two huge bags inside a garbage bag hahaha. At the lobby, I met two Korean guys. They were really friendly and we got to talking about Kim Tae Hee and Rain. Too bad they weren't that interested in idols. They don't like them. xD But they were fun to talk to.
Summary of Expenses:
Day Tour Package 30USD
bottled water 30.000VND
boat ride 120.000VND
Next Day 7 http://ilovecoffee-oldworld.blogspot.com/2013/06/hanoi-day-7.html
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