My roommate is suffering from jet lag so she (and therefore I) went to bed early last night and consequently woke early this morning. I got up at 6am hoping for a sunrise and coffee but had to wait for both. Overcast day and the crew were busy cleaning the boat and setting up for breakfast.

Breakfast at 7am, 7:30am launch over to a tiny island with a beach and steep staircase up to a lookout. Magnificent views and I took advantage of the opportunity to exercise to do it 2.5x. I think 400 stairs but not confirmed.

8:30am we returned to the boat and started out back to town but little Kaltrina discovered she left her purse back on the island (at the top!). The crew immediately dropped anchored but she had to agree to pay the gasoline for the launch to take her back to search.

And she found it! The captain had called ahead and an employee had gone up to the top and found it there. This snafu hardly delayed us at all. We sat down to an early lunch of delicious seafood then docked around 11am.

3 hours return to Hanoi via the expressway, then 4 hours free time until the overnight train to Huê. Except for me. I made the executive decision that I didn’t wanted to be crammed into a 4-berth bunk cabin overnight so I booked a flight and will get a good night’s sleep at the hotel.

8pm flight, arrived at hotel in Huê around 10pm. The town looked locked up tight until we arrived at the block before the hotel. There were massive crowds in the bars all around the hotel, “boom, boom, boom” of techno music. The young of Huê are out partying on a Monday night!