Vietnam 2008 - Day 1, Part 3: Hanoi

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Still MORE from that first day in Hanoi. We saw so many things!

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Photos

on the street
So many things going on - motorbikes, scooters, bikes, pedestrians, trucks, cars and cyclos. It's amazing everything just "flows". Paul described it as organic. I think that's a great analogy.

Shop
Shops take up every square inch of Hanoi. They're tucked in between alleys, on carts in the street or even one the sidewalk as people pedal their merchandise by hand.

Yellow scoot
Every make and model of scooter can be found in Hanoi. I've always been fond of the yellow ones.

Parking
storefront parking is the norm. Makes it a little tricky to walk along the sidewalk.

Gorgeous flowers
I loved the flowers - available in abundance and abundantly inexpensive. I wish we could get flowers like these in the US so I could enjoy them every day instead of just holidays.

Sparks
Similar to other Southeastern countries, the cities seem to be powered by a complicated system of wiring, duct tape and good luck.

Watch out!
Another narrow miss.

Nancy Clinic
Not sure what all this involved, but hey - it may have been a wonder cure for whatever ails you.

Hair of the Dog
Couldn't resist getting a refreshment here.

I'm with NASA
Walking the streets of Hanoi. The bag was a free chotchka from an AARP convention in Washington. If anyone asked, I said I was an astronaut. C'mon - it's not like anyone is going to remember me or look me up!

In the Market
My favorite part - hitting the markets. You can find anything from 14K gold earrings to herrings to ball bearings.

These would be the herrings
Or some other kind of tasty fish.

Turtles
Tasty turtles - symbol of long life, but not necessarily for these particular turtles.

Red Bridge
Beautiful red bridge with lights over the Hoan Kim Lake.

Blurry couple
THat's about how we felt at this point - getting a little fuzzy around the edges after a full day of site seeing. Time to crash. (hint: foreshadowing)

Does John Stewart know?
that he's featured on a sign in front of a clothing shop in Hanoi? Everybody has Photoshop.