Detailed Postings for the Day
Good things don't last, they said; the great weather I was blessed with for the past few days in Hanoi had given way to higher temperature! The positive thing was that I could finally soak in some sunshine although the sun appeared be enveloped by haze.
Nevertheless, I managed to work out a good sweat! Passersby also didn't give me the weird stares as I had been jogging in sleeveless tee shirts for the past few days, when some people were still bundled up like a dumpling.
Must be some special occasion as this florist on wheels was fully decked out with chrysanthemum flowers. According to the lunar calendar, the next day was the 15th day. Even in Singapore, my mom prays to the gods on the 1st and 15th day, and it's common to buy flowers too.
Breakfast at the rooftop restaurant of Bonsella Hotel. Still seeing the orange orb; the air quality in Hanoi was known to be quite bad and in the past seven days, the air quality index was perpetually in the unhealthy band.
Took a GRAB and joined the queue to take a bite of the famous pho from Phở Thế Béo! The owner was so friendly and although I loved the flavor of the broth, it's not something I would crave for. Again, I am really no fan of pho, so don't take my word for it!
Our next destination was about a kilometer away; so why not just walk and take the opportunity to digest the food we just had at Phở Thế Béo! Another florist selling chrysanthemums, although there were roses too.
The coffee drinking culture in Vietnam, where people just faced outwards and do people-watching while sipping their cups of coffee. I noticed someone smoking a pipe; an activity I would love to try!
Trúc Bạch Lake; this lake was famous among the Americans as this was the site where former US senator and presidential nominee, John McCain, landed during the Vietnam War after his plane was shot down.
Did you spot the 11-level stupa from Tran Quoc Pagoda in the above photo? For my next trip to Hanoi, I am wondering if I should stay in this area, which appeared quieter and more tranquil.
Heart Hanoi sculpture!
Exterior of Quan Thanh Temple, which was over a thousand years old! As we had plans to visit another temple, we decided to give this a go as Alex can't stand checking out so many temples in one day!
Peaceful Ho Tay - translated to West Lake, it's not as pretty as its China counterpart although in terms of size; the Hanoi one was slightly bigger.
For your viewing pleasure.
In all honesty, it's just one large body of water.
Continuing our way!
Stepping into Tran Quoc Pagoda that had a history of over 1,500 years and known as the oldest temple in Hanoi! Please visit the subposting here for more photographs and information!
With the memory of the maggot-infested fish still fresh in my brain, the sight of someone in the water of Ho Tay made me go euwww.....
Instead of joining us at the temple, Alex retreated to an ice cream parlor opposite the temple. Since weather was warm, I think we deserved the ice cream from Kem Hồ Tây Ice Cream!
Back to the Old Quarters and so temped to get a bag of mangosteens! Known as the Queen of Fruits, I have a soft spot for mangosteen after a friend taught me to how to differentiate the good from the bad!
A short exploration of Dong Xuan Market! p.s. there were three levels and we just conquered the ground floor, and even then, I didn't think we managed to go through everything.
Most importantly, I managed to secure my fried lotus seeds, cashew nuts and dried jackfruits! I strongly recommended buying the lotus seeds and cashew nuts from the store named Lan Ca, at B1 level, Unit 37-37a. The auntie so adorable and so nice!
Found a branch of Tân Huê Viên! Famous for their durian pastry mooncakes that were not priced as exorbitantly as its counterparts in Singapore, I must say I fell in love with them after I bought quite a few in Ho Chi Minh City, and gave them a light toast in my air fryer back in Singapore.
Quite a variety to choose from and they came in different weights.
Main reason for taking the pictures; price comparison!
Finally got my hands on the delicious candied lotus seeds that I enjoyed so much back in Sen Spa! This was purchased from a shop near Dong Xuan Market, and the name is Ô Mai Hồng Lam; click here for the location!
Soaking in the chaotic traffic of Hanoi, where traffic lights are not necessary to direct traffic. However, I feel it was a lot more worse in Ho Chi Minh City, where I saw a lot more motorbikes.
With plenty of time to spend, we returned to Cafe Giang for their well known egg coffee! Both the Greatest Kon and Lock had yet to try this egg coffee original store, and I would also like to introduce them to egg beer, which I prefer over egg coffee!
This towering tree at Hang Hanh Street could be the reason why tour buses couldn't come in, as height clearance could be an issue. Should the tree be cut? Of course not! I don't mind walking to the main road to take the buses for our day tours; just a slight inconvenience.
Roaming along the streets surrounding Bonsella Hotel as nothing else planned for the afternoon until evening when we would meet for our final dinner in Hanoi.
Photography gallery.
Taking Time-Lapsed Video from Cong Caphe; location was great as it overlooked Nghia Thuc Square and background was the legendary Hoan Kiem Lake.
Ventured to another Cong Cafe for time-lapsed video taking but as can be seen from the first photo, the tree blocked the views and even if there were some good spots, they were also taken by customers!
A pity as the intention was to take the time-lapsed video of the iconic Saint Joseph Cathedral. Maybe the next time I visit Hanoi, there will be another cafe with an elevated view of the cathedral.
After Cafe Giang, we actually went back to Bonsella Hotel and Alex had been sleeping while I roamed the streets! I don't mind travelling alone actually; only problem was that I don't dare to sleep alone in a foreign country!
Strolling past The Note Coffee Cafe; voted as "one of 50 Most Instagrammable Cafes in the World", it's nicer inside. So do check it out if you have some time!
Another time-lapsed video; this time from Laika Cafe at Shaw Jaw building! While showing the same Nghia Thuc Square, albeit from another angle, this cafe had the advantage of being closer to Hoan Kiem Lake
Last minute shopping at Alluvia Chocolatier!
Our last dinner in Hanoi was supposed to American fare at this S&L's Diner! Commanding a high review score of 4.6 from over 1,000 reviewers, I was so craving for western food, and was at an apparent loss when we came and saw that it was in the midst of moving, and the new place wasn't ready.
With no alternatives, we started scrambling via Google Maps on highly reviewed dining establishments where we can have a decent meal to conclude our official last dinner!
Eventually, we chose Bánh Mì Vui which had a review score of 4.8! Banh Mi we had were acceptable even though we were scratching our heads for the high score; maybe it had to do with the pricing.
Chanced upon another shop that sold candied lotus seeds; Cửa Hàng Hoàng Linh! p.s. cheaper than Ô Mai Hồng Lam, and packaging was more traditional.
The not very satisfying banh mi meant we continued to keep a lookout for surrounding eateries and I am so glad the rest persevered as we found Cha Ca Thang Long; a Michelin eatery that served Vietnamese Grilled Fish! So good can!
Leaving Cha Ca Thang Long with, finally, a happy tummy.
Purpose for showing the above photo wasn't to tell you I got a tattoo (even though I have been talking about it for a long time). Truth was, I was trying to capture the many bugs that appeared to be drawn to the lights of this tattoo signboard.
Another last minute shopping at BRG mart; near to Bonsella Hotel, it's a local supermarket where food souvenirs can also be found, and some of them had pretty good packaging for gifting. Prices were on the high side.
Ending the night with another meal, this time at The Corner Food Eatery! If I recall correctly, both Alex and I were stuffed, and the most we could stomach was just the kudzu drink!
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