Ahhhhh… air is far clearer and less humid in Hanoi. The vibe is relaxed and non-threatening. Great! We extract some Vietnamese ‘Dong’ from the ATM. 30’000 to £1!
Our Uber driver has spent most of the time attempting to pluck a hair from his nostril in the rear view mirror. He indicates left for most of the highway even when pulling over to the right. And is texting when not picking his nose. And Leon has no seatbelt. I am not a happy bunny! But I guess that’s life.
We arrived at our hotel Golden Sun palace, through a tight busy street, lined with ornate wooden carved items of varying degrees.
The hotel is so attentive and have even prepared us some juice and exotic fruits! Wowee! Bang for buck here is aweeeesome! AND we have been upgraded! Woop! Not had that before!
The reception guy sits and explains where everything is on a map, and where to go on a one night stay. Also advises us we are super lucky as it’s night market night. He also tells us, in Vietnam, pedestrians walk in the road, and walk slowly or you will get ran over. Advice is very welcome!
So after chucking off our backpacks in the room, we make good our escape.
Man, the roads are a bit scary to walk slowly on, but it works! Just merge in with the traffic and it seems to somehow all come together. We cannot believe how cheap everything is! All proper brands that are ‘made in Vietnam’ at a fraction. A shame I couldn’t give a hoot about brands or I would be all over that.
We make our way to the lake, which is pedestrianised. The atmosphere is electric, busy, happy, and I have not been happier on this trip! It’s up there with my fave places. And the Vietnamese kids are SO cute! I might bring one home with me 🙂
Like Angelina Jolie haha!
I saw the water puppet display theatre and Leon wasn’t keen. After some cajoling, we booked tickets for 6.30pm. We had 45 min to spare, so grabbed a Vietnamese style cold coffee. Pheweeee, that stuff is strong! I was sweating, and rabbiting I’m about everything and anything! Leon tells me robusta beans. So glad to have a coffee snob with me. We go looking in the shops, and silk this, elephant that. Gorgeous stuff and I could seriously have bought a bag load and posted it home. But trying not to be toooooo consumeristic, and settle for some cliched traveller trousers, which I need, as one of my 2 pairs have a massive hole in the crotch. I sewed it up before KL confiscated my scissors, and the material is so thin, it’s already unravelled. So a new pair for equivalent of £2 isn’t too extravagant.
Into the water puppet place! It STINKS! All fusty and dank, mixed with a bad talc-y floral perfume that they are trying to mask it with. But the colours and atmosphere more than make up for it. Dancing burnt orange water dragon puppets with fireworks stand out the most, mainly as I was hoping everything was fire retardant! As we would be totally buggared if something caught. I will leave the rest of the puppet show from Leons blog anyhow. I enjoyed it, but could have cut the time in half and had all killer for my attention span. For me: an exotic punch and judy show, but with fish, ducks and fisherpeople.
We had a serene walk around the lake thriving with activity… now I know that sounds like a contradiction, but it is so. street karaoke, many artists wanting to draw your portraits, groups of kids in big circles kicking some white shuttle cock type thing to one another. We stopped at a monument marking Le Loi who is a local hero from 15th C, reported to have saved Vietnam from invasion. A stubborn fighting spirit that the Vietnamese cheerfully maintain. ‘Come. Enjoy. Have fun. But don’t f*ck about with us.’
I LOVE Hanoi. More than I ever expected. A definite recommend. Oh and Leon has a Vietnam had too, that is rather Rage against the machine, meets Heineken. (A dark green sticky-up baseball hat, with a red commy star)
hundreds of peace lilys, with the blurry glow of the Hanoi market stalls in the back ground
