Hanoi, Vietnam
March 11-14, 2012
Temp: 13-19°C
The first stop on our dance-fueled tour of South-East Asia was Hanoi, Vietnam. There was no dancing, but there were friends and relaxing, which was exactly what we needed.
We stepped off the plane and realized very quickly that we should have checked the weather report before packing our carry-on bags. Luckily, we had each packed a pair of jeans and a light sweater, though that almost didn’t happen since we were coming from a very hot and dry stint (mid to high 30s) in Kanchanaburi.
After getting through Vietnamese Passport Control, we were welcomed by our hosts, Dan and Michelle. While I had met them once before, quite a while ago, I didn’t really know who they were when we landed. That changed quickly, as the entire four days we spent with them were like days spent with good friends.
After relaxing and being introduced to Avatar: The Last Airbender, we saw a bit of the town, took in a tourist attraction or two, and took a few photos. Some activity-specific posts will come in time, but here I wanted to show an overview of our time in Hanoi.
The places we’ve been in South East Asia all have their similarities in architecture (among other things), but Vietnam is the place where the narrow building was king — even in establishments where you wouldn’t expect them to settle with a narrow plot of land.
Yes, it does look like this hotel only has one room per floor. And yes, this was a common sight with businesses and homes in Vietnam. They likely had more rooms in the back, but nothing like the hotels we were used to seeing in Bangkok — let alone Canada.
There were some attractions that were easier to discover than others, and this one kind of snuck up on us as we were walking along the lake in the touristy area of Hanoi:
Beside the naga bush was a symbol of Vietnam’s place in the world. Or, at least an artist’s rendition of Vietnam’s place in the world.
Sometimes the best scenes unfold around you when you least expect it. We were walking along, on the way to some delicious Papa Roti, when a wall of balloons appeared in the road ahead. It was one of those times I was very happy to have my camera at hand.
And finally, a visit to the lake temple wouldn’t be complete without some serious pondering, courtesy of Kelly.
Our time in Hanoi was short, but it was just what we needed after the last few months and weeks of being on the go in Thailand and before the next few weeks of dancing and being on the go in Vietnam and Cambodia.