Hanoi

So that lovely overnighter....yea....

Our sleeper to Hanoi was 2 hrs late. Then when we arrive in Hue to get that overnighter to Hanoi, we found out due to a booking error and a Vietnamese holiday, we didn't consider, there were no more seats on the "sleeper." So what do we do? We get on a "sitting" bus. And then guess what... we were the only foreigners on that bus of course. It was cute at first, but when we began to stop every other stop (this is what we found to avoid in Thailand, but didn't realize it was the same in Vietnam - DON'T take the local buses) and when they blasted Vietnamese karaoke music all through the night, let’s just say I didn’t get much sleep. Could it get any worse??? This is Asia, so duh... of course.

We got our bags from beneath the bus after arriving in Hanoi, and discovered that our bags were covered in a special Asian something....any guess??　SHRIMP PASTE. One of the most disgusting things that could of somehow mysteriously covered our bags. Sanuk is all I can say and hello Hanoi.

When in Hanoi, there were hardly any words to accurately describe the traffic. I thought Saigon was worse than Bangkok, but than I realized Hanoi is to the nth degree more extreme. In Saigon, at least there were real intersections where the cars, gazillion bikes, and people would sort of stop when the traffic lights turned red. Here, no such ANYTHING. Hardly are there any traffic lights, and when you see one, it most likely doesn't work. You walk alongside all forms of transportation. And when sitting in a cyclo, you're in FRONT. You get to partake in all the "thrill" of watching everyone come from all directions. As scary as it was the first time, it's kind of exciting.

And what's interesting is learning that a majority of the streets in Hanoi has a "speciality." Each street sells one particular thing. Want shoes? Head to so and so and pick a random vendor. Want fabric? Head here, and take your pick. What's even better? If you want fruit, vegetable, or even flowers, just wait by the street side for a Vietnamese woman in the famous "cone" hat, wave her down, and pick what you'd like. It's pretty brilliant and convenient if you think about it. 　

While Hanoi wasn't bad, I was real tired of constantly being enveloped by the honks of the motorscooters, and trying to dodge this and that to simply get to a destination. I'm so glad we were able to book some trips out of the city such as the 2 day/1 night Ha Long Bay, and then the Tam Coc cycling trip.

Zippers galore.

Fresh Veggies?

Rollover Noodles.

Banh Cuon.

Waterpuppets

Pho

Banh Ran and Banh Goi