Hue to Hanoi

Today started by boarding Cyclos for a scenic view of the city on the way to the imperial citadel.  A cyclo is a seat, with a high bike behind it, where the driver pedals you around (to me it seems like a knock-off version of the tuk-tuk).

We toured the ancient palace and the citadel.  It was WAY too hot.  The information was great, but it was hard to concentrate.  We saw some iconic places where famous photos have been taken after the Tet offensive.  It was eerie to see the bullet holes still in the walls of the gates and walls.

The afternoon was spent trying to stay cool, relaxing, and grabbing lunch with friends (we went to a place called Little Italy, because thank god they had air con).  It is brutally hot here.  I am perpetually sweaty (or as we like to say, moist and glistening).

We headed to the airport, and boarded our final flight of the tour on the way to Hanoi.  Although this is a much smaller city the Saigon, the traffic is just as insane.  As we trekked, with luggage, across a monstrosity of a round about, we finally made it to our hotel, Bao Khanh, which is about a block off of a gorgeous lake in the center of the French Quarter.

Hoover took some of the group on a walking tour of the quarter.  She showed us the bag streets, the shoe streets, electronic streets, local corner food markets and bars, the night markets, the DVD stores, and the Cathedral.

After the tour, we went with a couple of friends to do some exploring around the area, and to purchase some necessities, like bottles of liquor. 

  

Jourdan and I went with our friends Matt and Davide to an amazing restaurant called Cha Ca La Vong.  It was hard to find a cabdriver who could understand us, and had to stop to get directions.  Finally we arrived at this local gem.  After walking into an antique shop, and climbing a ladder like set of stairs, we entered this 135-year-old family run establishment.  They speak no English, but when we sat down they put a card on the table that read “We have no menu – we only serve one dish.”  The dish is a grilled fish that simmers on the table in a pan of hot oil.  It comes with veggies and rice noodles.  It was delicious.  This place was featured on Andrew Zimmern’s Bizzare foods…awesome.

On the way home, we strolled the night markets and got some things for our costume party the next night. These markets are crazy. They are filled with thousands of people, who seem to be buying the most outdated/70s clothing from street vendors. The local thing to do is to sit at tiny tables on tiny chairs on the street or on the corner, and drink and people watch.  I like the style a lot.  Then Julie joined the four of us, and we went to the bars.  We went on a bit of bar crawl, and had some fun experiences messing with the locals.  As we were leaving one particular place, we saw about 80 backpackers walking down the street, and we joined up with them.  We went to Dracula Bar at Q pub.  Drinking Jenga was a lot of fun, and a great way to meet other travelers.  Jourdan, Matt, and Julie headed back in a cab, and my fratello Davide and I jumped on a motor bike. 

Hanoi is a great little city, and I would love to have more time to explore.