Ninh Binh

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The Hanoi bus driver found me a car with 5 other Vietnamese people in to take me to another bus station to get the bus to Nimh Binh. I found the local bus and waited for it to leave and of course it didn't leave on time. I sat next to a lady who halfway through the journey shared her corn with me (as in the vegetable) just to make clear.

I didn't know where I was getting off and generally thought I'd be going to a local bus station. I pointed out where I was going in my lonely planet and all the locals started talking amongst themselves. The driver stopped and told me to get off as I was here. However, it was literally the side of the road. A guy with a motorbike where I had been randomly dropped had to take me back 10km to get to a hotel I pointed out to him in my lonely planet, as otherwise I had no idea where I was going.

Arriving at the hotel he wanted to charge me, but he wanted 150,000 dong (it was only 70,000 to get from Hanoi to Nimh Binh). After a bit of discussion between myself, a hotel worker and the non speaking English motorbike man, I unhappily handed the money over.

It was about 12pm and I dumped my bags in the room. I didn't do much for the rest of the day as I was tired and it was also raining so I didn't feel too bad I wasn't doing anything pro active. So I ate and had a few beers.

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