Today I achieved at least two of my travel objectives for this trip:

-Learned how to cross the streets of hectic Hanoi without getting run over (though I did have a close call with a motorbike in Old Quarter this afternoon)

-Booked a night train to Sapa to discover northern Vietnam’s ethnic minorities and trek the Tonkinese Alps

Also, I managed to snag a ticket to a 5pm showing of the famous and often oversold water puppet theater troupe. Shamefully, I must admit that I fell asleep during the first part of it due to jetlag; clearly three cups of coffee with condensed milk didn’t combat the weariness, though I’m now paying the price of wide awakeness. Hopefully, the melatonin I just ingested should do the trick.

Future goals for this trip include finding the perfect bowl of breakfast pho, lead climbing some limestone , and kayaking karst city (read: Halong Bay).

Next up: Hanoi to Cat Ba Island via bus-bus-boat-bus (I wish I were kidding). Not sure what my WiFi situation will look like for the next few days so stay tuned :).