First Day in Hanoi

We love Hanoi! The streets are definitely influenced by the French. They have a beautiful, atmospheric lake in the middle of town, architecture francais, cafes everywhere - and the strongest coffee known to man - 6 hours later, Tim and I are still shaking.

Last night, we walked around the lake, stopping at every al fresco cafe there was having a cocktail, beer or fresh coconut juice.

Today, we went to the Vietnamese Women's Museum. There were photos of the brave women who supported the resistance troops in South Vietnam (meaning the Vietcong). Though they were the "enemy" to the US at the time, it was amazing to see the active participation they took in digging tunnels, schooling children, feeding the soldiers on the front lines, delivering messages, etc. It's interesting seeing the "American War" from another perspective.

I wanted to include this designer vespa - a Louis Vuitton scooter dedicated to Kellie Nicol in London.

An alternative way to see the city is to take a cyclo - these are the recliner chairs we have been describing. Never before have we enjoyed so many new modes of transport. Coming back from the Myanmar Embassy, we decided to take the bus. That was quite a feat considering we had no idea where we were on the map in the first place! It was crowded and hot - very similiar to the public transport in London. We felt right at home.

People tend to use the ground or child size chairs to take lunch breaks. Apparently these "drivers" are having a nice vodka drink on their break. After experiencing the roads here, I guess everyone needs a little Dutch Courage.

We have seen the darndest things here. The relics they seem to worship are hilarious. Seeing images of tigers with big moustashes really inspires me to burn some incense and pay homage to Tom Selleck.