Hanoi, Take Three

If you've been patiently reading my most recent posts, you may be thinking "Holy Moly, how many posts can this woman have about doing absolutely nothing in one of the most remarkable cities in SE Asia?"

Actually, quite a few.  But this one will be briefer.  Just a few more photos of what I saw as I meandered through Hanoi's Old Quarter.  And away we go...

Sidewalks would be easier to walk on if they weren't used as motorbike parking lots.

I don't know for sure but I think you have to wear tie dye and smell of patchouli to shop here.

A bit of history in the Old Quarter.

I still think Dragon Fruit is a misnaming name for a very mild fruit.  It's still beautiful, though.

I felt like I was back in Zegyo in Mandalay.

So many things to buy, so little luggage. 

Some of the baked goods vendors were a tad aggressive.  Most were women about my age.  I discovered that if I just patted my hips and shook my head sadly they just smiled and left me alone.

I'm not sure why I've been obsessed with bamboo ladders for years but I have.  I so wanted one of these.

I even considered disassembling them and packing them in a new suitcase.  Luckily I gained control of myself.

Being a flower vendor would be hard work for very little money (I saw the vendors at 4:30 a.m. peddling away from the large flower market in the pouring rain) but I have a romantic vision of me pedaling around town selling my beautiful flowers.  I also have a vision of myself being crowned Miss America.  I seem to have a somewhat limited grasp on reality.

Speaking of electric wires...

I really liked these masks but how would you choose?  The impact is from all of them.  And how creepy would it be to walk past a wall of them staring at you in the middle of the night in the dark?

Slow traffic day.  I actually took this photo for my friends Ralph and Mary Lou who went to Vietnam on a trip I'd planned and reserved and then couldn't go on.  They had a cold beer on the terrace of this restaurant across from the lake.

As I waited for my dinner at an Indian restaurant they were kind enough to bring me a newspaper.

I enjoyed the fresh orchid bloom while I waited.

The food was delicious and a nice break from Vietnamese food and doner kebabs.

I wonder if she buys her oil at Costco?  She was making batter dipped fried bananas.

Hanoi - Take Two

Vietnam is my 71st country.  That sounds a bit presumptuous, like I've been collecting them as if countries were small pieces of art to be collected and enjoyed.  It's more like the countries were magnificent pieces of art that I zipped past and barely glimpsed, sad to say.

When I first learned to SCUBA dive, a veteran diver told me that some divers want to swim as far and deep as they can, believing that is the best way to see and experience the most the sea has to offer.  He suggested that another way to do it is to find a spot on a reef and to wait patiently, watching. The life of the sea will come to you.  That's the way I like to dive.  If you are patient, and look carefully you'll see creatures and plants you would miss when swimming quickly to find the coolest thing.  That also tends to be my approach to travel.  Before you think I'm taking the high horse here, let me admit.  I enjoy comfort and moving slowly.   I'm way more of a slug than a gazelle.

I tend to take that approach when I travel.  Having worked since I hit double digits, it is an amazing luxury to be able to make my own schedule.  To enjoy doing nothing if that's what my mood dictates.  You'll see in the photos that follow not the breadth and width of Vietnam, but one small section of the Old Quarter where I wandered.  Mostly reading, eating and drinking iced coffee.  I guess the Travel Channel won't be giving me my own show anytime soon.

The beverage menu in one of the fancier restaurants where I dined.

While intrigued, I stuck with the coffee.

My table came with a great view of one of the main streets in the Old Quarter of Hanoi.

I kept seeing items whose shapes intrigued me.

Virtually all Vietnamese food comes with a variety of very fresh herbs.

This is a platter of bun cha - an iconic dish of Hanoi.  Grilled pork with "bun" or noodles.  In the center is a sweetish/spicy dipping sauce.

My waiter instructed me that to correctly eat the dish you collect a bit of each item to get a balanced taste.  It was delicious.

Topped off, of course, with more iced coffee. 

