Hanoi: Street Life

The streets of Hanoi are even more crazy than I expected them to be, but I completely love this city. I am staying in the Old Quarter, which unsurprisingly is the historic centre of Hanoi. It has been the commercial heart of the city for more than a thousand years.

The streets are narrow and intertwined, but actually I found them quite easy to navigate as they are well labelled and each street is named after the goods it sold - silk street, shoe street, chicken street, pickled fish street and so forth.

A street gathering of women selling fruit and veg.

This one seemed to be flower and meat street, with carcasses being butchered next to the flower arrangements.

Shoe street.

The shop fronts are usually quite narrow, with long passageways for displaying their goods, this is because the properties used to be taxed based on the width of the frontages.

This was early in the morning, but I found coffee in the middle doorway which was sensational.

Egg coffee! I like coffee, I like egg.... So why not?! It was served in a bowl of boiling water (iced water just didn't make sense to me). A delight.

I enjoyed pulling up small chairs at the restaurants and cafes to hunker down and have some refreshment.

Beef with noodles and peanuts.

The best spring rolls I've ever tasted -they were fresh and hadn't seen a fryer.

The most daunting part of Hanoi is crossing the road. Once I learnt that the zebra crossing markings were just for decoration and that most of the road signs (one way, no entry and tragic lights) are completely ignored, I realised I would have to work out how to cross the road unless I wanted to stay on the east side of the city for my entire visit. I watched from above (while having a beer of course) to figure it out.

The trick is - just walk out. Calmly and confidently - in a straight line and walk at a slow constant pace (no running as this confuses them). The 2million plus scooter riders, taxis, bicycles, etc will avoid you....... 

The first time I did it I felt like Indiana Jones in the Last Crusade, when he has to to the walk of faith, just stepping out into the abyss, but I survived! It still makes me nervous, but after a lot of practicing I feel far more confident. Walking around the Old Quarter is a great way to understand this great city.

Check out the wiring above....

Song birds hanging out to dry with the washing.

More to follow on Hanoi.

Northern Territory Sunrises and Sunsets

I think I have seen the best sunrises and sunsets during my time in the Northern Territory. Here are my favourite shots.

Fannie Bay

Casuarina Beach

Arnhem Land from the boat

Crocodile at sunset (a bit too close for comfort!)

Mindil Beach

The sunrises have been equally spectacular

And the moon deserves a mention too

Critters of Australia

With Spring is full swing in Australia I have seen a huge amount of the interesting flora and fauna.

Arnhem Land had a huge collection of creatures, which changes significantly between the wet and dry seasons.

 Lots of crocs

Lots of spiders (this is a non-poisonous St Andrews spider)

Rock wallaby

Harlequin beetles

Leichardt crickets

The majestic Jabiru

Sea Eagle on its nest

Water lilies at sunset with damsel fly

Jesus bird (runs on top of the lily pads to give the illusion of walking on water)

In Perth the flowers were blooming in King's Park

And Darwin is all about the tropical wildlife

I have seen many more creatures that I didn't manage to take photos of, including the huge hawks that fly over Darwin, dolphins, huge fruit bats (over 1m wing span) and all of the unusual and vocal parrots.

Darwin's WWII History

On the 19th of February 1942 Darwin was hit by the same strike force that had attacked Pearl Harbour  ten weeks earlier - except they dropped twice as many bombs, killed more civilians and sunk more ships than Pearl Harbour. The first wave of attack hit the harbour, the second hitting targets in and around the town.  On that day alone 292 people are known to have died, with scores more injured.

These old photos were on display in the oil storage tunnels, which were hand dug into the rock cliff after the main oil storage tanks were destroyed in the raids. You can access the tunnels today and find out about Darwin's role in World War II, which was not highly publicised at the time.

Darwin was used as a base for the allies, building up a force of over 60,000 men by the end of 1942. The allies managed to defend Darwin and the rest of Australia, despite a further 62 air raids in the region, and they finally pushed back the Japanese fighters back into the Pacific.

This remains the largest and deadliest ever attack on Australian soil, yet it is a largely untold story as the Government at the time didn't want to alarm the Australian public. The wharf was completely destroyed, along with many other buildings/infrastructure in Darwin, but I have enjoyed learning this story and the bravery shown on that day and the following years in the area. Stokes Hill Wharf today is the same structure that was rebuilt in the 40's after the bombing and today it is a lively place, with lots of boats/ships and fast food places - including some great fish and chips. There are permanent memorials for those who lost their lives here, with an annual remembrance service on the 19th of February.