Today started with breakfast in our hotel again. Today the tour didn’t start till 1230. So after breakfast, we walked along Hang Ma Street until we came to a street filled with Christmas decorations, like I’ve never seen before. The Christmas decorations went on for several blocks. Apparently each holiday they use that street to decorate for the occasion. We walked back to the dong xien Market for more browsing and shopping. Then at 12:30 our tour guide named B picked us up in an old army Jeep for a tour of the backstreets of the old Quarter of Hanoi. She took us to view the famous long bien bridge in central Hanoi. B told us that bridge has been bombed several times and rebuilt during the American Vietnam war. The train still crosses it but cars and trucks are not allowed, only pedestrians and scooters. We stopped a couple times for beers at little tables on the sidewalks along the streets. Along with the beers, she brought dried rice pancakes with hot sauce, and then some fig leaves to wrap around chopped up pork ears. Four out of the five of us tried the delicacy, but Jerald was having no part of it. I have to say it was not my favourite thing I’ve tried. When we were finished with our snacks and drinks, B took us to the old train street in Hanoi. Once again, we sat on little chairs next to the tracks and sipped beers while we waited for the train to come. When the train came, it came fast and not inches from where we sat. It was quite the experience. After the train Street, we stopped and had some Pho soup. It was noodle soup with beef in it and it kind of tasted like deconstructed won ton soup. Back to the hotel and up to the infinity pool on the roof for a nightcap, now back to the room for some sleep as our tour picks us up at 6:30 to head to Sapa.
No comments:
Post a Comment