Lens culture: Hanoi

On a spontaneous move (encouraged by my enthusiastic stories in UK where we travelled free and easy) my mum decided that we should head to Hanoi ourselves and I was appointed Head of Itinerary. Cue the same tedious process I had to go through with my handy dandy Tripadvisor, which nonetheless did not disappoint me at all. So to Vietnam we went!

Of course Halong Bay was on the list, it being a World Heritage site and all. I did feel like the scattered cruises and yachts somewhat tainted the beauty of the landscape, but thankfully our boat drove us into the middle of the bay and away from the sprawl. 

But in the middle zone laid another sight - floating houses! There was even a floating primary/secondary school for the people. Just how does one set up a permanent life on a spot in the bay? It would mean giving up the city, its entertainments, the drone of activities. The people probably lead a tranquil lifestyle that involves swimming every other day, I would imagine.

Nothing like a moving vehicle and unspoiled nature to create the ideal setting for contemplating Life.  

The streets are swarmed with motorbikes and vendors - it's crazy! The people have no caution for danger BUT this makes it so thrilling whenever we have to cross the roads. It's on my Must-Do list when going to Hanoi.

The Ho Chi Minh mausoleum where we queued up for half an hour to see the late president's preserved body. I must say they do a really good job, he looks to be in a better bodily condition than me.

Bro bboying at random places.

The miniature display VS the real thing. The house is mounted on such high stilts that my fear of heights acted up when I climbed the stairs. Which involves me freezing momentarily in an ungracious position while Mother scoffed at me from above. Stupid phobia.

Vietnamese food is just mouth-watering. I managed to scour out highly-rated places to have our meals and the dishes were just lip-smacking-tummy-grumbling-for-more tasting. Most of the foods are prepared with little oil or cream so it's not heavy at all. I practically indulged in pho everyday. This is probably one of the reasons why the people in Hanoi are so slim. And one more thing....a high percentage of the younger population are attractive-looking. Not that I took special notice at first, but it was my brother who brought my attention to it after a passing male vendor took his breathe away with his physical beauty....heh heh heh.

Navigating the intersecting roads at Old Quarter and checking out the charming streetscape were my favorite things to do. So as of now, travelling free and easy is my new motto! All those tours that I've been on previously - say China and Taiwan - in a sense they were more practical because they took us to different cities and we could see more in that time frame. But for quaint cities like Hanoi, the excitement in exploring a foreign place (or stumbling upon a local treat!) at your own pace is part of the whole fun.

Not that this comes as a surprise at the end of this post, but I'll still say this: I love Hanoi! :)