Hanoi 2

We wake early and have B/F at MAI on Duong Thanh St - Hanoi is one hour behind KL time and three hours behind Melbourne in summer. They offer b/f beyond what I expect:- nice fresh baguette, toasts, cheese, yogurt, fresh salad, fried rice, sausages, eggs and congee.

This morning we are going to Dong Xuan market north of Hoan Kiem Lake.We like visiting local markets because there are always things to see and people to watch although we are not there to buy anything specific. SM did buy some preserved lotus seeds in the end.

 

Following my itinerary we go to 69 Ma May St & the old house at 87 Ma May St. 69 was a 200 years old house that has been turned into a nice bar & restaurant. 87 is an equally old Chinese merchant house that is now a restored heritage house. These are like the old shop houses we find in Petaling St, Georgetown, and Malacca. We particularly love 87 Ma May.

Ma May St is Hanoi's backpackers haven .....

These are pictures taken of 69 Bar & Restaurant.....

Following are pictures taken of 87 Ma May St.....

We go back to MAI to meet Sarah and finalize our tour bookings with her. Friday to Perfume Pagoda, Saturday to Ha long Bay, Sunday - Thursday @ Sapa. There are huge numbers of so called tour agents in Hanoi but in the end we decide to go with Sarah for her "honesty" and also we find MAI a nice hotel to stay. In fact， later on we find out it is much like an old friend to us during our stay.

After lunch of KFC (roast chicken with rice) we taxi to the Mausoleum area to see the thousand year old One Pillar Pagoda, the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long (One Flag Citadel) and the Lenin statute. Again just the touristy things to do and review a bit of the country's history.... it's like "been there, done that; and not coming back to do that again" feeling. I guess knowing a bit about the history of where we go to visit is both interesting and nice to know.....

This Pagoda is > 1000 years old!

At Mausoleum area

 Malaysian Embassy

At One Flag Citadel

 Lenin Statute, with a man easing himself @ a nearby park

We want to take an easy afternoon and so we go to this quaint little cafe " PHO CO CAFE" or Lake view Cafe to have Vietnamese coffee (what else?) and cold drinks. The cafe is tucked away at the rear end of a small shop front @ 11 Hang Gai St. This cafe is rated as a best-kept secret of Hanoi and offers plum views over Hoan Kiem Lake. The place has nothing to it - just plastic chairs and aluminium tables but we absolutely enjoy the views and its exclusivity. Later on we also have tropical fruit ice cream at Hapro Ice Cream on Le Thai To St on the east side of the Lake. Fanny Ice Cream on the same street was where we wanted to go but we found out it is closed for business; too bad.

We then go to the Cathedral area to take in the sights of the area, including the St Joseph's Cathedral, and also to see the next hotel we are staying - Splendid Star Grand Hotel on Au Trieu St.

We are having dinner tonight at 69 Bar & Restaurant. As we expect the restaurant is crowded, yet peaceful. The service is attentive and prompt. We thoroughly enjoy our dinner of sauteed morning glory, clay pot tofu, Bun Cha (oven grilled pork, vermicelli, herbs + sauce), and Vietnamese stir fried noodle. A very affordable dinner at 413k dong. Tonight we rest reasonably early at 10pm as tomorrow morning we will be picked up by our tour guide to Chua Huong (Perfume Pagoda) bright and early. 

 One of Hanoi's special dishes - Bun Cha

Relaxing in the room before a big day tomorrow