Traveling Hanoi

We headed north to Hanoi, a busy city with a small town feel. The motos are still as crazy as ever, swerving along the roads and constantly honking their horns, but we enjoyed the simple hustle and bustle of the town. Hanoi seemed to have more family run shops and fewer large buildings then Ho Chi Minh. Women walk the streets with baskets of fresh fruit and veggies hung from wooden sticks hanging off their shoulders. There was no evidence of the recent flooding the city had experienced several weeks before and finally the rain stopped and we were able to explore the city without waterproof jackets and wet feet.

We spent the first day just walking around the city, which is the best way to get a feel for a place. We went to the Bach Ma Temple in the center of the Hoan Kiem Lake. Legend has it that back in the mid-15th century, Heaven sent Emperor Ly Thai a magical sword that he used to drive the Chinese out of Vietnam. One day a golden tortoise grabbed the sword from the Emperor and disappeared into the lake, thus restoring the sword to its divine owners. This is why the lake is referred to as the Lake of the Restored Sword.
In Hanoi we saw the Temple of Literature which consists of five courtyards, pools and pavilions. It is a great example of Vietnamese architecture in the 11th century. We also checked out the Hoa Lo Prison Museum which is the prison that POWs were housed during the American War. It was also the prison that Sen. John McCain was imprisoned for 7 years during the War. Pictures line the walls showing POWs playing ping-pong and decorating Christmas trees. These pictures were meant to imply that the Vietnamese treated the American really well as POWs in prison.

We had hilarious roommates in our dorm room, two guys with thick Ireland accents that were on an extreme drinking binge and spending the evening with us was no exception. We hung out with the usual mix of Aussies, English, Netherlands, Canadians, etc. Meeting new people is definitely a huge part of the travelers' experience. This is why we have enjoyed the social atmosphere of hostels and guesthouses along the way. We have only met a few Americans while traveling. In fact, people are always surprised to discover that we are Americans and we are doing a trip like this. For many people we meet we are the first Americans they have properly hung out with in their months traveling. It is fascinating how different cultures and people throughout the world view traveling.
Our second day was spent exploring the other sites the city had to offer. There are loads of markets in Hanoi filled with shoes, veggie and fruits, clothes, pho noodles, etc. Pho noodles are everywhere in Vietnam and I took a liking to Pho Ga noodles (noodles with chicken) and pretty much consumed them for dinner almost every night. The coffee in Vietnam is also a must try. We also went to see the famous Hanoi Water Puppet Show complete with traditional music (unfortunately did not live up to expectations despite being sold out weeks in advanced, aka. tourist groups). The show consisted of wooden puppets manipulated by puppeteers using water-flooded rice paddies as their stage. After that thrilling show it was off to catch our night train up to Sa Pa for our next adventure.