Shopping at AEON - and relaxing in Hanoi

This morning was kind of slow. We had one thing on the list - going shopping at the AEON mall just outside the city centre. Walking wasn't an option so once we were ready to leave for the mall we took a taxi - and got scammed the usual way. Our taxi driver doing a huge detour conveniently "missing" the exit on the freeway and then turning the GPS on just afterwards.

AEON is a huge new mall, all new shops, prices like in most Western cities. The place was quite empty when we were there. We did buy a few things though. It was kind of funny to find a Danish furniture shop in the middle of Hanoi.

Going back we knew we had to "guide" our taxi driver a bit harder, so he did another slightly shorter detour, we got back to the hostel, had a quiet afternoon and walked a bit around town in the evening, picking up a few cold beers and some sushi and went home to our balcony and had dinner there. Nice and quiet and just what we felt like.

Slow morning coffee

Shopping

Danish furniture shop in Hanoi

Nitrogen ice cream

Sure is cold

One thing less on the to-do list

Dinner on our balcony. 

Hanoi old quarter and a bit of shopping. Going home in one week.

This morning we woke up to the sound of rain. It's been a while since we've experienced that. We had breakfast at the hotel, Mikkel took the laundry bag and went out to find a place with same day service and decided to go for a haircut on the way back. It turned out to be one of those hair cuts that... - lets just call it "short".

Once back at the hotel we got directions for the shopping centre - Viacom Towers - and headed out for a one hour walk through the centre of Hanoi before making it to the shopping centre. It was like all other shopping malls. Same shops, same goods, same prices. A bit expensive even for us. Being at a mall there were plenty of nice options to eat lunch so we found a place serving Vietnamese fresh spring rolls, had nice lunch and then some more shopping before walking back to the hotel.

We stayed in the room in the afternoon relaxing a bit. Walking around Hanoi (and most other places in Vietnam) is really a test for all the senses and it drains our energy some days. A few hours later we headed out again, had coffee, then dinner, picked up the laundry and walked around the night market for about an hour. The night market has one big advantage - they only allow pedestrians in the market area so there is relatively quiet there, though crowded. And you do not have to constantly look out for scooters and motorbikes. Back at the hotel we packed for our trip to Halong bay tomorrow. Last scheduled excursion on this trip, today we have one week left before flying back to Denmark. Weird, crazy and a bit difficult to comprehend. But we are also looking forward to seeing friends and family - and having our apartment back.

Early morning in Hanoi - fish seller in the street

Our laundry getting express pick up service

That turned out to be a bit short

Navigating crazy Hanoi traffic

Hanoi old quarter buildings

Temple

Yes, you can sleep on your scooter

Colonial memories

Somebody's not impressed at all

The tomato cut as a swan - come on!

Hanoi night market

The street where they bbq chicken feet