Chapter 9.3 - The last day in Molloch

8.3.

9:43am

I'm awake, showered, and did some research. In Hanoi, the Old Quarter is apparently the place to be. I'm heading there now for breakfast. Then I'll check out a few things.

10:33am

After a wild ride through the chaos of thousands of mopeds and cars, I arrived at the cafe where I had breakfast yesterday.

Actually, everything costs the same, except for the driver's fee for the Grab delivery service. Unbelievably brilliant. Nevertheless, I came here because I want to explore the Old Town afterwards.

It's still noisy and the air is thick. Suddenly, everything is full of tourists/Europeans.

The cityscape is also slightly different. But that's probably because there's more money circulating here. I think my area is closer to the nature of Hanoi City.

12:37pm

I'm sitting at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, in a large park. Unfortunately, it's closed, so I can only look at it from the outside. Birds are chirping, and for the first time, I feel somewhat comfortable in Hanoi. It's just crazy how much hustle and bustle there is on the streets. You can't escape it. I'm going to walk to a pagoda by the water. But for now, I'm enjoying my peace and quiet.

6:31pm

Back at the homestay. After the pagoda by the water, I followed the advice of an old man and looked for the wreckage of an old American plane. I entered B52 on Google and walked through the streets of Hanoi. I had chosen the free B52 Museum as my destination. Fortunately, G-maps also guided me past the individual piece of wreckage that fell in the middle of a small lake in a densely populated area.

Afterwards, I visited the B52 Museum. It wasn't very spectacular... But everything is for the blog, right :D

Then I went back to the Old Quarter train track because the old man had told me that the train would pass through at 3:30 pm...

When I arrived there, I did some online research. No luck - it only runs at 7 pm on weekdays... Oh well, I had a coffee and went for lunch. It was probably my last Pho Bo in Vietnam.. Yay!

Now I wanted to see the Literature Temple. I still had plenty of time. It's all about Confucius and his students there. About writing and of course, the temple and its history. The entrance fee of 30k is also quite reasonable.

Now I actually wanted to take a Grab Bike back to the accommodation. However, I didn't see the point in paying 2€. So I walked back for about 45 minutes.

It somehow felt good. Along the way, the homestay owner contacted me. I had deposited 1 million under my pillow in the morning and communicated that as well. I also told him that I expect a refund of 110k since the 3 nights cost a total of 890k.

He wrote back, saying that unfortunately, the cleaning lady didn't have enough change and asked if it's okay if I get it tomorrow... I knew that would happen. Since I'm leaving the accommodation at 8:30 am tomorrow, I told him to bring me the money tonight. And also that I don't understand why the cleaning lady doesn't have enough change (actually 4€), even though I had already communicated it...

He apologized for the inconvenience and said he will come by at 9 pm tonight, and give me my change...

It's better for him to do that, I've already made other plans 👿

After all the excitement, just before I reach my homestay, I treat myself to a banana-pineapple smoothie ❤️❤️❤️

Now I'm enjoying the cool breeze from my air conditioner and will wash off the street dust.

So ends my last day in crappy Hanoi... Yes, despite the many beautiful pictures, I find it extremely unpleasant here. After all, I only show you the beautiful things I see. I spare you pictures of the dog BBQ or the lively goldfish and Vietnamese people rawly consuming caged birds. The street dust and exhaust fumes are really the worst. For those of you coming to Hanoi: Bring a fine dust mask. FFP2 or surgical masks won't help you!!!

Oh, and you really need a strong self-confidence if you want to walk on the streets here. And if you walk, you have to cross many streets ;)

8:45pm

Food is ordered, and I'm showered. That's the end of the day.

Good night, my dears ❤️