Hanoi day 14

After our lovely train journey we arrived in Hanoi.
Hanoi is the capital city of Vietnam and just as crazy busy as HCMC. We met up with Ben an american guy we met on the train to Danang and shared a cab with him and another american couple as we were all going to the same backpackers.

We had booked to stay in the Hanoi backpackers cos it has a good reputation and has been recommended by lots of people. Unfortunately for us they are busy renovating so we actually stayed in a hotel next door to the temporary hostel and it meant that the legendary rooftop bar was out of action. On a side note we did check out their new hostel and it looked awesome. We didn't see the rooms but the terrace bar etc looked amazing and made us quite jealous!

As we arrived we were told that the power was out as the grid was overloaded because of the aircons etc so we couldn't check into our rooms yet. After 12 hours on a train it wasn't the best news but we decided to go for a walk instead. We found a Pho24 which is basically like KFC but for pho. We decided to check it out and the Pho was really good actually. On the way back to the hostel we walked past Fanny's icecream and with a name like that and Jeremy's competition ice cream eating abilities we decided we had to try it.The ice cream was seriously good, they have tons of different flavours and even do speciality platters where the icecream is shaped like sushi or springrolls.

After that we went back to the hostel and still no power. At this stage a shower couldn't wait so we showered by torchlight which was an interesting experience!

We then went for a walk around the city to Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. Here you can basically see Ho's embalmed body. Ho Chi Minh is something of a vietnamese hero and his pictures are everywhere. For someone that wanted to be cremated so as not to cause a fuss, the adoration is quite weird, he must be turning in his grave (or glass box as it were). Unfortunately for us it was closed but we got some pictures outside.

Hanoi is a big city but it definitely has a different feel to it than Saigon. The streets are lined with trees and there are lots of smart clothing shops and boutiques etc. I really enjoyed walking around and getting lost in the streets and there were definitely some interesting sights....One of which is the endless amount of street cafes which serve some weird and wonderful meat. Whole roasted ducks with their beaks still attached, little whole roasted birds(they looked like they could be sparrows or something similar.) and even snails.

After some street beers at the hostel and chatting to some fellow travellers we headed out for something to eat. For dinner we looked up a restaurant in the guide book and decided to check it out. Quan An Ngon. It was seriously good and I would recommend anyone visiting Hanoi to go there. Basically like a slightly more upmarket street kitchen you have tables in the middle with different stations on the outside cooking up different specialities. We ordered some Dalat wine (a vietnamese wine) which is the only affordable wine and actually has grown on me. At this stage I think all of us were a bit sick of beer. After looking at the menu we couldn't decide what to get so decided to order bunch of stuff for the 3 of us (Ben joined us for the day) to share. We got chatting to the one waiter who could speak english and he decided to be our guide for the food. Hetook us to each station and explained what the food was and if we liked the sound of it we ordered some. Needless to say by the time we were done we had ordered tons of food. Everything was really good though and it was a good way to try out the different foods on offer.

After dinner we decided to head back as we had a 7am wake up call for our Halong bay adventure which Jeremy will blog about later!!


Candice



Hanoi- train running through the city



Mausoleum



Street food


Some of the yummy food




The restaurant



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Hanoi Vietnam

Hue - the Imperial city Day 13

First things first,Hue is pronounced hu-ay, not hue as Jeremy keeps calling it :) Although I still have to correct myself everytime I say it.

So after our train journey we arrive at Hue train station. We heard loads about the taxi & hotel touts outside the station but we still got haggled and bombarded. One guy tried to convince us that he was working for one of the hotels we had found in the guidebook but we didn't believe him as almost everyone was trying to get us to come with them. Only after the taxi drove behind this guy almost the whole way did we realise he was telling the truth. We felt pretty embarrassed once we realised this!
We eventually started walking to the town and flagged a taxi that was driving past. We didn't have anywhere to stay and just gave him a name of a hotel we picked online. What a good choice. We stayed in Hung Vuong Inn which is a family run place above the restaurant. Everyone was so friendly, and we ate dinner in the restaurant which was really good. We tried the Hue speciality which is a mixture between a filled omelette and pancake.It is deep fried and filled with beansprouts, pork and shrimp and was very tasty. The kitchen is behind a glass screen which means you can see them cooking the food which is quite reassuring in Vietnam as some of the kitchens our food came out of before were pretty dodge :)After dinner we decided on a early night as I was feeling a bit ill and went off to bed.

Up early the next day we had some fruit smoothies downstairs which were delicious and off we went to check out the town.
We walked to the imperial part of the city which has a citadel and old temples. It was a pity that we were leaving for Hanoi that night as they were busy setting up for a festival around the moat that looked like it would be good.
We walked around a bit and checked out the old city which was pretty intersting. It was originally built in 1802 but was heavily bombed in the war so has been restored since then.

After the imperial city we decided that we needed a break so stopped for some beer at a riverside cafe and spent some time just watching the world go by.

We had decided to pay a little extra (well 6 dollars to be exact) to check out late which was the best money we have spent in a while! After a shower and packing we decided to check out an Italian restaurant that had been recommended. After a week and a half of rice and noodles it was good to have some pasta and pizza!

We went back to the hotel checked out and hoped that our train journey would be better than the one from Nha Trang to Da nang. We had booked a soft sleeper so we were hoping it would be good.
Luckily someone was looking out for us as the compartment was clean and lovely and only had 3 of us in it. We had a long journey ahead (over 12hours) but it went by quite quickly.

