March 27, 2023

Today I was able to get some much needed rest. The hostel we were in didn’t have windows so I woke up around 10 am completely unaware of what time it was. Ellie and I were so convinced it couldn’t be that late I was googling “what time is it in Hanoi.” We went up and grabbed free breakfast, picked up our laundry, and got all organized and moved out of the hostel. We decided to go out and get some Bun cha for lunch at a location Ellie saved because Obama once ate there. It lived up to the hype. It was a rainy day so we took it easy, wandered around shopping and seeing a bit of Hanoi. When it was time to get checked in at our hostel we ran into another American and chatted with him while relaxing in our room.

Then we had an incredible Vietnamese cooking class. We walked to the local market to see how they shop with our guide. The chef then taught us how t make a banana leaf salad, Hanoi spring rolls, and beef pho. We ate so much food we thought we would explode. Tonight we’re off to do a bar crawl with the hostel for one more fun night in Hanoi. Crazy to think this time tomorrow I will be on a bus headed to do the Hai Giang Motorbike loop! I have no idea how connected or disconnected ill be from the world so we may have to do another late dump of all my stories.