Hanoi

Uncle Ho's Mausoleum

Our first stay in Hanoi was only about booking and resting up for our Ha Long Bay trip. For our second stay we were back in tourist mode. Actually, we didn't really like Hanoi so much. I think the main problem is that we’re just over the traffic. It’s all good when you first arrive, but eventually dodging motorbikes constantly and the blaring horns just wear on you. Plus it’s just beyond chaotic in the touristy old-quarter of Hanoi. The streets are narrow, as are the sidewalks. You literally can’t get around all the motorbikes parked on the sidewalks, so you’re left to walk down the street along with the motorbikes, cars and buses. It’s not so much fun.

Probably the best thing we did in Hanoi was the water puppets show. Steph might argue that the best thing we did was find an air-conditioned mall to shop and see a movie. Who would have thought that Steph, of all people, is having trouble with the heat? Anyways, the water puppet show definitely was the best thing we did, despite what Steph might tell you. Obviously it’s a pretty touristy thing to do, but it was only $5 each so we thought we’d give it a go. If you’re having a hard time imagining what a “water puppet show” is, it’s basically what you are thinking. Some puppets dancing around in a pool of water. They are connected to long sticks that stretch underwater to the handlers who are behind the curtain backstage. Steph was shocked at the end of the show to find that the handlers are actually in the water as well, instead assuming it was all a system of “curved sticks.” It was all in Vietnamese, but you can pretty easily tell what’s going on the whole time. There were even special effects – they had dragon puppets that could (SPOILER ALERT) shoot sparklers out of their mouths!

Pre-show traditional music

This is the point where Steph was going "they're in the water?!?"

The water puppet show was pretty cool, but it pretty easily won the title of “best of Hanoi” because we didn't do much else in Hanoi. Steph hasn't been feeling stellar, so we mostly chilled out and tried to find good food. I haven’t mentioned egg coffee yet. So during our first stay in Hanoi, the guy at our hotel (the same guy that inadvertently screwed us on the Ha Long Bay cruise) told us that we must try egg coffee. Excuse me? We hoped maybe this was some mistranslation. Surely they don’t put eggs in their coffee here. He tried to explain it to us, but all we could picture was exactly that – a raw egg in a hot cup of coffee, which would surely cook the egg and leave a chunky disgusting mess. Being the brave travellers that we are, we nevertheless went out in search of this mystifying egg coffee. I guess you probably figured that our initial assumptions were wrong. Very, very wrong. Actually they take a raw egg and beat it together with sweetened condensed milk until it becomes a fluffy foam. Put some strong Vietnamese coffee in a cup and cover it with your egg foam and voila! You have egg coffee. I prefer mine with ice, and yes it is actually good. Fantastic actually. It tastes like a coffee milkshake, or a whole glass of the yummy foam off the top of a gas station cappuccino. We've been back multiple times, but have yet to try any of their other delicacies – egg with chocolate, egg with….green beans? Now that has to be gross!

Actually we later tried the green bean version and we're still stumped - no green beans, just some sweet powder

Steph can’t handle the heat, so we’re heading to Sapa in the Northwest of Vietnam. Mountain views and cooler temperatures await!