Saturday, 6 January 2007 - Hanoi

 A bit of a rest day today, so a sleep-in and breakfast downstairs at 9 am before setting off in search of the ribbon and lace street that we've seen going by in a taxi.  We couldn't find it, but found plenty of other things to look at.  Found the stamps street and saw a man carving a stamp - bought some for 20,000VND. Jenny bought boots for $300,000. 

Then off by taxi to Highlands Coffee on West Lake (Hồ Tây), a pretty spec floating restaurant on the lake. The very strawberry drink, made with strawberries, strawberry syrup, and crushed ice, was pretty amazing, says Jill. 

We walked around the smaller lake, Trúc Bạch Lake (Hồ Trúc Bạch), after checking out the Trấn Quốc Pagoda - tranquil, peaceful, and clean, no one wanted to sell us postcards and no cost to go in (just a donation box). A lovely spot!  Trấn Quốc Pagoda is the oldest Buddhist temple in Hanoi, founded in the 6th century under Emperor Lý Nam Đế and located on Kim Ngư islet in West Lake. 

This area is more upmarket with lots of fancy cars, classy buildings, etc. Lots of men sitting in the park playing Chinese chess. We found a department store and bought tissues and floss. 

Got a taxi back.  We now know to watch out for cabs with numbers on them and drivers in uniforms. As Linh from 'Hello Hanoi' told us, even some taxis with meters are not safe, as they fiddle with the meters to make them go fast. We chatted with a Marlboro-smoking truck driver from Melbourne who gave us a few hints on travelling south - much cheaper and poorer, he says.

Back to the hotel for a bit of downtime before heading out again to find that elusive Ribbon and Lace Street.  We know where it is now, as we saw it on the way back from West Lake.

Dinner tonight at Hao Sua Restaurant.  Another recommendation from Lonely Planet.  It says it's a bit hard to find but worth the effort.  And it was!  This is another restaurant set up to support disadvantaged youth, as part of the Hoa Sua School and they're obviously doing a great job.  Jill raved about her Santa Claus cocktail, but Jennie was not so impressed with hers - a  Pine Tree.  Our whole dinner was less than 600,000 VND - less than $15 per person, and that included cocktails, beer, and desserts.  And there was music as well - a trio.  A very pleasant evening.