Hello Hanoi

To market To market

I had a wee little sob in this market after I turned around to see a little man attempting to open my little black purse and take out the contents that I would be naked with out. I was not mad at him at all, I just looked at him and felt really sad. He looked fairly shocked that I had noticed and rather slowly, he slunk a few steps away from me and back onto his friends bike. I couldn't understand my mood for a few hours after that encounter. Not nice:(

This little red bridge is located on a portion of the lake that is surrounded by the old quarter, with all of the beautiful old buildings. It is also home to the early morning and late evening ladies and gentlemen who like to get fit while the weather is comfortably cool. 

A whole pineapple for a dollar!

This little cutie pie reminded me of the older Korean women who gather the recycling in the city.

"Hello! Yes give me money if you want to take a picture of me walking down the street with my fish on a string."

 Mini cucumbers! I thought eating fresh veggies would be a great idea. I somehow avoided it until our last day in Hanoi when I bought and ate one of these mini cucumbers and a tomato that gave me a bacterial infection. Apparently the ferterlizer is the problem and you should only have cooked vegetables while in South East Asia. woops!

This girl was hilarious! She kept asking me to take her picture with Peter and kept saying how much she loved him. I couldn't stop laughing and just kept taking the picture for her. How odd! haha

Cafes of Hanoi

Bar and Restaraunt 69

Vietnamese tea with caramalised nuts.

Fresh shrimp rolls with sweet and sour sauce

Freah Vietnamese rolls and eggplant in claypot

La Place

Located around the old Cathedral with a rooftop terrace and propaganda art, this was one of our favourites.

Go for the baked eggplant in a claypot and the carrot and ginger juice for $3 and enjoy the beautiful decor.
There are three floors, the 3rd being a rooftop terrace. This place is cozy and trendy, the bathroom is a 'must see' and the street faces the Cathedral for the perfect location.

KUPU

The coffee selection is all espresso based. There is no such thing as ' a cup of coffee.' Would you like a latte? cappuccino? or a long black?

Peter was very confused about how he could order 'just a coffee.' I was upstairs holding our precious seats on the roof overlooking the street and had made it clear I was in dire need of a coffee.

Lucky for me, Peter ended up asking of a 'long black' which has been a consistent order of mine while living in Australia. It is the closest choice to black coffee and I add a splash of cold milk.

The discrete entrance way makes it all the more exciting and special.

Art Cafe

Around the corner from the Cathedral and home to expensive restaurants (by Vietnamese terms) This little art cafe had three pieces of beautiful art hanging and we chose to come here because of the amount of locals we had seen sipping tea here earlier in the day.

Luc Thug Garden Cafe

Opposite the central lake, it was worth paying the extra 25 cents per beer for the luxury feeling you enjoy.

Even the toliet in the ladies room was painted gold. A beautiful garden made it feel as though we had escaped the city for under $7 for five beers with a fruit shake.

Barber Shop

In Danang on the side of a busy street. This man took so much pride in his work and seemed excited and proud that we asked if we could take a picture.

This street barber shop was in a small alleyway in Hanoi. We didn't see the barber, or any customers, but it seemed to be the 'trendy' kind.

This one was just outside our hotel in Hanoi that we stayed in during the last two days of the trip. This little boy is sitting on a small, plastic, red chair to raise him up. He was still in his school uniform and had just arrived on the back of the scooter with his mom.

A dollar gets you a hair cut from three ladies that look a touch like lady boys. However, I chose to splurge on a $4 shampooing. It brought a whole new meaning to a 'shampoo.' I had cold cucmbers placed all over my face, a soft face mask and an hour of massaging. Do I want to live in Vietnam? silly question really^^

Work it out!

It's 5am in Hanoi in the old quarter

Tai chi

It's 7pm in Hanoi in the old quarter