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.
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.
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.
Beef with noodles and peanuts.
The best spring rolls I've ever tasted -they were fresh and hadn't seen a fryer.
Check out the wiring above....
Song birds hanging out to dry with the washing.
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.
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.
I enjoyed pulling up small chairs at the restaurants and cafes to hunker down and have some refreshment.
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.
More to follow on Hanoi.
Wonderful city, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI see you are getting a good grip on crossing the roads. One that's mastered, everything else is a walk in the park!
Talking about park, if you fall out of bed before 6am one day, try to go for taichi next to the lake and join an old lady group, soon they'll adopt you!