Hanoi

After 15000 miles in flight and very little sleep, we stumbled into Vietnam.  With a short stay in Hanoi before heading to the boat, we set out to see the sites… starting with a Vietnamese lunch and beer tasting.  We had to select the local brew to be provisioned for the upcoming sailing trip! The winner… 333 (Ba Ba Ba).

  

After lunch we walked around Hoan Kim Lake (the epicenter of old Hanoi according to Lonely Planet). We crossed the Huc Bridge on the north side of the lake to a small island to visit the Ngoc Son Temple before heading into the markets and alleyways of the Old Quarter.  There’s nothing you can’t buy in the markets of the old quarter…. from frogs to herbal medicines… from pickeled fish to coffins.

We took a quick break and enjoyed drinks overlooking the city and lake, before heading back into the old quarter to meet up with friends at Bia Hoi Junction, where we found Kevin having his shoes cobbled curb side.

We headed back to the Hilton to pick up one more before heading to a traditional Vietnamese dinner… and then retired to the Drift Backpackers Hostel for my $5/night sleeps while the other suckers in our group slept at the Hilton for $200.