One Last Jaunt Through Ha Noi

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The Usual Hangouts

It is nice to know that we have a city overseas where we have usual hangouts. During our time in Hanoi we went back our favorite ice cream store and to Mesa Bakery for fresh donuts. We also spent several afternoons at our favorite, although overpriced, café at the tip of Hoan Kiem Lake. The coffee is decent, but expensive, but it is one of my favorite spots in Hanoi. We like to sit at the café and people watch, seeing the young lovers walk hand in hand around the lake and the elderly getting their daily exercise. It is pretty peaceful to stare over the small lake, and sometimes I even forget that I am in Hanoi. I can tune out all of the motos zooming by and the drivers honking their horns every two seconds. We even splurged on ice cream sundaes that were very tasty and refreshing.

We took Jackie and Scott on a tour of the Old Quarter, showing them shoe street and the other streets specializing in different goods, and watching them with sick fascination as they tried to navigate across the crazy streets filled with motos coming from every direction. Eric and I feel pretty comfortable by now trying to get across a street in Vietnam, but the trepidation on the face of newcomers is fun to see. We tried to find an area Eric and I went to once where there were a few bars that spilled out onto the street, all facing each other in a triangle shaped intersection at the west end of the Old Quarter. When we showed up this afternoon we saw that there were no tables out on the street, and instead police we patrolling the area, apparently on one of their infamous crackdowns. We were disappointed, but picked a spot inside to sit. We then were able to see every version of “brew threw” known to man. I know in the southern US there are still drive-through liquor stores. We saw some of them in Hobart, Australia too. At the edge of the Old Quarter we saw people pull up to the bar on their moto, order a draft beer, down it in about 5 seconds, and zoom away. We also saw people come by with an empty water bottle, have that filled with beer and then take it to go. It really adds a whole new level to drink and drive.

Our favorite restaurant at the end of Rad’s street became a nightly hangout for Eric, Jackie, Scott, and me. Many draft beers flowed and we enjoyed our favorite foods: omelet with scallions, French fries, sliced cucumbers with chili and peppers to dip in, fried beef with noodles, and more. We continued to feel like little celebrities, although the English menu disappeared towards the end of the week, leaving me to order based on memory. It was a perfect night to forget my phrasebook at home. Our usual server remembered most of what we ordered and as she wrote it out for me, with prices, it looked familiar, and we ordered it. It was fairly successful except that I tried to order French fries and instead ordered tofu. Also, we ordered a fried chicken, which we saw on a nearby table that looked pretty good. An entire chicken arrived at the table and we were charged 100,000 VD for it.

Overall, I think Scott enjoyed the drinking scene, with the beers coming crazy fast until the end of the night as the draft beer ran dry. A few nights there we closed out the bar, which was disappointingly early for city folks like Scott and Jackie. The bar usually ran out of beer by 10pm, and the lights were turned off. We were never kicked out, and were always allowed to finish our beer, but Vietnam is an early country. People are usually up by 5:30 or 6 am and home before 10. We were able to hit a local “bar” on Rad’s street for a night cap a few nights, but we were never out past 10:30 or 11 at night.

During their stay in Hanoi, Jackie and Scott took a two day trip out to Halong Bay. They seemed to enjoy it until their last meal on the boat on the second day. Jackie was stung by a wasp, making her ankle swell up and making it difficult for her to walk. That night we ate dinner across the street from Rad’s house at a restaurant with no seats. We sat on cushions on the floor. It may not have been the best idea for Jackie, who could not rest one ankle on top of the other. She was a trooper and hobbled out for beers after dinner, though. When we went for drinks at the end of the street we tried to communicate that we needed a glass of ice so she could ice down her leg. It worked pretty well, and was even funnier the next night when the beer server came by with a glass of ice for Jackie, even though she no longer needed it, it was pretty sweet.

Their last night in Hanoi, we ordered a hot pot. It was fun and even Scott got into the action throwing noodles and meat in to the steaming hot broth. Eric is generally not a fan of hot pot and I usually force him into it, but this was particularly tasty, perhaps because of all of the draft beer we were drinking. We used this night to say goodbye to our favorite restaurant as well, drinking every last drop of draft beer they offered us before heading for a nightcap down the street, that, frankly, none of us really needed. It was a nice goodbye to our little restaurant, but it was a tough waking up the following morning.

Sketchy Massage

Jackie and Scott wanted to get at least once massage while in Asia. We were not able to find anything in Hoi An. We tried to have all four of us get a foot massage their first day in the Old Quarter in Hanoi, but they did not have enough spots available at the massage shop attached to the tour company with which we booked our Halong Bay and Sapa trips. Eric and I have not had any massages in Hanoi. The government has closed down many shops to regulate the industry in hopes of limiting the number of illegitimate shops providing “extra” services. Rad’s wife suggested a hotel a few blocks from them, but she had never been there before. It was also recommended by the Lonely Planet guide, so when Eric and I were killing some time during Jackie and Scott’s trip to Halong Bay, we decided to give the place a try for a foot massage so that we could recommend it to them when they returned to Hanoi.

We walked in and the pricing was only for full body massages, based on the number of minutes. We booked a 50 minute, but told them we only wanted a foot massage. They appeared to understand. We walked through a little sitting area with some of the lowest ceilings we have ever seen. They certainly would not have passed fire inspection back in the US. Now, with every other massage we have had during this trip Eric and I are always in the same room together. For foot massages, usually several massage chairs are set up in a public area. At this hotel, we were each walked to a different room and shown a massage table. We tried to communicate one more time that we only wanted a foot massage and were told okay, no problem. Then, a gentleman showed me a shower room within the massage room and suggested I take a shower and hang my clothes in a little closet. It was feeling very sketchy. We once again confirmed only a foot massage, so no need to be naked for it, or take a shower. So, I sat on the table with my shoes off and the door ajar and waited for the masseuse to come in. After a minute or so, Eric stuck his head in and asked if I wanted to just leave and try to get our money back. We did just that. It was a little too sketchy for me.