Next stop Hoi An.





Hue speciality- Banh Khoai


The river in Hue





Imperial City wall- Noon gate





Riverside local huda beer- yum!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Hue Vietnam

Hoi An Day 12

After my last post about Hoi An we went for a nice run around the old quarter on the town. Its so humid and hot that after 6kms you are absolutely soaked in sweet. After the run we decided to try one of the recommended restaurants. It was called Cafe Can and we tried some of the local dishes. We ordered a white rose (banh bao) as a starter which is steamed manioc parcels of finely diced crab or shrimp complemented by a crunchy onion flake topping. For main I had the cao lau which was a nice little dish. Its thick rice flour noodles bean sprouts and pork rind croutons. Legend has it that the genuine article is cooked using water from one particular local well. Candice had some fish which was served in a banana leaf which was also very nice. The nice thing about each place we have visited in Vietnam is that most of them have a unique type of food or speciality. Some places also have a local beer to which is great. Chase an american chef who we met in Nha Trang and then we bump into him every now and again in different the various towns we are visiting also keeps telling us which different foods to try.
Hoi Ann is also well known for its tailors. Literally just outside the old quarter on some streets every second shop is a tailor. On our way back to our hotel I saw a really nice shirt so I thought it would be at least a good idea to have one made. I inquired about price and the woman said that if I took two I would get a cheaper price. I wasn't in the mood for bargaining so ended up taking two. The Woman in the shop was very helpful and did our measurements in record time. Candice had a dress made which she was really happy about.
We were leaving the next day at 2pm but she said that she could have the clothes ready at 11.
We got up early on the day of departure so that we could do some final exploring. On our way out I decided to ask the tailor if she could fix my jeans with a hole.She happily obliged and did a really good job on them. Navigating through the old quarter we took a walk over and some pictures of the old chinese bridge. Hoi An at some point was a port for the chinese and the buildings which are ancient really feels like you have gone back in time. We stopped for a shake and some water to refuel and then headed back to the tailor to pick up our clothes. We got there at 11 the time she said we should be there but there was nobody in the shop. We sat in the shop waiting and she eventually appeared on her motorcycle. Whilst we were in the shop 5 South African girls came in who were also getting stuff made and we chatted to them for a bit. Candice tried on her dress and it was slightly to small. The tailor lady took one look and said no problem. She took the dress from candice and headed off on her bike. She came back about 10 minutes later with the dress altered.
It was a scorcher of a day and our train was at 2:45pm so we had to make the most of the day so continue to walk around the old quarter and its shops. Candice found a nice little clothing shop and bought one or two items. We continue a little further down the street and noticed the blocked off. It turned out to be a school with children all leaving. It looks like the kids leave the school at lunch and then come back at 2 when its cooler in the afternoon. I noticed the kids all hustling around a bike with a very old man who was selling ice cream. It was a day for ice cream and the kids were like flies on a fish carcus all jostling to get one.
Time to head back to our hotel and Im sweating my chops off so had a swim in the pool. We chilled for about half an hour then the taxi driver picked us up to take us to Da Nang to get our train. Another interesting car journey. The rules of the road don't exist in Vietnam its absolutely mental. I've only seen once accident in Vietnam but its amazing we haven't seen more. The most fascinating thing to me is how they just drive on the wrong side of the road at oncoming traffic to get to a side street. Our train was slightly delayed but it was also our first journey sitting and not sleeping. Candice had read the journey from Da Nang to Hue was worth seeing so we did the train seating instead of sleeping. It was also a good way to break up the journey from Da Nang to Hanoi. The journey was really scenic. The tracks wound along the mountains and there were great views of the sea etc. The trip was also memorable because we were two of about 4 westerners in the carriage so the Vietnamese people were very inquisitive and interested of us. You really do feel like all eyes are on you and stick out like a sore thumb. The train we are on is going all the way to Da Nang so the served some food on the train. You get a plate and the point out a couple things. I was tempted to try some but the flies and cleanliness put me a tad off so I gave it a miss.




The Ancient Bridge.




A Vietnamese woman.




The ice cream seller




The train








Train food




View from the train

Hoi An Mango rooms

Jeremy is going to blog about the rest of Hoi An I thought I would do a quick post about a restaurant we went to called Mango Rooms

We were just walking around trying to find somewhere for dinner and saw the restaurant, remembered reading about it somewhere so decided to check it out.

Once we sat down we realised it was a little more upmarket than we were used to on this trip. But we decided stuff it lets splash out so we went for the tasting menu. This is basically 4 courses and some wine for 800 thousand dong which is about 25 pounds.

The restaurant prides itself in presenting vietnamese food in a modern way, and let's just say they definitely delivered.

Each course we had a choice between 2 things, so we just went for different ones each time and we weren't disappointed.

The restaurant is along the river so it has some really good views and its pretty unique because the kitchen is in the middle of the restaurant so you can see all the food being prepared!

It was seriously good and I would def recommend to anyone that goes to Hoi An




Green papaya and shrimp salad and grilled fish with mango salsa




Imperial spring rolls (fried- an Hue speciality) & Soft rolls




Grilled duck breast with a curry sauce and mango rice - seriously good. And tempura prawns with stir fried veggies




Caramalised banana with ice cream and coconut sauce. By this point we were so full we could only share a desert.




Mango rooms


View from the balcony

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Hoi An