Tuesday 7 February 2012

Vietnam: Last days in Hanoi


So I'm walking past the Catheral in the old quarter and do a double take.  It's Antoine and Elisa a French and Chilean couple whom I briefly met in Shanghai!  I take them to my favorite Bia Hoi spot in the old quarter, and then proceed to wander down to Hoan Kiem lake.  In a nearby square we randomly get invited to have food and drinks with some vietnamese people sitting on a picnic blanket..  Communication is hard, but is overcome with hand gestures, and a large bottle of grape rice wine.  I like this town.

One chap in particular won't take no for an answer (he didn't speak english) and so forced us to eat some BBQ chicken feet using Vietnamese insistant torture stare technique which I can only assume he learned in the secret intelligence bureau.

Protip:  If you drink out of the shot glass with a piece of grape still in it - you get fucked up faster.  Nice to know.


On my last day here I decide to go check out West lake - it looks big on the map and I haven't been there yet.  On the way, I stop and have a street haircut for 50,000VD and suddenly become 10x as handsome.

Watch out ladies.





Arriving at West Lake I think it's very nice.  There are couples out in the lake on swan paddle boats.  Cafes skirting the rim.  Fishermen wading out with their lines.  The lake has a very french romantic feel to it.

Well isn't that  lovely.

It's a shame about the dead fish and cigarette packets floating in the water.

Fishing...


...with explosives.



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