At the end of our time in Vietnam we stayed in Hanoi where we spent a few days relaxing and recharging, and taking in some of the sights including the famous water puppet show and the military museum. We stayed in the Old Quarter, a really neat area where all of the streets used to sell just one type of thing, so there was a street for textiles, one for metal work, etc. Some streets still keep their traditional use, but many have branched out, particularly to accommodate tourists.
 |
| A typical street in the Old Quarter - both sidewalks lined with scooters, with the odd sidewalk restaurant in between, and a constant stream of scooters on the road |
 |
| an evening walk along the lake in Hanoi |
 |
| a cathedral in the Old Quarter |
 |
| An old water tower with some pretty minor scooter traffic in front of it |
 |
| The usual tangle of electrical wires on a corner |
 |
| tanks, bombers, and the flag tower outside the Military Museum |
We discovered amazing Vietnamese food in the old quarter, finding our favourite place for Pho Bo, and discovering my new favourite dish, Bun Cha.
 |
| Our favorite Pho place, huge pots of steaming broth boiled all day long |
 |
| a rather posed photo of us enjoying Pho - if you don't get it on you're chin, you're doing it wrong! |
 |
| Bun Cha - yum! |
We enjoyed many cafe su da (iced coffee with condensed milk) sitting in cafes over crazy intersections and watching the traffic tangle and untangle.
 |
We sat out on the patio at Highlands coffee a few times and marvelled at the traffic situation
as 5 roads and a small traffic circle all converged while at the same time pedestrians, cyclists, and vendors selling balloons or baskets of food tried to cross the road.
|
Chris and the kids made a game of human frogger, crossing the roads through the busy traffic. I was never able to enjoy it as much as they did!
We loved the Old Quarter, and Vietnam in general, we may well be back some day!
Comments
Post a Comment