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Published: January 6th 2008
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Xe Om
It is now law that helmets must be worn...thankfully! So, first impressions of Hanoi....lots of bustle, very noisy, motorcycles everywhere, and beeping horns don’t stop!
We went out for dinner and enjoyed some French bread (thanks to the French influence, they do bread a lot better than Hong Kong!). We had some spring rolls and rice, and it all came to about £1 each!
Our first evening was spent strolling around the night market getting a feel for the place. Everything was bright and colorful, and noisy. We got a corn on the cob from a street vendor and restrained ourselves quite well at the market - there is a lot of opportunity for shopping. Oh and did I mention it was quite a noisy place with lots of motorcycles!?
Our first full day in Hanoi began with a trip to another market! A million fake bags for sale, tonnes of material, and then just all sorts of other things! Time to bring back the bartering skills from HK. I bought myself a bag, and then we headed for Hoan Kiem lake. The lake was really pretty, and a nice bit of calm in the middle of a mad city. There seems to be no road etiquette in
Pho!
My delicious dinner for $1 (50p!)
Pho is a popular dish in Hanoi and we tried to be local and join the people on the street for some. We took a plastic chair round a small table and ordered a bowl from the lady sat round a huge pot that was bubbling away, holding a huge knife to a lump of meat! The Pho was really good - tender meat, and noodle soup with spring onion and herbs - all for $1 Hanoi - no right side of the ride, no right of way. If you are crossing the road, you just have to walk out and hope for the best, that's literally all there is to it. If you attempt to wait for a gap.....then you'll be there until the world has run out of petrol! We had a delicious lunch which again, which cost about £1.50! I had some rice and sauerkraut. In the afternoon we went to the old quarter of town to visit the temple of literature, which was the University of Hanoi at one time, founded in 1070. It was worth the visit to see the old architecture.
Maxine and I then decided to go to Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum so we began to walk there but it was further than we thought, so we took someone up on their offer of an Xe Om (moped) ride. Donned the helmet and hitched a ride for a dollar, and it was a lot of fun! Sadly the Mausoleum was shut, it is only open for about 3 hours a day Tuesday to Thursday and probably only when it’s not raining or something! Not easy to go and
see the man himself, but the building was quite grand and imposing anyway, along with the guards outside! We walked up to the Presidential Palace and got clapped at for walking too near. Apparently Ho Chi Minh refused to live there?! On the way back we saw them changing the guards outside the Mausoleum. We also went to the one pillar pagoda, next to the most ornately/overly decorated temple I’ve seen in Asia so far…and I’ve seen a few!
Another Xe Om ride back to the lake - this time it was very busy! A little more nerve wracking winding through traffic, and honking horns all around me, as well as looking straight ahead to see headlights in my eyes! That evening (Christmas Eve) we went to see the water puppets show which was nice; a chance to hear the traditional music and the puppets themselves were very clever. About ten people behind the stage are waist deep in water operating them all in time to the music, very clever.
Late Christmas Eve, I went to the local cathedral which had a huge crowd outside because it was full inside. We wandered round taking in the festive atmosphere
Nothing is impossible
You can drive around with anything necessary on an Xe Ou...apparently! and waited for the clock to chime midnight. With a few carols coming from inside the church, it was a nice way to attempt to feel a bit Christmassy.
J x
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