We took the overnight bus from Hue to Hanoi. I felt like we had a going away party at the hotel because so many other people were leaving too. Everyone was just hanging out together downstairs before the bus rolled up and 5 of us got on, then we drove off into the sunset.
On the bus we sat with 2 friends that we had met at the hotel- Leo and Chris. We all snuggled up in the back of our sleeper bus. Sadly this was one of the worst bus rides we've had. Within the first hour we had a flat tire, no one was feeling too great- all in all just bad. We got into Hanoi early in the morning and checked into a hotel. This place wasn't too great, and we knew we wanted to move the next morning. Conor and I both didn't feel great after our horrible ride. We slept and ate, but didn't do much our first day in Hanoi.
We immediately changed hotels the next morning. Our new hotel, Charming, was one of the best places that we stayed at. The people were so good to us, good breakfast and the room felt like total high class in comparison to some of our other choices. We took a cyclo ride that morning around a big lake. A cyclo is basically a high bike with a seat attached to it. An older man huffs and puffs as he drives you around on his bike. It wasn't the most enjoyable ride because I thought the guy was going to have a heart attack, but I didn't feel right leaving Vietnam with never having experienced it.
We had planned to go to the movies that day, but when we got to the theater realized that nothing good was playing. So we bought tickets to see The Hangover 3 the next day. The movie theater is in a big, modern mall. We found an arcade, and obviously played some games. Some children followed us around in the arcade, fascinated by us because we were the only non- Vietnamese people there. Sometimes it's nice to feel like a celebrity.
The next few days all revolved around eating. In case I never mentioned this before, I love pho. And in Vietnam they eat it for breakfast so I don't feel weird when I wake up and crave it! We went to a good local spot one morning. The next time we went to find it, it was run down and looked like it had been deserted for years. Weird. Another great spot we found was DC Bistro, which was a French restaurant. They had a great set menu and a wine happy hour! What more could you ask for? Conor and I ate here 3 separate times. One night we even took home a bottle of wine and some cheese for a fancy dessert. Bun Bo is a Vietnamese dish with is kind of like dry pho. It comes with crunchy peanuts on top and its really good with a spicy sauce. Neville, our Hanoi tasting tour guide, recommended a place for us to try Bun Bo. He also recommended a spot for Bun Cha. This is a pork soup dish. It's kind of a make your own thing- they bring you a plate of greens, a bowl of papaya in soup, noodles and a big bowl of pork. The place Neville recommended for us also served the best crab spring rolls (nem cua) I've ever had. I'm actually going to say they were the best spring rolls in general. I would say these are our food highlights. Please don't judge me if I come home 10 pounds heavier.
We had met this English guy (Sebastian) at the French restaurant one day. He was really friendly and told us his girlfriend was coming to visit. So we all planned to have lunch at the DC Bistro again. The lunch was fun and it really highlighted a great aspect of traveling. That is: everyone is your best friend upon meeting them and its not weird to have lunch with strangers. That same night my friend (and sorority sister) was going to be in Vietnam with her friend. So Conor and I took them to a cool street drinking corner. It was so much fun to see Jodi, a little taste of home!
We went to a museum of ethnology and learned about Vietnamese tribes. It was interesting, and outside there were so many fun things for children to do. It was children's day when we went here so Conor and I got to enjoy tug of war, a water puppet show and a goat walking around. We also went to an old prison which held some Americans during the war. John McCain was taken here. It was propaganda at its finest, claiming that the POWs loved it there.
Hanoi was really fun. Conor and I really got to know the city because we were there for so long. We ate some really good food, walked around alot and hung out with some good people. I was sad leaving because it meant we were leaving Vietnam and who knows when I'll be back. Vietnam showed me some truly great places, introduced me to amazing food and taught me what it really means to sweat. I'll miss you Vietnam!
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