5am arrived at the train station and thanks to jetlag felt great.Decided to walk to one of the famous lakes in Hanoi called Huong Kiem lake. After a few minutes Kim's amazing sense of direction made him ask if I wanted to stop at our hotel to drop bags. We were only a block and a half away so we went there. Sweet receptionist said we were lucky and a room was available (5:30am!) so we got to change and rinse off the stink of 30 hours on the train.
A stop for coffee and fresh oj at a cafe on the way to the lake. We sat and watched some guys playing a vollyball/hackysack game with a strange birdie like object they kicked over the net. I guess it is called Jianzi has been played since the Han Dynasty and made it into the 2003 Southeast Asian Games. Kim says he wants to learn to play so we can play camping and at BBQs.
The lakes in Hanoi are a very central focal point of life in the city. This famous lake has a legend about a giant turtle who retrieved a sword from the Emperor to give back to the gods. We visited the museum/ pagoda on the island and watched the singing,dancing and many people praying and burning money as offerings for the new year.
Stopped briefly at a tour operator 'Ethnic Travel' and reserved space for a trip to Halong Bay.
After a good long walk through streets with food markets and sidewalk restaurants we ended up eating lunch at a recommended place called 'delicious' Quan An Ngon and having all the lovely traditional food. (See last post)
Back at our hotel, first I had a massage then kim got a foot rub.
I don't know if it was the long walk the massage or the jet lag but I think all three together meant no dinner for us as I crashed out hard at 5pm.
No comments:
Post a Comment