The first thing I did when I arrived in Hanoi this afternoon was change into my jeans. It is cold. I realise that back home, this temperature would have me walking the streets in my summer clothes, but I've become accustomed to a certain temperature and I don't like the fact that the sun has disappeared. Apparently it's because they just had a monsoon, and the temperature should pick up again. I hope it improves for my trip to Halong Bay tomorrow.
This afternoon I walked around the Old Quarter. Hanoi is very different to Saigon. Although the population is close to the same, it feels much smaller here. There are just as many motorbikes though, but since the streets are smaller it feels like there are far more! Hanoi is far less commercialised too, the streets are old and look and feel very run down, but that's what adds to the charm of the place. Initially I wasn't sure if I liked it, but by the end of the day I was sold.
This afternoon I had traditional egg coffee at Cafe Giang (the most famous place to have it). It's made with egg yolks, sugar, condensed milk and coffee, so it's pretty sweet but really nice. This evening I went on a food tour (yes, another one)! It was just me plus a couple from Singapore (he was Australian and she was Chinese). They were very nice though and we had a great night trying about 7 different dishes. I liked all of them apart from one dish which was like a spring roll but with pigs ear inside. Yuck. I have all of the names written down of the things we tried, but basically a lot of pork, noodles and beef. Even though this is my third food tour in Vietnam, I'm still trying dishes I haven't had before as each region has their own delicacies.
Tomorrow morning I head to Halong Bay for a one night cruise. Looking forward to spending the night in a nicer room! My hotel is a bit dingy!
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