Wednesday, January 4, 2017

4 January 2017 Hanoi

We were woken about 4.30 am by rattling and crashing on the street. Probably the rubbish collectors. We fell back to sleep and were woken by a barking dog. We felt right at home! Mick reckons that was arranged especially for him. I've been a bit blown away by the amount of pedigree dogs here. I've seen Pomeranians, Labradors, cocker spaniel, husky, Rottweiler, Doberman, Dalmatian, Pekingese and so many more.
 

Breakfast at the hotel was a feast. I had fried noodles, chicken noodle sou and fresh passion fruit that I have never tried before. I dragged Mick around the streets to find my favourite wee coffee shop hoping to see the old guys that Terrene and hung out with. I showed the photo to the old guys that was there and they got quite excited and pointed down the road trying to tell us where we would find them. Couldn't understand a word! I showed the shop owner and told him the photo was from five years ago.nhe shook my hand then took a photo of Mick and me. He then took my iPad and shared it onto my Facebook and sent himself the photos I have from my last visit. Was so cool. The coffee was just as good as ever.
 
 
Best coffee in Vietnam right here.


I had a very interesting cultural experience at the market. It cost me $2000 VND. I am unsure if that was for the use of the facilities or for the five pieces of toilet paper. Anyway once I got into the toilets I was greeted with a long row of loos, many occupied, all in public. Do you flush the paper away? Oh no. You pop it in the bin next to you! 
 
Poor we turtle waiting to be eaten.

 
Last night's dinner!

 
We then wandered around and went to the Ho Chi Minh memorial but the wouldn't let me in because I was dressed like a skank in shorts and no sleeves! On the way there a guy rode up to us on his scooter and asked Mick if he wanted marijuana! Wouldn't you just love to get caught buying that in a communist country? 

 
A guard making sure that no one takes short cuts.
 
 
Our wandering brought us back to the Hoan Kiem Lake. We found a lovely wee place that sold beer. Fancy that! Best we sample! Hunger pains got the better of us so after a $3.000VND toilet stop for Mick we cruised on to find some street food. We got some fried tofu and braised pigeon and mushroom. That caused a wee coo. The pigeon wasn't really up to much but the mushrooms and tofu were lovely. The beer was great. I'm really getting a taste for this Hanoi Beer again.
 


 
Where's Wally... I mean Mick. I get them confused!
 
 

 
 
Waiting for our Kai.
 
Look what we found on the menu. A week duplicate of home!
 
Tofu and fried rice.

 
A pigeon leg. We did get both. We had a nibble but left it on the plate... Oh and the other one.

After lunch we roamed around taking in the sights.


 
Street hair dressing.

 
Who needs a couch to read the paper?

 

 
I thought these eggs were going to be scrambled in the traffic!
 
Really?

 
Yes really!
 




 
This man has been making our dog bowls for years!
 

After our wee sight seeing exhibition it was time for a nana nap. When we woke we went exploring some alleyways and back streets. We found a cool we street stall that made the most yummy Duck Noodle Soup and we tried a different beer which was served with ice!

 

 
Our dinner allyway
 
The duck our dinner was made from.
 
Dinner
After dinner we just went and sat by the lame for a while. It was just so pretty. Well except for th rats that darted from garden to garden. I don't like rats.

 

 

 

 

 


 


 
Mick didn't buy me a balloon!

 Some clever person has made a whole herd of these from the hedge. So cool.

 

 Christmas Hanoi style

 We wondered around some back streets before having a couple of quiets then off to bed. Big day.

 

3 January 2017 Hanoi

Our hotel is just lovely, Thank you Mr Duc For arranging that. It is in the Old Quarter so our street is full of character. 

We just wandered around in a jet lagged stupor for a while before stopping for a few local beers and a good feed of frog legs (with what tasted like it was coated in a mix of KFCs 11 secret spices with out the fat) and chilli lemon grass squid. Yum! We are loving the Hanoi beer at $1.00us. All the street vendors wandered around us trying to sell us their bits and bobs. The owner of the restaurant we were at brought toothpaste off one lady as she sat next to us while we ate our dinner. Our dinner, including the beers, was about ten bucks. Can't grizzle about that!

After losing wandering around it took us a very long time to get back to our hotel. Being a pair of blind old bats we couldn't see the map and we had no idea the name of the street of our hotel. When did find it we discovered that we had lost our key!

We went around to the street that Terrene and hung out mostlyon our trip. Ma May.  It was a wee bit sad to see our favourite bar no longer there and our hotel turned into something else. Progress, great for the business men, but rubbish for the sentimental. 

 

We are on the fourth floor so we get a good view of what is happening on our street.
 
 

 
 
Just making a cuppa on the street as you do.
 
I am u sure if this guy is touching up photos or if they are actual paintings
 
We have the power!
 
 
 

 

 

 

 





Frog for dinner
 
 
Squid. Yummmmm

 
View from dinner. We sat on the corner at a wee table lower than our coffee table and wee chairs.

 
Dinner break for these guys too
 
 

 
This is called Beer corner. We had dinner here.
 
 

at the market