Ha (river), Noi (inside), Hanoi: inside three rivers, the Red River being the most infamous… FYI. Cross over any of the Red Rivers’ five bridges and you’re in the ever-expanding central Hanoi. Ready for another Red River fun fact?! This one’s for pie… during the dry season the river can get as low as 1-2 meters and flood during the monsoon season to a staggering 11-13 meters deep. Needless to say, it’s important to be a good swimmer and own rain gear for navigating on your scooter.
Let’s talk about the scooter—or better yet the 3+ million scooters driving everywhere but in the lines, hah! It’s shades of Cairo, how do you cross the street without becoming a hood ornament? The secret, everyone stays in motion—bikes, scooters, cars, trucks, pedestrians, dogs, buses, oxe and cart work together, slowly finding the rhythm and groove. Hectic.
Here in the old quarter of Hanoi, much like in Kathmandu, things are happening all on the side of the street. Checked in, we venture out the front door of the tight hotel, down the alley past the market stalls in the dark, dodging between the on coming scooter lights to the third street on the right—dinner at The Green Tangerine. Tasty! What is it? Hell if I know!
Up and at it, another sunny day and we’re touring the city, our first stop the Ho Chi Minh viewing at the Mausoleum. We later learn he’d been tended to the last three months to ensure his embalming state so magnificently since 1977. Interesting… architecture too, followed by the Presidential Palace, The Museum of Ethnology (very fascinating), Museum of Literature and Confucius’ Temple plus the Thang Long Water Puppet Show… a full day followed by a walking tour through the bustling old quarter and market during peak time—more wonders for discussion: live turtles for sale. Remember those scooters we mentioned? They dominate the after work market crowd, watch out and get your scooter off my bike peddles. I’ll take the hind quarter of that BBQ dog please. Thuy was very excited to show us exactly which dogs taste the best and which were strictly for security, “the German ones” and which are just family pets. What a city, celebrating 1000 years in the making in 2012.
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