We head back to Hanoi today. Our cruise was a short 2 night, one day cruise. It’s the perfect length to explore Bai Tu Long without getting tired of the scenery nor the cruise ship. If I was on the boat one more day I’d be over it.
We lifted up anchor early morning. I almost skipped breakfast but made it exactly before it was about to be shut down. All meals were included except for drinks so we closed out our room tab after breakfast. We chilled out on the top deck for a bit and then headed back down to the room to pack up and put our main bag in the front of the door for pick up. We had another meal around 10am and then docked around 11:30am.
We hung out in the waiting area to get picked up, with a new group of tourists coming and our group leaving. I saw the crew quickly restock and get ready for a new trip. I don’t know how they are able to go out to see again so quickly. I’d feel confined after one cruise. I can’t imagine going on another one right after. It’s pretty commendable. We left on our tour bus to a water puppet show that was part of the tour. I had a feeling it was going to be a bust…I wasn’t proved wrong. At least the desserts were good…
We finally headed back to the hotel from the water puppet show. It was nice to be back on land and at the JW Marriott. This hotel is definitely on par with the one in Bangkok, if not a bit more impressive. The executive lounge has great food and lots of Korean food options because a lot of Koreans do business in Vietnam. The gym is solid and the pool was large and the water warm. They also have a free Korean spa set up. Absolutely gorgeous place.
When we got back we needed to find contact solution since we both ran out in HCMC. We’ve been keeping our contacts in overnight for the past two days while on the cruise. We were in desperate need of it so we scoured the area around the hotel to find it but no luck. We’ll have to try our luck tomorrow when we check out the Old Quarter area in Hanoi.
Crossing the street in Vietnam is a nightmare. There is no such thing as stop lights. You just have to start walking when you have an opening and the cars/motorcycles drive around you. 
The failed contact lense trip to the pharmacy. They didn’t have the goods.
We headed back to the hotel for dinner at the executive lounge and then to the pool/sauna to relax. The hotel experience has been incredible. It’s such a far cry from the Airbnb’s I’ve been staying at and the Airbnb’s have been pretty nice too. But it’s hard to beat room cleaning, spotless rooms, great food, and helpful staff. I can see how hotels cater more towards working professionals that travel often. The hotels have officially killed Airbnb’s or me.
The JW Marriott running path. 
Nice to have some Korean food! 
Tomorrow is our last day in Hanoi. We plan to explore the Old Quarters where a lot of tourists tend to visit. There is a night market that takes place every Friday so we plan to try out some food that Hanoi is known for and then finish the night off at the night market. We have an early flight tomorrow so we’ll need to head back and pack up and head out by 7 am.