Brrr!

I just got to Hanoi this morning and it is chilly... and I love it! I would much rather put on extra clothes than walk around sweating all day. The overnight bus arrived around 5:30 a.m. when it was still pitch-black out and very few things were open. The bus ride itself was an adventure, as most travel in Vietnam has been. I'd taken sleeper buses before, but on this one I got stuck in the way back, which instead of individual bunks is a row of five, and I somehow ended up in the middle. I had two Poles to my left and two Brits to my right, all lovely people to be sure, but there are very few people in the world I enjoy sleeping next to, let alone limbs touching. My only solace was that this was the last bus ride of my long and winding journey. I've decided to stay in Hanoi until Tuesday, rather than overnight it to Sapa or bus it to Halong Bay. I'm sure they're both worth seeing, I've just totally run out of steam.

I'd heard from fellow travelers that two days in Hanoi was enough. They may be right, but so far I'm feelin' like this city was made for me, or at least made for my favorite pastime, which is wandering through narrow and charming backstreets. The Old Quarter seems like an endless maze of these. I think traffic in Hanoi can be pretty bad as well, but it's still rather sleepy here due to Tet. Perfect. All I plan to do over these next few days is wander, eat, maybe catch a movie or two, get a haircut (if I can find a hairdresser who speaks adequate English or French), and get a facial.


I'm still amazed by how much food business is conducted at ground-level. Southeast Asia has a ways to go in terms of food and just general sanitation.


Fish for sale.