Having a blast in Hanoi!

hey guys! I hope you have managed to find some time to relax as we approach Christmas! We have been staying out of trouble in Hanoi :) we arrived at our hostel in Hanoi around 2 a.m. from Beijing via Shanghai. After a not super awesome night's sleep we went on a walking tour with our hostel and checked out some food fun. From there we had some pho (beef noodle soup...really good!), checked out the Hoa Lo prison where Vietnamese political protesters were captured by the French around the 19th century. It's always humbling to check out old prisons that are well described and documented because it makes me realize how easy we live in Canada and how well we are treated.

Yosha is updating her blog on more detailed information about the random food we have been eating. Other than breakfast at the hostels we have been eating only local food...with minimal bodily harm ;)

We later had some street food. It's really funny here because people sit at teeny tiny tables on the sidewalk (which is even funnier for me because I feel like my knees are around my ears!)and eat with their friends and family. You can eat at restaurants but it's not as common as street food...and it's really really good! And cheap! A full meal with beer costs like $3 or $4! While I am not a superstar with chopsticks I am glad that I have eaten with them a fair bit before going on this trip because forks and knives are not provided unless asked for.

Yesterday we went on a day trip to Halong Bay. it's absolutely gorgeous there! we really lucked out and had great weather. It was a little foggy so you couldn't see for too far away, but you could see the huge rocks. The fog added to the mystery of it though :) We were on a traditional boat called a junk and even got to check out a cave. When we went back we had some Vietnamese BBQ on the street in teeny chairs and tables, and later went to a street bar and had beer in the street with the locals. So far we are eating well and having a great time! Other than the fact that there is a guy in our hostel that snores. Loudly. All the time. and regardless of how many times I poke him he still snores. If it weren't for the cheap accommodations and great opportunities to meet people, it would almost make me want to splurge on a hotel room. But then my Dutch alarm kicks in and I just suck it up because it's inexpensive ;)

Random observations:

- Traffic in Hanoi is chaos. all the time. With a population of 86 million, there are approximately 40 million motorbikes. I reckon most of them are in Hanoi. To cross the street, you just need to walk slowly into traffic and motorbikes move around you (cars aren't so easy so we look out for those!). it's a great adventure though!

- there are tons of tourists in Hanoi though oddly enough no English on the signs. it's like society is ready for tourists but some of the infrastructure isn't. Most people seem to be able to speak English though so we are getting along well...

- I have been thankful that I have been able to travel a lot and generally once you get a sense of the city it's fairly easy to move around in most cities around the world. Except Hanoi for some reason. The map doesn't really correspond to reality and the street signs change names at almost every block. it's a great way to get lost though and stumble onto something interesting, and we generally feel fairly safe (though I don't know if I would walk alone on the street).

Anyways, here are some photos of the last few days! Today the plan is to meet up with our new friend Neil and check out Ho Chih Minh's mausoleum, more food, maybe a water puppet show, before leaving for Hue on an overnight bus (I will keep my fingers and toes crossed that we don't get a new snorer!)