Hanoi...can ya take the heat???

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Donna and I flew to Hanoi from Vientiane and arrived bright and early around 7am. We caught the airport shuttle bus to the Hanoi Backpacker's Hostel (our first hostel on our trip and in our lives!). The airport shuttle bus did the typical scam where they try to take you to various hotels for commission, but we got out near our hotel and just walked a short distance. We chose to take this route as the public bus makes TONS of stops and the taxis do the same commission game but with the meter running!

The Backpackers Hostel lived up to our expectations as we had heard it was a really nice place and right in the center of the action in the Old Quarter. The hostel was run by these australian guys who just fell in love with Vietnam and wanted to party. Donna and I paid for separate bunks (but shared one anyways). The sleeping area was kept cool with A/C and the shared bathrooms were consistently clean.
We attended one of the roof-top bar-b-ques which was filled with conversation, 2-for-1 beers, and lots of backpackers.

Hanoi is a wild city. It's filled with a crazy mix of the old and the new. In the Old Quarter, the streets are incredibly narrow and are filled to the brim with thousands of people on motorbikes. By the end of every day in Hanoi, our eyes were burning from all the pollution from the exhaust fumes. Oddly enough, crossing the street is a bit frightening, but easy to do as the drivers are use to all this chaos.

The city is incredibly picturesque with a beautiful lake right in the middle. The Old Quarter is easily navigated by foot, and each street seemed to specialize in selling a particular object. For example, there was the "sunglasses street", the "fruit shake street", the "liquor and cigarette street", etc.

We basically wandered around for a couple of days (in extreme heat and humidity), and made the most of our time. We saw a traditional water puppet show. The farmers used to put these on in the rice paddies and now it has become a theatrical production witnessed by millions of tourists and locals every year.

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Photos

Donna and Lorin - Hoan Kiem Lake
an oasis right in the center of the old quarter

Snake wine makes you....
strong and virile!

our hostel
a good place in Hanoi

Lorin sometimes just does not fit in Asia
(at the water puppets show)

Check out those puppets!!!
They're on water!!!! That's right...water!!!! I know, I couldn't believe it either.

taking a cyclo
our driver was sweating so much after this ride...so we tipped him...something not common in Asia

hungry?
Let's see....
pig tails,
tongues,
brains,
or hooves....
Now who wants to eat first?

Comments

[Aaruni]

Viet Nam
Hey guys! have fun and be safe!

[Cousin Johnnie]

Snake wine is tough to get through customs
I just got the link to your blog since my work blocks sites deemed "unsavory". How wrong they are! Looks like a great trip. Makes you wonder why we Americans run around like chickens with our head cut off most of the time. Please come back some day. We'd like to see you again.