Despite my best efforts to get an early night before the grand day out Dao had planned for me in Hanoi, my day pretty much began where my night finished, at 5am. Realising that I definitely needed to shower and change (after post dancing induced by the success of Holland against Brazil in the World Cup), I sent Dao a message saying I would be a little late to our meeting point at the Opera House. It is amazing how many people are awake at this time on a Saturday morning. Our first stop was at close-by Hồ
Hoàn Kiếm or "Lake of the returned sword
". This is the hotspot for Hanoian's who partake in early morning exercises. As we cycled by we watched as a whole generation of ages carried out their daily routines ranging from people jogging to women doing aerobics to very old men and women throwing their arms around and haphazardly swinging their hips. Needless to say, I found this very entertaining. After our own gentle cycle morning exercise we found a near-by street stall to stop and get breakfast. This consisted of a nice bowl of steaming Phở
(pronounced 'fir') which is the Vietnamese staple noodle soup served with either chicken or beef, a regular breakfast choice, frequently eaten while sat on a very low and small stool (not built for a western bum), s
o basically on the street. Our next stop was the Army museum to see some of the relics of weapons and warfare, including a 'graveyard' of fighter planes. After a refreshing coconut juice we then went on an extended cycle ride all around the West Lake. Feeling tired and a little week we ventured back towards the old quarter to grab some lunch. At another street stall we had some Bún chả, which is a combination of grilled pork, vermicelli noodles served with a soup and vietnamese greens. Before setting off for the afternoon, we went to a nice cafe to meet up with Ha and to get some chilling smoothies. In the afternoon we swapped our bicycles for motorbikes and headed out of town to the Museum of Ethnology. It was really interesting to read about all the different ethnic groups and history. There was also a really pretty garden within the grounds of the museum which we spent some time enjoying before heading back home. We finished our day by grabbing some kem (icecream) and che (sweet drink) at one of Ha's favourite places.
Despite my best efforts to get an early night before the grand day out Dao had planned for me in Hanoi, my day pretty much began where my night finished, at 5am. Realising that I definitely needed to shower and change (after post dancing induced by the success of Holland against Brazil in the World Cup), I sent Dao a message saying I would be a little late to our meeting point at the Opera House. It is amazing how many people are awake at this time on a Saturday morning. Our first stop was at close-by Hồ Hoàn Kiếm or "Lake of the returned sword
". This is the hotspot for Hanoian's who partake in early morning exercises. As we cycled by we watched as a whole generation of ages carried out their daily routines ranging from people jogging to women doing aerobics to very old men and women throwing their arms around and haphazardly swinging their hips. Needless to say, I found this very entertaining. After our own gentle cycle morning exercise we found a near-by street stall to stop and get breakfast. This consisted of a nice bowl of steaming Phở (pronounced 'fir') which is the Vietnamese staple noodle soup served with either chicken or beef, a regular breakfast choice, frequently eaten while sat on a very low and small stool (not built for a western bum), s
o basically on the street. Our next stop was the Army museum to see some of the relics of weapons and warfare, including a 'graveyard' of fighter planes. After a refreshing coconut juice we then went on an extended cycle ride all around the West Lake. Feeling tired and a little week we ventured back towards the old quarter to grab some lunch. At another street stall we had some Bún chả, which is a combination of grilled pork, vermicelli noodles served with a soup and vietnamese greens. Before setting off for the afternoon, we went to a nice cafe to meet up with Ha and to get some chilling smoothies. In the afternoon we swapped our bicycles for motorbikes and headed out of town to the Museum of Ethnology. It was really interesting to read about all the different ethnic groups and history. There was also a really pretty garden within the grounds of the museum which we spent some time enjoying before heading back home. We finished our day by grabbing some kem (icecream) and che (sweet drink) at one of Ha's favourite places.
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