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Hanoi - What a difference a smile makes...
July 9 | Comments (0)
We've been in Hanoi since Saturday and will be staying until Wednesday before heading off on a tour through the hill stations in northern Vietnam.
Upon arrival we were a little bit apprehensive about Vietnam as the impression we got from other travellers was that the Vietnamese were pushy and wouldn't leave you alone - they couldn't be more wrong. Compared to China, Hanoi is a paradise. The people are friendly, often smiling and usually ready to help (even for free!). It's amazing the difference a smile makes when you're travelling. So far we love Hanoi and could easily stay here for a week at least.
We haven't done a lot in the last few days as I've still been recovering from my bout of the 'travellers flu', I've even lost inches and Jen figures I've lost 1/2 to a whole stone!
We've visited the Museum of Ethnology (alright - Jen liked it better than I did), which had nice exhibits and explanations in English, French and Vietnamese. We've also been to the Temple of Literature, which was beautiful. It was a school for the teachings of confucius. This afternoon we took in a water puppet show - good family fun.
Normally I'd fill this space with the food choices that we've made over the past few days but I've had a baguette, iced tea, water and a banana - not exactly gourmet but good enough. Jen however, has had a number of excellent meals including Pho Bo (Beef Pho - noodle soup)and simmered pork spareribs with grilled aubergines (eggplant).
As mentioned, we'll be hanging out in Hanoi for the next couple of days and now we can officially say we've been to the Nam.