Bus, Ferry, Bus, Bus back to Hanoi

Trip Start Nov 08, 2006
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Trip End Ongoing


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Wednesday, March 28, 2007

We left Cat Ba and headed back to Hanoi.  We decided we would spend a couple of days there and then head to Hue, about half-way down the coast toward Saigon.  Instead of doing the trip on our own, like we did on the way to Cat Ba, we decided to buy an all-inclusive ticket that would get us all the way back to the capital (bus, ferry, bus, bus).  But it only got us as far as Hai Phong.  The driver dropped us off at the wrong place and we had to buy another ticket to get back to Hanoi.  It was only $2, but I was not pleased.  I thought about paying the $10 to get back to Cat Ba so I could go see the smug hotel owner who sold us the ticket and punch him in the head.  But violence doesn't solve problems, contrary to what all the history books say.
 
While in Hanoi we were able to back up our photos to DVD and get caught up on some stuff online.  It also allowed me to enjoy the price fluctuations that so often occur in SE Asia.  I paid to burn a DVD at a photo place near our hotel.  It was 50,000 VND (about $3).  Not a great price, but worth it.  I went back the next day, to the same place, and spoke to the same woman.  She tried to charge me $9.  I reminded her that I had just been there yesterday and the price was $3.  She tried to meet me in the middle at $6.  After a lot of angry gesticulating we finally got back to the correct price of $3.  It's always like that.  The hotel room we stayed in had jumped from $8 to $10.  Why?  I guess because we looked like we weren't willing to lug our packs to another hotel, which we weren't.  It takes a great deal of determination and constant alertness not to get fleeced at every turn.  Sometimes it feels like a game and I don't mind it, others it makes me long for the land of price tags.
 
We were able to purchase our train tickets for Hue at the station, saving us the 100% surcharge the travel agents charge.  It's a 14-hour ride, so we went with an overnight again.  We left Hanoi behind, in no hurry to return.
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