Today we spent the day visiting temples, walking around the lakes and checking out the local food markets. Lots of very interesting foods – some of which I would never eat!
The temple of literature, dedicated to Confucius is quite large, with a beautiful big pond and garden surroundings.
Having lunch at a small restaurant near the side of the road and had no idea what the meat was! One of them was definitely beef, but the other we couldn’t be certain. It was a rice noodle dish with greens and some spring rolls. In this instance I chose to live by the motto “ignorance is bliss”. If you’re adventurous and you can live by this motto, you will spend less time stressing, and more time enjoying the local culture.
I chose to live by the motto “ignorance is bliss”.
Post lunch we caught the cyclo to the Trân Quôc Pagoda, and passed the Ho Chi Minh complex.
The following video shows how crazy it is trying to cross the road. You almost have to close your eyes, keep walking and hope for the best!
We caught the SP1 train at 9.30pm from Hanoi to Sapa. This was quite a comfortable journey. Unlike our experience crossing the China boarder, there were no interruptions during the night. I did notice a slight difference in the more expensive carriages (i.e the private companies). Same beds, just they have a nice little vase or lamp on the little side table – oh, and they welcome you with a nice carpet at the entrance.
Tip: it probably isn’t worth paying all the extra money for the same soft bed as the cheaper option.
See Hong Kong to Hong Chi Minh by train blog for more details about the train journey to sapa.
Family Excursions Abroad 
Looks awesome, photo’s look really good. I like the video and you saying please don’t die, please don’t die haha keep them coming
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