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Hanoi so far is absolutely beautiful - it is completely different to HCMC in all aspects (though is still crazy in its own ways!).
We are staying in the old quarter of town which is literally a maze of tiny streets set around a wee lake. The architecture is very colonial and there is activity everywhere (same old crazy scooters and street-crossing commotion). Food is everywhere - lots of little mini kitchens (aka a stove) set up on street corners where you pick up something hot and tasty which all the locals are clearly eating. We have already found our favourite which serves 'pho' - a tasty chicken soup broth with veges and noodles floating around, which the option of lots of chilli, lemon and garlic to be added at own risk...
Our first night we stayed in a backpackers hostel which is bursting at the seams - a great crowd however we decided that sharing a room with 12 people and one bathroom (with no locks whatsoever) wasn't quite for us. So the next morning we checked out the hotel literally next door and for an extra couple of dollars we have our own pimp-as private room (probably the nicest we expect to stay in for this trip haha). The great thing is we still get to join in on all the backpackers frolicking without the noise....
SO happy hour it was last night...2 for one drinks which meant a couple of 500ml beers for the equivalent of $2 (NZ)!! Or a massive "fish bowl" (maybe a litre) which I counted as having 6 double shots of vodka for $3 (NZ)...We couldn't believe our luck haha. Then after mingling for a while we had a group together and headed off down the street to a more local joint (no other tourists) and discovered the famous "Bia Hoi" beer. These are little joints set up on every street corner with dingy little plastic tables and chairs (kids size) spilling out onto the street...here a handle will cost you the equivalent of 60 CENTS. Yes that's right, 60 cents (a definite competitor for the 'do bro' - aza)...Not much more detail is required haha Im sure you guys can all imagine, it was a good night! The streets are quite entertaining as the power is often coming on and off and noone bats an eyelid. Aza had a good game of the equivalent of hackey sack with a bunch of teenagers...very entertaining!!
So other than enjoying the local delicacies, we have been pounding the pavement aswell. With our trusty lonely planet guide we headed off on a walking tour to explore the 'maze'. Every street clearly sells different things - just shoes, or clothes, or art, or toys, or hardware....all within their own streets. Apparently the street names are named as such although we couldn't confirm that for you (eg "silk road" selling silk, "spices" for spices etc). We also checked out a couple of temples and an old restored aristocrats house. After all that we splashed out on a gourmet meal on the top of a rooftop (during dusk) which was overlooking the lake. For a couple of good meals and a drink, all up was $17 (NZ). Oh and we checked out the main market of Hanoi and it is even crazier than the one in HCMC...we hardly saw any tourists there which was odd, as it definitely seemed to be tailored more for the locals. It was in a bit of a disarray because of the recent flooding and there was still dirt everywhere from tiles having been lifted off the ground. It was also a bit disconcerting seeing animals for sale (those to be eaten, aka chickens, pigs and dogs sitting in cages) whilsty right beside them there was a pet shop with very similar-looking dogs also in cages...wrong place wrong time for some...
This morning we checked out the Water Puppet Theatreshow which was pretty entertaining (although the whole 45mins was a bit long...). It is basically a stage based on a pool of murky water where puppets are prancing about to a story being narrated through song (beautiful singing, though we had no idea what it was all about haha as with pretty much all of the tourist-clad crowd). Apparently the form of theatre is over a 1000years old where the puppeteers require atleast 3years training (and it is only passed down from father to son)...impressive.
Tomorrow we head off to Halong bay for an overnight trip - should be awesome as we booked it with the backpackers so are expecting a like-minded crowd. Meant to be heaps of cayaking and a feast on the beach. We have also booked the next tour up to Sapa though I guess we will fill you in on that when we get back...
Otherwise the rest of today we have got a couple of museums planned including the Hanoi Hilton (prison), and a meal at a higly recommended restaurant KOTO (thanks Tash!) which is not-for-profit given that the staff who work there have been picked up off the streets and are given the chance to acquire employable skills...Oh and the backpackers is promising a free keg at 3pm...
Photos will come...we just need to find our USB cord (or probably buy one). Oh yes and in other news Aza has already lost his wallet haha though thankfully there was only about $20 in it, that's all...Hope everyone is well back home :)
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