We flew into Hanoi, Vietnam. WOW. I will quote my Facebook update “Frantic, crazy, hectic, honking, chaotic, dusty, humid, relentless…Vietnam!” We had our hotel arrange a ride from the airport. Apparently there are numerous scams involving taxi drivers…add “scamming” to the descriptive terms above. We were to be scammed by numerous taxi drivers in the days to come. We wandered (wow, can’t believe I just used that term…how about scampered like a scared squirrel?! (More on that later) into Old Quarter. The picture above is of Hoan Kiem Lake at sunset. In the center is a temple on an island. We took this photo off the bridge that leads to the temple.
After a delicious Vietnamese meal (hand rolled my own fish mousse spring rolls) we headed to Le Pub for some beers. Loved this sign. As most probably know…”dong” is the currency in Vietnam. ..and you will find it pertinent to keep you belongings close.
Ready….set….go! This reminds me of the start to a Cyclocross race…or any race for that matter. Remember when I mentioned “scampering?” That is actually the wrong thing to do. The streets of Hanoi are indescribable. You quickly learn to put your head down and move slowly across the street. This is one of the very FEW intersections with a light. Most are absolute chaos…and yes, we had to cross them.
The next morning (after a run around a lake filled with garbage..ugh, can’t believe I ate fish last night!) we did a walking “tour”. Started with this local market. Aisles packed full of crap…and most selling the same exact thing. After sweating off half my body weight in 60 seconds we decided to walk out.
We walked through Old Quarter…elegant old architecture. In the 13th century Hanoi’s 36 guilds established themselves here, each taking a different street. Most of the streets are named for the merchandise that was sold there. So this must be “bamboo street”…we wandered through streets selling silk, toys, tin boxes, herbs , jewelry, straw mats, rice wine, mirrors, etc.
Tin street….this guy is making a cart right on the sidewalk. Highly unusual for a number of reasons…for Hanoi the most unusual part is that he found room on the sidewalk. They are usually covered with motorbikes or people squatting on little plastic stools. We walked in the street…hardly ever on the sidewalk.
A very quiet street in Old Quarter. The tall, skinny houses are known as “tunnel houses”. Note the mass of wiring on the pole. Very typical of SE Asia. We've sweated through 2 power outages…makes sense now.
A traditional street market. Here is where the term “odiferous” comes in. The tents make it unbearably hot…and the smells…wow. The ground is slimy with various drippings off produce, seafood, and meat. We saw buckets filled with fish, crabs, eels….
Bucket of warm raw meat anyone? Buzzing flies included.
Dean took this picture this morning from our bathroom window. It captures the spirit of Hanoi. Third world collides with technology. On our drive from the airport we passed farmers working in rice paddies in the shade of huge modern billboards. On to Halong Bay….a coastal town with over 2000 islands.
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