Wow, what a busy and fantastic day. It all started relatively early as we still have a 2 hour time difference from Japan and we made the most of it. After delicious breakfast (so much fruit!!!), we had a good 2 hour school session with the girls before hitting the streets of Hanoi.
We basically did a mini walking tour of the Old Quarter. The streets are named after the original shops, such as Silver street (that sold silver jewellery) or Silk Street (with all the silk products). Some street nowadays sell different things, as times have moved on but not the names. As we walked we did some shopping, so now the girls all have matching bags and colourful clothes.
Part of the walk was exploring Dong Xuan Market, which is an interesting experience. It is so cramped packed that you can reach out and touch both sides of the stalls. While the market is mostly organised by product type, sometimes the change can be quite abrupt. One minute you are in the dried fish section, and the right next to it is a bra stall. Not only is the building massive, but it also covers 3 floors! Needless to say we only walked through a small fraction of the market.
For lunch we went to a restaurant recommended by Harriette's old teacher, Hannah Hopkins, and it was awesome! They serve a beef noodle salad, which is flavourful and delicious!
As we walked so much in the morning Robyn decided that we need to treat ourselves to a Spa pedicure. It was an hour of foot pampering! The girls loved it and were so excited about choosing their toe nail colours. Unfortunately Mish did not get his nails painted so was treated to a neck massage! It was so delightful that we lost track of time and were slightly late for our food tour.
Leo was our tour guide, and provided us with a 4 course dinner. It consisted of:
- Street stall beef salad starter with fresh spring rolls
- Baguette, both beef and chicken with Avocado
- Deep fried beef and veg dumplings, and shrimp in young rice wrapped in banana leaf
- Pho Ba (Beef noodles)
- Ice cream and Egg coffee (Robyn liked it)
It was great to chat with a local and learn more about Vietnam, its food and culture.
After the tour we got to enjoy the night market in Hanoi, which is amazing. Apparently on a Friday night, they close off a large number of streets in the Old Quarter and on some of them they set up the night market selling all kinds of things. The atmosphere is great and it feels so alive.
Tomorrow will be a bit of a more peaceful day as we are heading to Ha Long bay for a boat cruise.
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