One more quick check-in before we head out for the three day tour. Marjorie is (again) blogging at the same time so there might be repeat information.

We checked out the Temple of Literature today, which was mentioned, infamously, by Jane Fonda in her radio address to American troops as a place she visited here in the north. It was a beautiful, peaceful respite from the hectic pace of Hanoi. I'm used to "history" in America that dates back at most a few hundred years; this place was founded a thousand years ago. Hard to fathom.

Everything here is cheap, and the people are poor enough that you don't want to haggle. Still, I bought another warm sweater for our Sapa trip today; priced at 120000 dong, I offered 100000, and she accepted. That's about $6.50. We also bought groceries at the first grocery store we've seen (it was still tiny). We got a number of things -- two cans of Pringles, 9 bags of cashew nuts, some chocolates, toothpaste, a toothbrush, two bottled waters, some Chips Ahoy, and one or two other things. The total: 84000 dong, or a little more than $5. One could live here very cheap, if one could take it.

There is no McDonald's in Hanoi! First city of any size I've even been where that was the case. Plenty of Western products though.