Hanoi

Earlier this month, AC and I spent a few exciting days in Hanoi Vietnam. Our original plan was to meet a friend who would be there for work, but his trip was cancelled at the last minute. This left AC and I to fend for ourselves -- which ended up being scary and fun all rolled into one!

We arrived late enough on the first day to simply grab some dinner -- some traditional Vietnamese food. Our favorite dish was fried spring rolls served on what can best be described as Spongebob Squarepant's little home under the sea. Cute and delicious! We managed to also grab a quick drink at the Sofitel bar -- total swank. I was falling asleep at the table, but I think that was just a sign of the relaxing environment.

The next morning we got up early and headed into Hanoi's Old Quarter which is where we spent the majority of our time. This is the hustling, bustling section of Hanoi with endless shops, restaurants, and a never-ending stream of people on scooters. One of the first things you learn is there is no adherence to traffic signals. If you're lucky enough to have a traffic light to aid your passage across a given street, the drivers completely ignore it. So you simply take a deep breath, squint your eyes and go! The controlled chaos seems to somehow temporarily part around your fragile body and you make it to the other side unscathed. Aside from some near-misses, it's funny how quickly you become accustomed to throwing yourself into oncoming traffic!

Our first stop was the Ngoc Son Temple on Hoan Kiem Lake. Our first of many currency-conversion errors had us pay 10x the entry fee (it's funny how they don't correct you when you get it wrong). The most memorable thing is the giant monster turtles that live in the lake. They are huge, and prehistoric looking -- and real! They display a preserved sample in the temple as proof, which was about 4.5 feet long.

After the temple, we took a walking tour around the Old Quarter. It's a lot of quirky shopping for pretty much anything you'd ever want, and it's conveniently grouped by type (textiles, shoes, paper goods, candy, fake hair extensions, etc). We did a self-guided walking tour through this area, and were mobbed by helpful locals every time we stopped to reference our book for directions. This really got old in time, and AC (the consummate professional) gradually eroded from lenghty and polite responses to a simple "No!" I just ignored them for the most part, convinced the conversation was simply designed to distract me as they searched my pockets for my wallet. To end the day, we caught a showing of the Water Puppets show, which is like marionettes, only it's all done under water.

Our final day in Hanoi was spent checking out many of the historical interests, including the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and museum (his body was our for servicing unfortunately, so we didn't get a gander at Unlce Ho's body), the War Museum and the old prison where American POWs were held. All were very interesting and chock' full of propaganda for sure. It was interesting to see the other side's perspective on the Vietnam war. All propaganda aside, you get a better appreciation of how the US was simply the last group in a very long line of countries (China, France, Japan -- most on multiple occasions) that inserted themselves into Vietnam for a variety of reasons.

While there is a very anti-US sentiment in these establishments, all is washed away as soon as you step out the front door and are greeted by the hordes of locals (some who actually waited for you the whole time you were in there) who simply love Americans. And oddly, nothing makes them happier than paying in US dollars. And at those prices, we were happy to oblige.

Here are the pictures!