There’s nothing touristy in Hanoi that we wanted to do as we “did it all” only a year ago. Perfect for shopping and relaxation then!
Over the last couple of years, I find myself holding pages further and further away as I read. Last year, Kim found glasses in Hanoi to be of extremely good quality and cheap too last year. That shop wasn’t open so we tried the others in the vicinity. So, it’s time for me to get my first ever pair of glasses. Four-eyes, finally!
I ended up making two pairs; one a Giorgio Armani and the other a Bvlgari (both fake of course). I’m not much of a shopper but sometimes things in Vietnam are so cheap it’s silly to resist. [Edit: Ten years later these frames are still good. I had the lenses replaced to match my deteriorating eyes and the optician remarked that the Bvlgari was very high quality with spring-loaded hinges.]
We had organised a late (1730) checkout from our hotel (payable) as we had a 2150 departure by train. We had time for a massage (again) in the afternoon before checking-out and grabbing a leisurely dinner. We taxied to the railway station around 2030 after a slight hiccup with the hotel forgetting to book our taxi. We don’t hold any grudges as staff at the Hanoi Holiday Diamond Hotel are so obliging; they are always offering assistance rather than waiting for customers to ask!
There was a bit of a panic at the station. I had booked online and had a voucher which needed to be exchanged from an agency for a real ticket. The agency office was nowhere to be found.
Fortunately, someone helped us out (one of those people who hang around to help for tips). It turned out the office was “airside” (in airport terminology) and we couldn’t get through without a ticket. He took our voucher and returned with our tickets shortly after and also another voucher for our return ticket. He then took us for a long walk to the last carriage of the train.
We had booked the Sapaly Express, one of the many private carriages run by various hotels, rather than the standard government carriages. It looked a little nicer than the government ones due to the lighting and bedding. We left on time; we were happy.