Destination Vietnam

David, Carolyn, Bev, Tim in Sapa, Vietnam on a misty rainy day.

Pineapple for sale

Pedicabs, Bev and I did one of these together,
which put a real strain on the skinny peddler.

Our Grilled Fish

David and Carolyn on a cool morning in
Sapa waiting for our coffee after an all night train ride.

Procedure to make the conical hats which you can purchase for about $1. US

Just down the street from our hotel sat this gentleman having a morning drink

Everything is moved by moped, this is a very typical biker

The rumble of a million motorbikes, the cries of hawkers and the buzz of business transactions are as ever-present as the tinkle of the past in the pagodas, and the swish of the scythe in the rice paddies in Vietnam.

Bev and I traveled to Hanoi, Vietnam this last week for a vacation during the Chinese Fall Festival celebration. We traveled with one other couple, David and Carolyn from New Zealand and met another couple also from the school.

We had an amazing week and I will share some of the pictures during the next week on the blog.

Modern Asia meets medieval Asia and, in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, the two become one, this where we stayed while in Hanoi. Every corner, shop and street business was a photograph waiting to be taken.

For culinary adventurers, Vietnam is a treasure trove of more than 500 different dishes.
It’s a wonderful world of pungent herbs and secret spices. Dip delicate spring rolls in nuoc
mam, a fish sauce that is as compulsory as ketchup for the Vietnamese. Bev and Carolyn took a 3 hour cooking class at a local restaurant. We ate at the up and coming Bobby Chinn's world famous restaurant as well as having lunch at allegedy the oldest restaurant in Hanoi on Cha Ca Street dating back to 1871. Cha Ca Va Vong serves only one set meal the cha ca (grilled fish) cooked at your table, by you, on a clay brazier, with noodles, herbs and peanuts. Very tasty.

It was hard for me to believe that 35 years ago I was scared to death that I would be sent off to Nam, and extremely thankful when my lottery number was so high that it would never come into play in the draft for more American soldiers.

For us it was hard to believe our senses, as we discovered one of the most enriching, enlivening and exotic countries on earth, the sights, sounds and smells were very different from any other Asian country.

Destination Vietnam