Hanoi Part Two

Transport from Sapa to Hanoi, Family Arrives!

I left Sapa around 7:30 and had an uneventful and relaxing five plus hour drive from Sapa back to Hanoi. I checked into the Golden Rooster Hotel and was happy to see a cute balcony. Too bad it's been mostly too hot to use it much. This was was a little pricey around $65 per night.

I found a popular place for a bahn mi sandwich and a mango smoothie. Tasty lunch!

The weather was taking a turn for the worse so I headed back to hotel just as it started to pour down rain. It rained nonstop for at least two hours! This was serious gushing rain. I was thankful to be inside reading and watching a couple of shows.

Meanwhile, the other two were in progress on an extremely long journey that I knew all too well.

Once the rain stopped, I headed out for a little exploring not knowing exactly what I was going to do. I was hungry again and the rain started up so I ducked into a broken rice place. It might not look like much, but this was a really delicious meal!

After a long meal waiting for the rain to let up, it finally stopped for good. I found a recommended rice donut place. So unique!

It was well past happy hour so I found a rooftop pub for a beer. Things don't get going until late in Hanoi so I was the only one enjoying the view above "beer street".

I decided to walk along the lake to the French Quarter to explore. I found a famous ice cream place called Kem Trang Tien. The place was enormous with at least six different kiosks and counters to buy the stuff. People could even park their motorbikes inside the ice cream place.

I decided on this neighborhood because I knew there was a jazz club nearby. The music didn't start until 9pm and it was only 8:15pm and I was already feeling tired. I stopped in just to get the vibe and asked if there was any chance I could play the piano. They said no problem! So I played their old Yamaha grand for about 30 minutes. There were even a couple fake books laying around. There were a few people in the club but it wasn't intimidating. I'm glad I had a chance to practice for a bit. Now I can say I played in a Hanoi jazz club. Well, sort of.

I got back to the hotel with plenty of time to cool the place off before DH and DD#2 finally arrived 11:30pm. I was so so very happy they arrived safely. They were thankful for a cozy bed and we all crashed after midnight.

Hoa Lo Prison Complex, a Famous Restaurant, and Train Street Take Two

We awoke early due to jet lag and went for a walk around the lake. I was so happy to have these two travel companions!

Lots of zumba on the lake this morning too!

We enjoyed our hotel breakfast and were ready to take on Hanoi. I was impressed at how quickly everyone adapted to the busy streets, constant honking, and masses of people. The sights and smells of Hanoi are a lot to take in! We started our day at the Hoa Lo Prison Complex which was famously known as the "Hanoi Hilton" during the Vietnam War. (They call it the American War.) The prison existed long before that during the time the French occupied Vietnam. So much sad history here. It was fascinating.

We were hot after our walk to the prison so we found a nice coffee shop to cool off. I was excited for DD#2 and DH to sample their first special Vietnamese coffees. So yummy!

We continued walking to a shopping area and found a mall. It was nice to look around in an air-conditioned space. We found the first supermarket that I have seen on this entire trip!

It was getting to be lunch time so we walked another 15-20 minutes to a famous restaurant, Bun Cha Huong Lien. This restaurant was best known for hosting President Obama and Anthony Bourdain on one of his amazing travel shows. We remembered watching it years ago and knew we had to find it. They even had their seating area on display kind of like a museum. The food was delicious and there were lots of pictures on the walls of their most famous customers.

Next on the agenda was revisiting the incredible train street. I knew they couldn't miss this experience. It was just as scary and thrilling the second time. We flattened our bottle caps once again.

It was happy hour so we found a local brewery and DD#2 scored a coconut.

We were all hot and tired by this point so we took cat-naps in our air-conditioned room. We finally found the motivation to get out one last time for dinner. We found a simple place and had a couple noodle dishes and spring rolls. We went for a little night walk and saw the crazy and famous beer street.

The last stop of the day was for a little dessert. These concoctions were bizarre! Lots of odd textures going on in these mostly coconut based bowls. They weren't our favorite but it was something new!

The weary travelers were about to crash so we made it an early night. I think they agreed that it was a good first day in Hanoi.

Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, Temples, Lots of Sweat, and Food

We enjoyed a leisurely hotel breakfast once again before entering the sweat zone outside. Today's destination was Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and Museum.

Lots of people want pictures with anything associated with this esteemed leader.

The rules were very strict for entering the Ho Chi Minh complex. There were guarded entrances to make sure you were clothed appropriately. We knew we needed to cover our shoulders and knees but DD#2 was wearing a slightly cropped shirt with about one inch of her middle showing. That was a big NO. She stepped aside and adjusted her outfit pulling up her pants to cover her middle. The guard reluctantly let her in.

This is the famous one-pillared pagoda.

Random sightings today. Barber on the street, shop after shop selling pretty flower lamps.

We had to beat the heat with another coffee stop. This one involved salt coffee, yogurt coffee, and some tea concoction.

We visited a pretty Taoist temple and a pagoda before giving into the heat and hiring a $2 cab to lunch. I find it really interesting to see the various edible offerings at the temples.

We found a monument along a different lake where Senator John McCain was shot down and parachuted into the water. Pretty interesting!

We ate delicious bann mi sandwiches for lunch. Love this silly picture!

This is the local version of Dairy Queen. It's more of a coconut-based soft serve.

We dropped DD#2 off at the hotel for a break while DH and I found a local corner spot serving bia hoi. This is probably the cheapest beer we have ever had. It is very local and fresh keg-only beer that is only around 2-3 percent alcohol. It is refreshing and cost around $2.30 for four glasses. I wish I had taken a picture!

The jet-lagged crew was fading fast. We took a break in the hotel and I finally dragged them our for a some street food. We enjoyed the fish with glass noodles that I had tried on my food tour. It's so delicious! DD#2 had some unique bubble tea drink.

I sent the tired family back to rest while I wandered a bit more. It was Friday night in Hanoi and the roads were becoming even crazier with traffic! I found the most interesting treat of the day. It was sugar cane juice! This particular shop was ultra-popular. Motorbikes were driving by taking the stuff to go. The mound of squished cane on the sidewalk left us wondering what they do with it at the end of the day. The drink cost about 40 cents and was delicious. I can't quite describe what it tasted like except that it was sweet and had some sort of grassy note to it. I sat on the street enjoying my drink and watching the action at this little shop.

That will do it for Hanoi Part Two. Next up is Cat Ba Island in Halong Bay!