Prince Hanoi 2 Hotel

... into what once was probably a very quaint village.

On the ride back we had a flat tire and fortunately we were near one of the many service shops along the road, had the puncture repaired and discussed dinner. We settled on a little shop I'd been to before that had good Bun Trang (pronounced boon chang) a bowl of rice noodle soup with vegetables and different choices for meat, or no meat in my case. It was filling and a nice finish for the day.

... me. Came home made lunch, showered and headed out for a day at the museum(s). The weather was perfect for a peaceful relaxing day of walking. Most Saturdays I usually hash but today felt like a tourist day. I was equipped with all the essentials: backpack with camera, map, money, comfortable shoes.

First stop, Temple Of Literature also known as Van Mieu or the "University" as the locals proudly call it. It was the first ...

... rider, topped with a helmet if required.

It's early days for us in Vietnam, but it didn’t take long to note the contrast with the calm, slow pace of Laos as we crossed into a world where everything is suddenly a lot more busy, rushed and frenetic. Since the border road wound down from the mountains, the roads have been constantly densely packed with vehicles, cyclists, carts and pedestrians, with cows wandering around in an ...

... Singaporean and Alex is the best cook of all 4, according to the other guys. He made a Pad Thai to order. One guy wanted pork, another wanted chicken and he knew I was vegetarian. He fried up some tofu and had a spicy pepper sauce for dipping. I had to laugh and had them all laughing when I said that times had changed because here we were 5 guys chowing down on great food and watching a cooking show - 'Bobby Chinn World Cafe: Asia". The show was on Malaysian food and they ...

... searching for a bar a girl appeared from an alley and slipped her hand in my pocket, presumably looking for errrr, money. Lucky for me that I know a hookers vision is based on movement so stood still long enough for her to get confused and walk away.

Advice for anyone traveling in Hanoi: Never ask to use the toilet in a bar if its not ...

... used in many specialities of Vietnam, including
“Cốm xào” (browned green sticky rice), “Bánh cốm” (green sticky rice
cake) and “Chè cốm” (sweetened green sticky rice paste) and so on.



“Bánh cốm” is the well-known as it is found at every engagement
ceremony. The cakes are wrapped with bananas leaves into squares, tied
with a red string and ...

... can speak English fluently and if he is a good story-teller.


That morning without any breakfast we have to rush to join the bus tour to Cu Chi at eight in the morning at US$6 each for the bus and $5 for the entrance fee. It was hot and humid walking around the Cu Chi but we learned war facts. We arrived back in Saigon mid-afternoon disembarking from the bus looking for a place to eat lunch. Then after satisfying our hunger, we walked around the city for pictures ...

... many as 3 people piled onto these small motorbikes, which are less like Harleys and more like Vespas. We have also seen: - 10 foot ladders being transported - 1 dead cow - several dogs inside of a cage (vietnam) - 10 foot bamboo poles - many many many baguettes crammed onto a single bike - tiny children (no helmets) etc. etc. etc. Drivers in SE asia apparently do not see the danger in navigating a small motorbike while texting -- everyone texts while driving. I even ...

... only 83,000 VND (thats with two beers as well). 9 o'clock was fast approaching, so we made our way to the north of Hoan Kiem Lake to the Water Puppet Theatre. To explain water puppetry would be to say "Punch and Judy on Water", with fireworks and live music thrown in. The mechanisms for the puppets are hidden under the water, while the puppeteers are waist deep behind some screens. It does make it look like the puppets ...