Hanoi 2
Trip Start
Sep 03, 2007
1
175
220
Trip End
Jun 17, 2009
Hanoi,
Vietnam
Saturday, September 13, 2008
The bustling port was alive with the many tourist boats and in the town, great hotels were being built. The 'Ha Long Bay' area has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site and has been handed over by Vietnam to them for administration. Apart from the commerce in the port, the boat people out in the bay make a living selling goods to tourists and we saw a boat busily engaged in collecting floating rubbish around the islands.
Our steady progress back, through the busy towns, many of them with outdoor markets and the sight of dozens of children cycling back from school for their midday break.
The Red River
There was another stop at a disabled factory and then after three and a half hours we were back in the frenetic city of Hanoi.
We took the opportunity for a quiet afternoon in the hotel. We had already seen most of the city sights during our travels and didn't want to wander about in the afternoon heat.
Come super time and we sallied forth into the busy Saturday night streets, where the motorbikes now seemed to reign supreme, with the odd taxi daring to put in an appearance. It was a short walk to the 'Quan An Ngon' restaurant, which was a big French colonial villa and its gardens in the city. The place was packed with locals, always a good sign and over a local beer, Phuoc was delegated to order a mixed array of dishes for us. A delicious assortment arrived and was demolished in the warm, friendly night atmosphere. Desserts? Apart from the rice based dishes there was a tumblerful of tapioca style, coloured mixed gelatin with an iced custard. Ideal - it may have been a bit chewy but it was refreshing. A good meal and it cost us all of eight pounds - total.
We filed back to the hotel for a relaxing hour, before it was time to make our way to the station with all our bags, thankfully nearby.
