Case of the Mondays

We had another huge thunderstorm here last night, which actually woke me up (shows you how loud it must’ve been)! I got up early this morning, grandma style, to do some internet research on our pending bus ride to Laos…it’s impossibly hard to find out how much a trip should actually cost, it’s different every time through different agents, for different people! Bluddy ‘ell. We’ll decide tomorrow…’always out off today what you can do tomorrow.’

Today we trekked around the west-side of the city. Over to the Laos and Cambodian embassies to get visas (Laos only took 10 minutes for a pretty sticker!). Then it was over to the beautiful Temple of Literature stopping at a gorgeous little temple along the way. It had four layers and heights of gold statues behind the offerings…not listed in LP, and I think one of the most beautiful temples I have ever seen. The Van Mieu was very Chinese as it was dedicated to the study of Confusianism. It also had the added bonus of a student 50% student discount (i.e. 2,500d!!) After some street fried rice & freshly cut pineapples, totalling 26,00d less than US$2, we headed back to our hotel for a rest.

When we headed out again it was to search for bus prices to Laos, with little success of course. We shopped for some small daypacks, and I pissed off a lot of them when I offered $2-3 for a small knock off North Face, oops! Paid 3,00d to see a tourist pagoda in the middle of the lake, and was harassed by a tout wanting to sell leaves folded into grasshoppers - he took my hand and put the leaf in it and it took nearly 5 times for him to take it back. We have been very grateful with the ease of which touters are sloughed off here - a polite 'no' and they walk away (unlike other countries we've been to), but today, being Monday, had them harassing us all day. Motorcycle, tuk-tuk?, food...argh.

Well that's enough writing for one day, I'm bored and the rain's back - time for a Bia Hoi!