I fell in love with Hoi An so much that I actually woke up at 5am local time to catch the sunrise. Unfortunately, the sky was pretty much overcast but witnessing the town slowly awakens to the bustle of fishermen pulling ashore at the Central Market and the steady stream of school children on bicycles clogging up the streets was priceless!
I only managed to spend an extra hour by myself in the town centre before heading back to the hotel for the connecting bus ride to Hue. It wasn’t a long ride but a boring one nonetheless. Upon reaching Hue, we did not waste any time and headed straight for the citadel. Located just across the river from where the bus dropped us off, the citadel, to my surprise, remained largely intact! The highlight for me was definitely the visit to the imperial enclosure within the citadel (it was well worth the USD4 compared to the dismal My Son Holyland). The enclosure itself was a ruined replica of the Forbidden City but the thought of what it could have been like just a century ago left me awe-inspired.
The scorching heat did not make the visit to the citadel any more conducive but I must admit that I enjoyed myself thoroughly! 3 hours marked the limit of our visit before we headed back across the Perfume River for lunch at Omar Khayym’s just in time for the evening bus to Hanoi.
We were fortunate to have met Juan again on the ride to Hanoi that night. It was the worst ride by far but he kept me company throughout most of the night. The unprecedented meet-up also proved favourable for both parties because we got a discounted rate at the Nam Hai 1 Hotel within the Old Quarter for just USD5 a night/person, plus the company of someone new.
Hanoi, in all its hustle and bustle, tucks in an old world charm that pervades its Old Quarter. Coupled with the perfect cool air, the undoubted heartbeat of Hanoi is a traveller’s paradise and playground – plenty of food, cheap bargains, and surprises at every corner. Truly gems are the Bia Minh (excellent milk coffee) and Whole Earth Restaurant (very reasonable price). I personally adore the way in which the streets are categorized according to the goods sold on them! It is efficient and charming at the same time! And with so many things going on at the same time (shoppers haggling, cars honking, hawkers touting, and bikes zipping) there is truly no short of the perfect photo opportunity!
Much of Hanoi is left to be explored…
I only managed to spend an extra hour by myself in the town centre before heading back to the hotel for the connecting bus ride to Hue. It wasn’t a long ride but a boring one nonetheless. Upon reaching Hue, we did not waste any time and headed straight for the citadel. Located just across the river from where the bus dropped us off, the citadel, to my surprise, remained largely intact! The highlight for me was definitely the visit to the imperial enclosure within the citadel (it was well worth the USD4 compared to the dismal My Son Holyland). The enclosure itself was a ruined replica of the Forbidden City but the thought of what it could have been like just a century ago left me awe-inspired.
The scorching heat did not make the visit to the citadel any more conducive but I must admit that I enjoyed myself thoroughly! 3 hours marked the limit of our visit before we headed back across the Perfume River for lunch at Omar Khayym’s just in time for the evening bus to Hanoi.
We were fortunate to have met Juan again on the ride to Hanoi that night. It was the worst ride by far but he kept me company throughout most of the night. The unprecedented meet-up also proved favourable for both parties because we got a discounted rate at the Nam Hai 1 Hotel within the Old Quarter for just USD5 a night/person, plus the company of someone new.
Hanoi, in all its hustle and bustle, tucks in an old world charm that pervades its Old Quarter. Coupled with the perfect cool air, the undoubted heartbeat of Hanoi is a traveller’s paradise and playground – plenty of food, cheap bargains, and surprises at every corner. Truly gems are the Bia Minh (excellent milk coffee) and Whole Earth Restaurant (very reasonable price). I personally adore the way in which the streets are categorized according to the goods sold on them! It is efficient and charming at the same time! And with so many things going on at the same time (shoppers haggling, cars honking, hawkers touting, and bikes zipping) there is truly no short of the perfect photo opportunity!
Much of Hanoi is left to be explored…
1 comment:
helloo i'm linking you up. is that ok? hope you're having tons of funn.. take care!
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