Vietnam day 9 – Hanoi

The rain has eased off and this morning is dry.  The long-range weather forecast has downscaled the likelihood of rain over the next week, so we’ve decided to go to Halong Bay tomorrow and Sapa on Wednesday evening.  We’ll then go to Hue on 9^th November.  The travel agency have been very accommodating and we have had no problems changing the dates of our trips.  They also provide luggage storage so we can travel light, and a room with shower between trips.  We went to the Temple of Literature today but it started raining as soon as we got there and didn’t let up until mid-afternoon.  We got scammed by the cab driver – his meter was on double time at least and the fare was twice as much as it should have been,  much to Andy’s annoyance;  he says ‘his meter was faster than Linford Christie’ .  Having said that it was only £4!  Apparently it is quite common for the taxi drivers to fix the meters in order to over-charge tourists.  The Temple of  Literature is, according to Lonely Planet, ‘a rare example of well-preserved traditional Vietnamese architecture’.  It was founded in 1070 and Vietnam’s first university was established here in 1076.  The temple is made up of five separate courtyards and gardens and the inevitable souvenir shops selling, among other thing, a range of water puppets.  A peaceful spot to wile away an hour so away from the hustle and bustle.