Guest House Tam Thuong Hanoi

... walked into every shop, up to every table, thru every booth and found all the styles and colors I wanted. Then I went back and proceeded to bargain. Since I am now fairly proficient with asking the cost of things and most importantly, knowing the numbers. I was able to get some incredible deals on everything I wanted. As we were walking around I saw a woman selling something wrapped in banana leaves. I found out what it was called (Banh Mat & Banh Gio) so I had to give ...

... we went further into the bay and were thrown a life jacket and shoved into a Kayak to go explore the islands, lots of fun! Back on board to chill out and take some photos before dinner. We had a really nice group so after dinner we just chilled out with some bottles of wine (Vietnamese wine was em... interesting) and lots of new card games I just could not get the hang of and therefor kept losing ...

... it's not a
little toot like in Bali – it's a full fledged GET OUT OF MY WAY
honk. Nobody seems to mind except maybe Westerners, but we've kind
of gotten used to it – it's more like background noise now. There
is a hierarchy of honks. Trucks, city buses, SUVs and taxis (in that
order) are the loudest and most annoying of the honkers. These
drivers also seem not to care about pedestrians or possibly running
over anyone else. They figure “ ...

... saved myself the mild aggravation of being bothered by other xe oms. Yeah, it was worth it.

Hoa is a cautious driver. He doesn’t make abrupt turns. He doesn’t speed. He doesn’t swerve. He’s a real straight up dude when it comes to driving his xe om. Always with a stern look to him you wouldn’t think he’s so personable. He’s a serious man but one who is very agreeable - a real likeable guy, "lovely" as Pauline ...

... un día intenso y como caminamos poco, en cima la guía del Lonely Planet está equivocada en todo asi que resulta muy difícil encontrar los sitios.

Vemos el museo de historia, Templo de Quan Thanh, Museo del Ejército, Templo de la Literatura, Complejo de Ho Chi Minh, Pagoda de Tran Quoc, Jardin Botánico y la Pagoda ...

... The sculptures say a lot about the creative and cultural aspects of Hanoi and are genuine pieces of art.
- A small island within the park area is a favorite spot for the young couples. The place is extremely romantic and is appropriate for a special rendezvous.
- The trails in the park are appropriate for jogging and are the natural choice for soccer ...

Today we arrived in Vietnam. We waited around the Airport so that we could meet Nat's Parents who were flying from Hong Kong to meet us for two weeks. Nat made a "Golden Girls on Tour" sign for Gayle, Shirl and Carol. It was really funny when they saw it. It was good to see them after not seeing them for over a year. We said our hellos and then our goodbyes as we were not staying in the same hotel in Hanoi as them. They got a pick up from their hotel and we ...

... walking around & we had a lovely lunch on a balcony overlooking the lake. After lunch we walked over the Huc bridge to an island in the lake where there is a lovely temple called Ngoc Son.

Earlier this evening we went to a really enjoyable Vietnamese water puppet show. It was really good overall but espcially the traditional Vietnamese music which was fantastic! Then we had dinner in a lovely Vietnamese restaurant & we got lost in the complex network of steets & ...

... man the traffic still seems to come flying through as well, mad! Have nearly been hit a few times but i think thats normal haha. Getting a motorbike taxi is great fun, they seem to know what they are doing but they drive like maniacs, hold on! The people selling stuff on the streets can be annoying but most have a laugh with you. We generally try and wind them up, there's guys that cycle you around whilst you chill on the chair so we just ask for ho chi minh ...

... and then walked to see the Water Puppets - very cheesy but was really funny! Forgot the camera!! :-( The dancing frogs and dragons were the best! Creatures of habit - we went back to the Cyclo bar for tea - yummy!! Margaritas beers steak and frites ;-) Cyclo Bar quality - 4/5 service 3.5/5 val 4 money 4/5 ambiance 4/5 total 15.5/20 Hang Ngoc Hotel ambiance 3.5/5 service 3.5/5 room 4/5 breakfast 4/5 total 15/20