Good grief but the traffic is heavy in Hanoi! Going in all directions, horn-tooting away and completely oblivious to pedestrians and other motorists. Yet strangely it adds a little something to the addictive, speedy atmosphere of the city, if you don't mind taking your life into your own hands that is. Walking ahead, eyes peeled and hoping for the best seemed to work okay for us.
As our transport drove into the old quarter, the heart of Hanoi, our eyes were almost popping out of our little heads trying to take it all in. The hippest of shops sit beside the most local of plastic-stool-cafes advertising Pho(noodle soup) and com(rice dishes). Many of the businesses here seem to double up as family homes at night with people's living rooms spilling out onto the busy streets. Watching TV seems to be the hobby of choice here... yeah I could fit right in I think!
The Vietnamese really like their booze too. Many corners in the city are home to small bars, also of the plastic chair variety, selling Bia Hoi, a home brewed draught beer. It may not be the coldest beer in town but at roughly twelve cent a glass who's complaining? Not the people sitting outside that's for sure. These bars are brilliant places for meeting all sorts of people and when the beer runs out, you just move on to the next bar.
Between all the Pho and Bia Hoi we got some sights in too. Hoan Kiem Lake lies right in the centre of the old quarter and is one of the few places in town where you can walk around without moped-dodging all the way. Two temples stand on small islands on the lake, one of which can be visited by crossing a pretty japanese style footbridge. Inside is a huge embalmed giant turtle. Allegedly giant turtles still live in the lake but we didn't see any, I think the last sighting was a few years ago.
Nearby is the oldest temple in Hanoi, Bach Ma, which is, in true Hanoi style, a bustling hive of activity with lots of locals playing cards, drinking tea and even throwing in an ol' prayer here and there for good measure.
Outside the old quarter we visited the final resting place of Ho Chi Minh, who's body is embalmed and displayed in a glass case inside a very socialist looking building. Visiting time finishes at eleven a.m. and photography is prohibited, as are shorts, vests or other 'indecent' attire, so we had to get up quite early to make ourselves presentable. The queue was a mile long when we arrived and you get to see himself for one minute approximately so that the line keeps moving. Mr Minh looks remarkably well for someone who's been dead for forty years, like he only died yesterday. Apparently he heads off to Russia for three months of every year for a touch up.
The Temple of Literature also made for a pleasant visit. Traditionally a place of study for scholars of Confucius among others, it was the country's first national university. Five peaceful courtyards are linked by arched gateways leading to an inner sanctuary with lots of red and statues of people I didn't recognise, not so familiar with scholarly buddhists as it happens! Definitely the quietest place in the city.
Never managed to figure out what these numbers are for though, they're all over the city.
2 comments:
Looking forward to partying to the Wonder Girls!! x.
I could easily blend into the red there. And Vietnamese cuisine is something I would like to explore, especially with a pint of Bia Hoi as a side order to every dish. And as a starter.
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