Hanoi - Vietnam
Hanoi
Recently my
dad and I went backpacking, or rather flashpacking, to Vietnam and Cambodia! Everything
about the trip was unconventional, starting from the random selection of these
two locations, not having an agenda and most importantly me and my dad getting
along quite well throughout the trip.
We worked together in chalking out our next place of visit and dad kept his calm even when he found out I had booked $30 hotels whenever I planned the next stop; while he had booked $300 hotels when he planned the next pit stop, However, to my dad's surprise, and to mine, neither was disappointing.(yay!)
First we landed in Hanoi, the capital, where they say there are no specific "sights" in Hanoi; you just soak in the whole of the city's pulse.. Very true..The sights are all around!
I don’t remember the name of this particular dish, it had
pineapples, bean sprouts and something that looked like a bulb of a flower's
stamen...(update! it was Inoki Mushroom)
I cannot believe it has been more
than three years since I started this blog; I don’t seem to remember what
exactly I had in mind when I started about it. I think I intended to post a lot
of pictures and write funny things.
Though I have taken many pictures, not
many funny things have happened in my life; maybe funny things cease to happen
to mainstream 25 year olds who try to thug it out in work, life, MBA applications,
working out an idea of a start-up and battling the marriageable age deadline
looming in. Today, however, I decided to update my blog for the 2.5 readers who
still might follow my blog.
We worked together in chalking out our next place of visit and dad kept his calm even when he found out I had booked $30 hotels whenever I planned the next stop; while he had booked $300 hotels when he planned the next pit stop, However, to my dad's surprise, and to mine, neither was disappointing.(yay!)
First we landed in Hanoi, the capital, where they say there are no specific "sights" in Hanoi; you just soak in the whole of the city's pulse.. Very true..The sights are all around!
Foothpaths full of small stools and tables, steaming hot pho
that has been cooked with fresh ingredients in front of you..These sites can
make anyone hungry... But to the dismay of vegetarians they are only a treat
for your eyes..
Vietnam is certainly not a vegetarian paradise, but one can
certainly survive. I never get out of a country without getting a taste the
local flavors, so my only option was to custom make every dish without the meat.
I’m sure there might have been chicken broth or fish sauce in the dishes I
tried, but I chose to simply ignore it... Some of the dishes I liked were Pho
Chay (I guess it means vegetable pho), Com Chien (fried rice with peanuts?), Mi
Xao Mem (egg noodles)..
Decorations around the city celebrating Tet : Lunar new year
So many caged birts around the city..
Random buddhist temple and the beautiful incense coil
So many caged birts around the city..
Random buddhist temple and the beautiful incense coil
Orchids , Cherry Blossoms and Kumquats as decoration for Tet..
Around the Hoan Kiem Lake..
I now know that the best decision we
made was to enjoy Hanoi by not making a list of places to visit, rather by just
taking it easy.
Also my dearest Venus wrote a poem for me on my birthday! I can only say how blessed I feel..dont miss it..http://chocolateandmint111.blogspot.in/
They say Vietnam is a photographer's heaven, I can see why! Fantastic pics! I wish I could operate a simple Point & Shoot properly :(
ReplyDeletePretty good place it seems...your conclusion (not to make list of places to visit, rather taking it easy)holds true of any place one visits...if one has to really soak in the spirit of the place.
ReplyDelete