Needless to say, we did not send Jackie and Scott back to the hotel. Instead, they went back to Handspan Travel’s location for a foot massage, in a public room, that seemed to be quite enjoyable, with no “special extras.”

The Water Puppets

One of the cultural must-sees in Vietnam is the water puppets show at the theater on the north side of Hoan Kiem Lake. This was our fourth tour through Hanoi and we had not yet seen them. We were waiting for Jackie and Scott so we could go together. Scott and Eric were less than thrilled about the concept of sitting in a small theater watching marionette puppets move through water to traditional Vietnamese music. Scott warmed up to it when he found out we would feed him beer before the show and he could buy beer at the show. We stopped for beers at a 5th floor café overlooking the lake and one of the large intersections at the edge of the Old Quarter to liquor up the boys before the show.

I was feeling a little bit of stress because it was my suggestion that we go to see the water puppets and I was worried that it would completely suck. At least it was not expensive, only about $4 per ticket. I enjoyed the show, but was afraid of what everyone else would think. I was afraid the guys would say “that’s an hour of my life I will never get back.” The show was cute. There was an orchestra of traditional Vietnamese musicians and singers. The performance itself included many different scenes of Vietnamese history, particularly rural life, showing fisherman on their boats fighting with the big fish and scenes of the rice harvest. They showed dragons breathing fire and groups of woman dancing. It was charming, and when we exited, Eric, Jackie, and Scott all seemed to like it. Perhaps they were just being kind as to not hurt my feelings, but regardless, it was an hour of certainly unique entertainment.

Hitting the Rice and Noodle Wall, aka “Al Fresco’s”

We are normally very good about not seeking out Western food when we travel. In fact, we avoid it like the plague, partly because we are not in a foreign country to eat western food and partly because it usually sucks big time. For all the wonderful things about Dong Ha, there was not a great variety of food in the city, even in terms of Vietnamese food. That led us to eat an absolutely awful pizza in Phu Quoc. In Hoi An we had a respite because there were so many Hoi An specialties that we were able to introduce some other food beyond the usual Vietnamese dishes into our diets. We also fell in love with Tuan’s French fries at Café 43, which helped. By the time we returned to Hanoi, we had hit a wall, just as Sonja predicted when we saw her months and months ago in Phnom Penh. We hit a giant wall made of rice and fried noodles. We still enjoyed our meals at the restaurant down the street from Rad’s, particularly enjoying them with Scott and Jackie. But, the moment they left Hanoi for two days to tour Halong Bay we hit Al Fresco’s.

Al Fresco’s is a chain in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City specializing in jumbo ribs, pasta, pizza, and even Mexican. It is Rad’s favorite restaurant in Hanoi. In a 24 hour period we ate nachos, burgers, salad, ribs, and even a brownie a la mode. We also had pizza delivered to the house. We truly felt like we were at home. During our last meal at Al Fresco’s, Eric ordered the jumbo ribs, which looked like brontosaurus ribs on the side of Fred Flintstone’s car. They even gave us a frequent dinner card after seeing us so much there. Our last night in Hanoi we stayed in and ordered their September special - large pizza with a pasta Bolognese and a 1.5L bottle of Coke. None of the food was all that fantastic, but in perspective, it was pretty damn good, and really scratched an itch. We hit that wall straight on, but survived. At least our last meal was at Rad’s son’s favorite restaurant, Restaurant 1, 2, 3, for chicken, rice, and veggies. We still felt like we were eating Vietnamese, even if it was with a western twist, i.e. Eric had fried chicken. For the first time during the trip I did not feel in the least bit guilty about eating western food. It was tasty and hit the spot. We will make up for it in Japan. I promise.

Quiet Farewell

After Jackie and Scott left for their flight to Ho Chi Minh City, and then back to the US, Eric and I took it easy. There were no more sights we wanted to see in Hanoi, so we watched TV, did laundry, took naps, read, etc. We usually left only to eat and talk a walk, returning to Al Fresco’s and having it delivered one more time. It was a quiet farewell to Hanoi, with no beer drinking parties, like in Dong Ha. Rad also dropped a bombshell on us, telling us that he resigned from GCSF, and he was moving out of the office simultaneous to our packing. He had been sick the week we were in Hanoi, and then his son became sick too, so we did not spend as much time with them as we had hoped, putting a bit of a cloud over our last week in Vietnam. But, overall, it was a good visit, a good trip around the city with Jackie and Scott, and we said our quiet farewells to Hanoi. Hen Gap Lai!

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Photos

Passionate Ice Cream
Passion fruit ice cream with strawberry sauce at our favorite overpriced cafe in Hanoi, overlooking Hoan Kiem Lake.

Scott and Jackie
At Hoan Kiem Lake

Jackie and the Motos
Scott took this one. It looks like she is a cardboard cutout. She is just standing there will all the chaos around her.

One of Our Favorites
Always delivered beers with a smile.

Eric's Little Girlfriend
She was smiling at him and doing little dances . . . adorable.

Having Fun
I can't remember what Jackie was doing, possibly making fun of our cat.

Overlooking Motos
At the edge of the Old Quarter.

Shorty's Pho
We had to give them the true Pho experience in Hanoi - right on the street on tiny little stools.