Hanoi

The streets are bustling with vibrant life. From street corners coated in miniature plastic chairs ready to allay the swarms with street foods and beer hois, to the roads covered in never-ending streams of motorcyclists. Identical shops selling indistinguishable items wrestle for precious footpath real estate. And parked motos precariously pinch the the remaining non-existent free space.

This is Hanoi, Vietnam's Capitol. A city with a super vibe. I feel like a knowledgable Traveller of Vietnam now also. My haggling is quick, my menu orders are concise, and I can even cross a street with the 8 million oncoming automobiles racing towards me, horns blaring and all. The latter being a daily undertaking which, I sadly recall, had reduced a Finnish woman to tears in Saigon a few weeks earlier.

One should come to Hanoi to soak up the vibe and relax, eating the local grub and drinking the local beer at every opportunity. The sightseeing in the city is limited, but I shall document a brief run down of what we saw. And a slightly more verbose run down of what we ate.

We based ourselves on the northern point of some popular lake, at the Central Hanoi Hotel, in the heart of the 'old city'. An ace hotel with friendly staff, although some rooms closer to reception suffer a bit from noise pollution. Down the road is an abundant supply of eateries, and even the popular Beer Hoi Corner. And shops. And touts. Of course. There's some pagoda on the nearby lake which was apparently pretty cool. A quick taxi and you're at the B52 in a lake. Spoiler alert, it's not in the lake. I'm not giving other travellers any clues as to where it is though, you'll just have to work it out like the rest of us, by going to the lake then wandering around. The Hanoi Hilton is also nearby, an old French prison. It's no Alcatraz but it's got some cool photos. And a sign explicitly stating that frolicking was prohibited. The highlight for me from my day of sightseeing was visiting the Hanoi Social Club. Undoubtedly the most expensive meal thus far, and a western meal of all things, but very tasty. We all went for burgers and fries which were awesomely delectable. Here we also sampled Egg Coffee; Vietnamese coffee with egg yoke and baileys. Interesting.

One unexpected sight was the local electronics store. The 'car park' Is crammed with thousands of tv boxes, and so on, and there are several containers in the centre. Stacked vertically. Goods are accessible via a lift which just seems..uncanny. Photo included.

There have been two new foods I have sampled in this city. One of them is pretty western and I'm in disbelief that we can't buy this on every corner back home.

Rice Pancakes (guessed at recipe)
Some watery batter made with rice flour
Wrap mushrooms and (???/to be clarified)
Top with shallots
Serve with some generic spicy dipping sauce
Salt and pepper are likely important ingredients also.

Eating this was bliss. The hot soft pancake mixed with the flavoursome mushrooms just made this dish a real highlight of Hanoi.

BeefSteak Baugette
Omelette, mince, marinated and beaten fillet (oyster sauce, salt, pepper), onion, curried sauce and French fries, all crammed in to a fresh toasted Baugette. One variation includes laughing cow spreadable cheese. To say I'm addicted to these tasty chalorofic delights would be an understatement. I go to sleep each night dreaming of these and nothing more.

Back to anticipating the next meal. So long as it's not goat again I'll be happy.