Near my hotel was a street vendor who sold these dessert balls called Bahn Cam or fried sesame balls.  They are hollow with a marble sized ball of mung bean paste in the middle.  Rich and not too sweet, they are amazing.  That's my Kindle to give you an idea of how large the balls are.

With my tv remote for perspective, here's one of my favorite meals - a doner kebab.  Perhaps not authentic Vietnamese food but it made for a delicious dinner.

I have a friend who believes that doner kebabs are filled with bacteria and should be avoided.  I disagree.  And with a name like Duc Long, how could I resist?

Strolling through the Old Quarter of Hanoi is not a relaxing endeavor.  It felt more like being in a life-size game of Frogger.

I explored pretty much all of the Old Quarter.  I saw no grocery stores.  Mostly ladies with baskets of items for sale and small stalls like this one.  There is a large open air market about a 15 minute drive away.  That's where the vendors buy their produce to sell.

This vendor was carrying baskets of tiny land crabs.

One of the many Bun Cha sellers.  Given that I'm almost 6 feet tall and "voluptuous" (which is the term I prefer to "fat") those tiny chairs are a challenge I don't care to face. 

Want some fresh flowers for a decoration or an offering?  Vendors will roll by to sell them to you.

Beautiful fresh fruit.

Electrical wires are everywhere above ground in Asia.

Just when I found a quiet street to stroll down a motorbike would zip up behind me.  Every single time.

I think this should be my next job.  I couldn't provide much information to tourists but it would be great cardio and my butt and thighs would look awesome.

I enjoyed the trees in the city.

These are called Hands of Buddha and are a fruit in the citron family.  I saw them first at the Stop and Shop in Revere, MA of all places.

Hanoi - Take One

I left Mandalay, Myanmar on October 1, 2015.  After a couple of weeks of relaxing, visiting with friends and sightseeing in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, I flew to Hanoi.   My goal wasn't to see how many miles I could log or how many temples I could visit.  I just wanted to stroll around the Old Quarter, drink coffee and relax.  Here are some photos:

I checked into the Hanoi Guest House Royal.  It is a nice, well-located and reasonably priced hotel.  I arrived before check-in time and asked if there was a spa nearby.  A bell-man not only walked me a couple of blocks away to a spa, he waited to make sure I was happy there before he left.

While checking in they brought me a snack, drink and cool cloth.

My hotel was on an alley about half as wide as this "main road" which was a few steps away from the hotel entrance.

The king sized bed was huge and comfortable.  Every hotel I checked into had flowers on the bed to welcome me.

The shower was large, clean and had good water pressure.

In Bangkok there are 7-11's everywhere.  I didn't see one in Hanoi but they did have Circle K.

Water, tea, coffee and Pringles were complementary in my hotel room.  Pringles seemed like a random choice.

Big flat screen tv.

My first traditional Vietnamese "white" iced coffee.  I rarely drink coffee.  That changed in Vietnam.  The white layer on the bottom is sweetened condensed milk, the next layer is the strong drip coffee.  The top layer comes when the barista shakes the coffee in what looks like a cocktail shaker before pouring it.

I walked around the small very busy streets of Hanoi for several hours.  Then I headed back to a small outdoor cafe near my hotel.  It felt wonderful to just sit and not worry about dodging traffic.  After awhile I just started taking pictures of traffic as it passed.

The conical straw hats are commonly worn.

Women used yokes to carry prepared food, fresh fruits and vegetables and other goods for sale.

This lady sold fried snacks next to the cafe where I was sitting.  She periodically stopped cooking to do dishes.

The road is narrow but trucks and even buses use it. With most sidewalks covered with vendors stalls it makes walking an adventure.

I quickly discovered that instead of going to shop the shops come to you.

Great camouflage.

Coffee always came with water at this cafe.  The owners in every cafe I went to didn't seem to care how long I stayed.  Or even if I bought anything, although I always did.

There was rarely a pause in traffic.

Well-dressed business women frequently rode side-saddle to accommodate short skirts.

I enjoyed the monochromatic view.

These trees kept me in the shade.

And upstairs was a spa.  I had my first 4 hand body massage.  It was amazing.