We've been wanting to come to this country for years, but with kids there were other places that seemed easier to get to. Looking at the traffic alone, it would've been a challenge at best. The sheer number of scooters and cars on the road would've made crossing the street as a group of 6 a little tricky, especially when they were young.
I feel it's a place to enjoy when you've got your hands free. There's so much going on here, you gotta keep up. Everything moves together on the road, in every direction, like fish gliding around a tank. Steam rollers, bikes, trucks and motorbikes overloaded with pipes, people and boxes. And constant tooting...
'Karina watch out!'
"Sht!"
No better way to shake off jet lag than that. We arrive in Hanoi at night and finally reached the hotel after a 2 hour wait going through customs. So slow... if I could've slept on the floor I would've. But it's all part of it, we're a long way from home. I felt sorry for our taxi driver I'd arranged through the hotel, he could've done a few trips in that time. We tipped him well, enjoyed the ride though town and hit the pillow.
We're staying in the old quarter at La Passion Hotel. The street outside is humming with life. Next morning we hit the street.
There's a lot to see here. And smell. A walking meat market of chicken intestines and frogs mixed in with t-shirts and souvenirs. We'd never seen anything like it. And the aroma... that was interesting. A nostril for each whiff of what ever the hell that is, followed by a breath of fish sauce and a large intake of whatevers floating in the gutter. This is normal. For us no, but it soon becomes so. We spend days zooming around Hanoi on foot, in cabs and on the back of bikes.
Train Street was a highlight...
...as was the cooking class we did here. The chef took us on a walk down the street for ingredients to make Beef Pho, Lemongrass Chicken Stir-fry and Spring Rolls. Yum.
Learning to cook in other countries is awesome. Even through the language barrier... food is love.
K