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Published: November 10th 2009
I would like to share this travel quote I read a few months back: "I believe that places, much like people, can be soul mates. There are destinations that have a spirit, an energy, and a pace that so perfectly mesh with your own that you feel simultaneously excited and at peace when you arrive." I have experienced this feeling twice before - once in Venice, Italy, and once in Budapest, Hungary. As of today, I can say whole-heartedly that I'm experiencing it for a third time, here in Hanoi.
If we never come back, you will know where to find us. Send out the search team to every gelato cafe' and massage establishment in this city, and you're sure to find us. Two more days in this city has only solidified our love for it. In particular, the culinary wonders it holds...
Anyway, yesterday was our uneventful departure from Ha Long Bay, and we were pretty much in-transit until about 4pm, when we arrived back in Hanoi. We discovered that when the buses here back up, they blare out the tune to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" inside and outside the bus - totally random and pretty darn funny!!
Went out for a late night stroll around the lake again and sampled some more amazing gelato - Jeremy ordered the green tea flavor - SUPER intense but really tasty. I got a scoop of cinnamon (yum!) and then noticed ginger flavored gelato and ordered a scoop of that as well...spicy, sweet, and hot!! Absolutely delicious.
Today we lazed around until almost noon (3 late nights in a row in Ha Long wiped us out!) before heading out. Lunch was at a place called Pho 24, and they serve one dish and one dish only - Pho. Pho is a hearty soup filled with rice noodles, surprisingly tender beef, and loads of cilantro. Then you're served an ensemble of garnishes to add to your taste - onions, lime, garlic, chilis, anise, sprouts, and deep fried bread. I wasn't expecting it to be that great, honestly, but I was very impressed!! I loaded mine with garlic and chilis and let the good times roll...
After lunch, Hungry went off exploring (I'm sure you saw his blog already), and we headed to the Water Puppet Theater for a matinee performance. Yes, you read that correctly. Water puppets. It is an
ancient art form that used to be performed on flooded rice paddies long before they ever built any theaters. Puppeteers stand in a large pool of waist-deep water behind bamboo curtains and parade surprisingly large and animated puppets out "on stage" via underwater poles. It is accompanied by live singers and musicians on traditional instruments and was actually pretty amazing to watch.
After the show we headed off to a massage place we'd spotted right next to the old gothic cathedral. There we were led upstairs to a tiny loft and beat into a pulp by two highly skilled male therapists (I was starting to think there were no male therapists in Asia, as we've only seen women everywhere!)...It was awesome, not quite as elaborate as the Chinese Medical massages - just a good old-fashioned beat-down and lots of stretching. Fabulous, especially with the cathedral bells ringing in the background. Such ambiance!! And still well within the budget.
Following our massages we stumbled outside and directly into an authentic Spanish tapas bar. I could sing the praises of the food there all night long! Hot steamy French bread, REAL butter, potato-egg tortilla espanola, smoked salmon, pork stuffed with
goat cheese, penne with gorganzola cream and walnuts, homemade sangria...it was far and away the best meal of our trip, and we will be returning again for lunch tomorrow before we head out!! On our way "home" we hit the gelato place again, where I devoured my ginger gelato once more and Jeremy boldly tried "chocolate chili" gelato - rich smooth dark chocolate with a spicy hot kick of chili pepper after you swallow. Sounds strange, but oh man is it tasty!! We will more than likely hit it up one more time after lunch tomorrow...
So, reluctantly we leave Hanoi, but alas, our Vietnamese visa is ticking away, and there is still so much more to explore! We managed to snag $30 flights down to Danang, a city halfway down the coast (about 800 miles), where we'll transfer to Hoi An and Hue, our next two destinations (and within an hour or so of each other). That is the plan!! But for sure, we would return to Hanoi in a heartbeat - it is by far our favorite destination thus far, and I would highly HIGHLY recommend it to anyone thinking of coming to Asia!! Hope all is
well back home, and we'll catch you in a few days from Hoi An!
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Simon and Heather
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Keep it coming!
We are thoroughly enjoying your trip. Have to admire your adventuresome spirit. Keep safe. Simon and Heather