Hanoi was even busier today as it was a working day. Thousands of motorbikes – I wonder if the drivers have to pass a driving test?? First challenge of the day was learning to cross the road. Green man signs at traffic lights meant very little to the drivers and the zebra type crossings remain a mystery as to why they even paint the white lines on the road?! The trick to crossing the road is to keep moving across unless a car or a truck is approaching you(!) as the motor-cyclists just drive around you and will give you space to move forward. It took a bit of getting used to but there were only a couple of near misses!
It was a visa day – one for Laos this time as I could not get one in London as the Loatians don’t have an embassy there. Visa issuing was done very efficiently and the young Laos man who processed it for me had a nice smile on his face when I handed over the US$40 express fee (that buys a lot of beers in Hanoi!)
Lunch was great! Barbequed meats (done right on the street) dropped into a thin soup and then served with a plateful of noodles and another plate piled high with salad type leaves. The idea is to pile the noodles into the soup, add some leaves and then slurp up with chopsticks – absolutely delicious! It was easy to order as it was the only dish that the place served.
Highlight of the day was the visit to the Water Puppet theatre. Having experienced some tourist type shows in S.E. Asia before, I feared the worst but was pleasantly surprised. It was very well done indeed although I did not have a clue what the story was about!! The puppets were beautifully made and the and the performance was well drilled.
Trip back to the hotel from the Water Puppets was on a ‘cyclo’ which is a type of rickshaw pedalled by human power (not mine!). Some pretty tough negotiations are required on the price and a ruthless streak helps. The opening offer for the trip was 100,000 Dong (about US$6.50) and the final price was less than a US$1 for a 10 minute ride!
It was a visa day – one for Laos this time as I could not get one in London as the Loatians don’t have an embassy there. Visa issuing was done very efficiently and the young Laos man who processed it for me had a nice smile on his face when I handed over the US$40 express fee (that buys a lot of beers in Hanoi!)
Lunch was great! Barbequed meats (done right on the street) dropped into a thin soup and then served with a plateful of noodles and another plate piled high with salad type leaves. The idea is to pile the noodles into the soup, add some leaves and then slurp up with chopsticks – absolutely delicious! It was easy to order as it was the only dish that the place served.
Highlight of the day was the visit to the Water Puppet theatre. Having experienced some tourist type shows in S.E. Asia before, I feared the worst but was pleasantly surprised. It was very well done indeed although I did not have a clue what the story was about!! The puppets were beautifully made and the and the performance was well drilled.
Trip back to the hotel from the Water Puppets was on a ‘cyclo’ which is a type of rickshaw pedalled by human power (not mine!). Some pretty tough negotiations are required on the price and a ruthless streak helps. The opening offer for the trip was 100,000 Dong (about US$6.50) and the final price was less than a US$1 for a 10 minute ride!
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