Saturday Night Fever!

You absolutely have to experience a Saturday night in Hanoi to beleive it, but we'll try our best to describe. As always, click the pictures for a larger view.

First, we had one of the best meals we've ever had. We ate at this joint called Bobby Chinn's, and it compared very well against the best restaurants in Seattle or New York. Here's a shot of the swank interior.

After dinner things were fairly quiet on the town as we walked along Hoan Kiem Lake, where we snapped this pic of the ancient Pagoda out on the little island in the lake. Ahhh, serenity...

After that we headed to see the much-recommended water puppets. I (Justin) was skeptical, but what the hey, it was only 40,000 Dong (about $2.50) per person. Well, don't beleive everything you read in guidebooks - it sucked... big time. Think 3rd graders playing in a pool with dolls.

As we left the theater, relieved it was finally over, we wandered out into the streets and saw what looked like a parade of motorbikes. Like Macy's day parade but on bikes. Eventually we realized all the riders were kids- packing the streets with thier crazy driving and hilarious teen antics. We had to cross through quite a bit of this to get back to our hotel, but we were in such awe, it took us a long time to get home. As it turns out, on Saturday night the local kids hop on their motorbikes or bicycles and cruise around the lake. Round and round and round. But there's thousands of them - and they drive, well, like Vietnamese - and they probably average 14 years old. I guess its their version of hangin' at the mall.

This 4 lane road has a divider in the middle, not that it really does anything.

We had fun just watching the chaos and snapping pics. Here's our attempt to share the expereience. Just walking home this night will turn out to be a highlight of the trip - not to mention afterglow from a killer meal.

Bring the fam along for the fun!

Toddlers welcome, too (look close).

No need to look where you're going.

One way streets are just a guideline, really.

I (uh, Justin, not so much Stacie) appreciate a good wheelie. Do it in the middle of traffic - Hanoi traffic - and I'm fully impressed. These next 2 shots are for you, the Highlife Crew.




And now boys and girls, the educational part of our show!

A video on how to cross traffic in Hanoi.

This works, too.

We're now off to Hue. We LOVED Hanoi, but a slower pace and less buzzing and beeping will be really nice.

Many Faces of Hanoi

Hanoi is strangely familiar, though completely different and foreign. It really seems like the Vietnamese version of Seattle (with a lot more noise) - a city of neighborhoods centered around lakes and surrounded by water. We felt at home right away, and have had nothing but positive and interesting experiences here.

Our days have been spent mostly walking all over the city and exploring the different neighborhoods and districts, sampling the food and delicious coffee, and just people watching. We are feeling very confident, as Stacie no longer gets stuck in the middle of the street while crossing. Very impressive.


Here we are in font of Hoan Kiem Lake, the "soul of the city".


These ladies are all over Hanoi, selling fruit, housewares and meat as they wander the narrow streets. They provide quite a contrast with the hustle and bustle of this modern and capitalist city. Watching them calmly cross 4 lanes of traffic mayhem never loses its shock value for us.


Here is the finer side of Hanoi. Stacie is at a cafe on the grounds of the Hanoi Opera House, about to order one of the best croissants in the world. Amazing! We didn't realize how incredible the french food would be. We are constantly so tempted by the crepes, cheeses, and pastries, that we have eaten more french meals than vietnamese. No shortage of food intake here- we're feeling a bit piggish, eating all this good food.

A sampling of the architecture in Hanoi. They call these "tube houses" because they can be 60m long. As we understand it, the history of family property in Hanoi is to continue dividing the spaces for each generational inheritance, resulting the narrowest of commercial spaces. We saw hotels 5 stories high that were maybe only 15 feet wide. No kidding.


Motorbike madness! We tried over and over to capture the intensity of Hanoi traffic on the camera, and found that it has to be seen and heard to be believed. Our pictures really don't do it justice. The whizzing and incessant beeping of these bikes is contrasted by the incredibly relaxed attitude folks have while crossing the streets and riding them around- sometimes against the flow of traffic.

Crossing the street was far more perilous that the travel guides imply. We learned quickly that you cannot look both ways, but you just start walking out into the traffic- totally against all of your instincts, at a steady, confident pace. Somehow we were never hit.

The merchant quarter/old quarter of Hanoi. Traditional Asian market with produce and all kinds of odd swimmy things, pigs feet, etc. This area went on for blocks and blocks of very narrow, crowded alleys, complete with motorbikes flying through.


A view over Hoan Kiem Lake in the heart of the city. A welcomed reprieve from the madness that is Hanoi, is only steps away.


Hanoi is full of hipsters... on motorbikes.

This cathedral, in a central area of Hanoi, is a common gathering/meeting place, for school children, sports teams, venders, and cyclo drivers.

Produce vendors on their bikes.

One more night in Hanoi, then off to Hue (pronounced H-weh) Although we have loved it here, we are looking forward to a slower, quiter pace.

Good Morning Vietnam!

After a fabulous flight on Korean Airlines we arrived in Hanoi without a hitch. Boy, Korean Air really does a top-notch job!

We woke up at 6am this morning and started an early tour of town. It was quite cold, and Stacie even had to buy a scarf. We love the area we are staying in- it is all so beautiful and crazy at the same time. So far, everyone we meet has been very helpful and kind to us. The pics below were all taken right outside our Hotel, in the French Quarter of Hanoi, right by Hoan Kiem Lake - their version of Greenlake.

If you've ever heard about the scooters in Hanoi - wow. They're everywhere, and no one pays attention to stoplights, stopsigns or road lines. To cross a road by foot, you just start walking and they magically avoid you, kind of like playing Frogger. Luckily, traffic is going pretty slow.

This picture and the one above it are just views from the opposite side of the street. The lake is just beautiful, and has a walking path you can walk all the way around, with cafes and stores the whole way. You can see in the picture, the sun is just coming up. We are desparately trying to stay awake as we write this.

The sidewalks are filled with constant activity and various forms of commerce going on all the time. We are having a fantastic experience so far, although we both feel a bit like we are on the moon due to flight/ jet lag. So if the blog doesn't make much sense- we hope to get better.

Here are a few more pictures - these are of the Old Quarter (aka the Merchant Quarter) of Hanoi.