back in hanoi

we flew from hoi an to hanoi and stayed here for 4 days
thank god the temperature changed from when i left a bit more than 2 weeks ago
it was still hot, but not nearly as hot as it was :))

the ngoc son temple (Jade Mountain Temple) above , stand is on jade island and was build in the 18th century

a vintage water puppet

jade Island is connected to the shore by the wooden red-painted huc bridge (morning sunlight bridge)

vietnamese fried donuts !
YUM YUM YUM !


this woman is on internet in the middle of the market between her spices!
ma hoe ?

flower seller

fruit seller

not sure if it is scary or comforting that people actually work on these electric cables

view from a hotel rooftop

love the different letters on the shop front


X

we stayed at the cinnamon hotel that is next to a beautiful catholic church
initially we loved the sound of the church bell,until it kept us awake ay night !

the cat & dog are both on chains ?

delicious lunch at french vietnamese restaurant, green mango


the restaurants is housed in a beautiful old colonial building

tiny bonsai figurines

museum of literature

dionne with her brand NEW camera !!!
happy snapping X


water puppet show

dionne and i did a bit of a 'killers' number...
we took a bus to halong bay, the trip is 4 hours ONE WAY
(it was raining the day before, and we could not go and as a result ran out of time)
we went on our last day in vietnam - it makes MUCH more sense if you can stay over for 1 night.
we travelled 8 hours to spend about 4 hours at halong bay...
anyway - it was worth it ! i am glad we got to see a small part of it...

btw this is a stunning book ! can highly recommend it


sung sot cave halong bay

beautiful halong bay

you can see from the proportions how huge the rocks are




nice place to end 3 weeks in vietnam...
it is an interesting country to visit with a complex history ,people with an amazing will to survive, picturesque landscapes from north to south, good, delicious and traditional food and lots of historical sites...
people have an attitude that anything is possible , which makes it a pleasure to travel
AND then i was lucky enough to do most of it with dionne !!! :-)))
i could not have asked for anything better ! we had a lot of fun
thank you dionne for an amazing time XXX

hot and humid in hoi an

dionne and i took a 4 hour bus trip from hue to hoi an
unexpectedly the bus had beds !


our hotel ! one king size bed with very romantic toweling displays...
oh, and a massive jacuzzi !
we had such a 'gil!'


hoi an is a really pretty town - it looks a bit like a movie set
the old town was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO for it's well-preserved trading port and unique buildings





the streets of hoi an were a stunning mix of leafy lanes and beautiful old buildings

hoi an is also known for it's colourful lanterns. it is EVERYWHERE and gives an amazing atmosphere when it's lit at night

dinner at morning glory (named after the plant) restaurant
we were so impressed- we enrolled in a cooking class at the cooking school
:))


crispy pancakes - dionne's instant addiction X


white rose shrimp dumplings - a speciality dish of the area

juice stand at the market


beauty salon !


at the fish market ...love all the colours - it almost looks fake

the food triangle at a nursery school :)

colourful plastic containers

at the cooking class...trying to look like i know what i am doing!!!
did i mention how incredibly hot it was? we permanently had ice cold towelettes draped around our necks..



dee mastering viernamese cuisine :)
ps check the yellow towelette on dionne's neck :)))


the result ... vietnamese chicken skewers with green mango salad &