Hanoi

We have spent two days in Hanoi and what a first city to be experiencing. The first morning was a bit overwhelming with all the new sights, sounds, smells, etc but once we just took the first jump it wasn't so bad.

Day 1

On the first day we spent the morning just exploring the Old Quarter where our hotel is located. We walked around the public market and had breakfast like the locals. The locals eat on little stools at tables with bowls of noodles. We just sat down, held up the number two sign, and enjoyed. We are pretty sure we ate lamb, but we didn't ask questions. After our morning bowl of pho we set out to book our trip to Halong Bay, book our train ticket to Hue, find billy shoes, and get money out of the ATM. We accomplished all by lunch, which was a successful adventure in my book.

For a snack before lunch we walked around Hoan Kiem Lake which is in the heart of Hanoi and an abode of a mythical tortoise. On Day two we saw the tortoise. We saw many couples taking wedding photos around the lake. In the middle of the lake is Ngoc Son Temple which can be reached by a red Sunbeam Bridge. We ate from a street vendor selling a concoction of break and egg. Whatever it was, it hit the spot.

Next we strolled to the southern part of the lake and over to the opera house. The opera house is a great example of French architecture but we weren't able to get inside. From there we strolled through the French Quarter and over to St.Joseph's Cathedral and Metrepole Hotel. The hotel recently had a renovation sponsored by the French.

For a late lunch we stopped by another local restaurant and had some good food for about $4. After lunch I wanted to walked the Old Quarter where much of the commerce, hotels, and tourists stay. It seems each street specializes in something. We are staying near shoe street, but we traveled through underwear alley, silk street, hardware street, and the area where motorcycles are repaired. After walking to the point our feet were sore we stopped for a beer with tables of average height.

In the evening we were supposed to attend the water puppetry show but we took a nap, which was a big mistake. We were so tired we slept until 1:15 am when we were both awake. We then took one NyQuil a piece and slept until 7am. For night number two we are hoping to not make the same mistake.

Day 2

The second day we felt the effects of the NyQuil still so we were a bit groggy and slow to move. We had our typical breakfast of pho and then headed out to Central Hanoi and Ba Dinh Square where the Ho Chi Minh Museum, Mausoleum, and Botanical Gardens are located. Ba Dinh Square is where Ho Chi Minh addressed half a million Vietnamese with his Declaration of Independence in 1945.

We had our first motorcycle ride to the botanic gardens which was an experience. While at the gardens we saw more people taking wedding photos and I was asked to stand in a photo with a young Vietnamese girl. Maybe it is my pasty white skin and curly hair that attracts others but the same thing happened in China.

We have spent a relaxing rest of the day shopping and having dinner overlooking the lake and witnessing lots of crazy people attempt to cross the streets. We also made up for our missed Water Puppet Show and attended a 3:30 pm show so we would be wide awake. Here in Vietnam there are few traffic lights so a four way intersection is a free-for-all of cars, bikes, scooters, etc.

Tomorrow we head for Halong Bay for a 3 day/2 night cruise on a boat with 8 other people.