Hanoi, Vietnam
So a little drama....
No visa for Luke come check in time for our flight. Thankfully we had an awesome attendant at the Thai Airways counter who put him on the flight to Bangkok and kept his seat to Hanoi pending his visa. We get to Bangkok....no visa. Plan B in effect. So we leave Luke in Bangkok and catch our flight to Hanoi. After a log day of travel, everything went smoothly for us in Vietnam and we were very thankful for that. The boys were great on the flight to Bangkok but super miserable to Hanoi and it was great to walk through customs and into a van with a driver waiting for us.
Our Airbnb is in a traditional Vietnamese house. It's 5 levels, the main floor is a kitchen, the next three levels each holds a bedroom with ensuite and the rooftop has the wash. We are tucked in a small alley. Our place is only a few blocks from the opera house (a landmark here). The area seems a bit posh with French and western cafes and restaurants. Hanoi is a lot cooler temperature wise than we expected. We are only hitting the low 20s and it gets quite cool at night. Everyone here is wearing winter jackets. They look at us like we're insane for walking around in shorts and sandals.
Our Airbnb is in a traditional Vietnamese house. It's 5 levels, the main floor is a kitchen, the next three levels each holds a bedroom with ensuite and the rooftop has the wash. We are tucked in a small alley. Our place is only a few blocks from the opera house (a landmark here). The area seems a bit posh with French and western cafes and restaurants. Hanoi is a lot cooler temperature wise than we expected. We are only hitting the low 20s and it gets quite cool at night. Everyone here is wearing winter jackets. They look at us like we're insane for walking around in shorts and sandals.
The next day we woke up and hoped Luke's visa would appear, it did not. The kids and I went in search of pho for breakfast, it was delicious. We headed out to a cafe and made our way to Hoan Kiem Lake on the edge of old town Hanoi. The streets surrounding the lake were barricaded and transformed into a pedestrian area with music, street performers, vendors and even play areas for kids. We found out later that they do this each weekend.
We walked around after diner and sampled some treats like anti-griddle ice cream, bahn ran (Vietnamese doughnuts on the savory side) and a taffy like treat. The boys got to run around and burn off some energy and we watched a few of the performers. We even rented the kids a remote control powered car to tour around in. They absolutely loved it.
We walked around after diner and sampled some treats like anti-griddle ice cream, bahn ran (Vietnamese doughnuts on the savory side) and a taffy like treat. The boys got to run around and burn off some energy and we watched a few of the performers. We even rented the kids a remote control powered car to tour around in. They absolutely loved it.
The next day, still no visa. So we came up with another plan...apply for a visa on arrival. Luke registered online and we realized nothing gets done on the weekend. Realistically, he won't be here until Tuesday at the earliest. With that in mind, the rest of us could settle into enjoying Hanoi instead of constantly checking the visa site for updates.
We decided we would head back to Hoan Kiem lake for the day and hit up a banh mi place Isa was interested in for lunch. Then we stopped at the Note Café for some beverages. Every inch of the café is covered with "love notes" written by patrons. Some are genuine, others are there to give you a laugh, The boys spent most of their time in a spot over looking the square performances below and taking pictures with 2 young girls...my little Casanovas. We went to the fringe of old town, but it isn't very conducive to strollers. Isa and I returned later while the kids slept to get some retail therapy in.
For dinner Mack and I stumbled upon this little place down a side street that served one of the most delicious and interesting soups I've ever had. It was a sour and spicy broth and it was to die for! Mack has been my food buddy while Luke is away. He's open to trying just about anything with me :)
On Monday we walked down to the corner and got some delicious egg banh mi for breakfast. Later, I headed down to the grocery store in search of some snack and diapers. We didn't feel like running around today, so we kept it low key and hit up local stands to eat. Isa and Mack decided to go on a tour with the hop on hop off bus. In the evening Luke got his visa on arrival approval!! So he booked a flight for tomorrow evening. I am looking forward to having him here. Mack and Isa have really stepped up to help with the kids, I don't know what I would've done without them. Having a 4th set of hands will definitely be welcomed by all of us.
Tuesday, we all headed into old town carrying the boys. Everyone was tired real quick and so not much was accomplished. We did manage some Banh Mi (about the only thing Isa will eat here) and found some over priced and stale banh ran. Luke's complete E-Visa was FINALY processed by the afternoon, so that sped things up for his arrival. I met him at the Opera house and took him to the sour and spicy soup joint Mack and I had found.
The boys have become local celebrities. We can barely get out of our ally every day without the women from the restaurant at the gate stealing them away to the kitchen to feed them, pass them around and pinch their cheeks and thighs. The ladies selling fruit at the gate give them bananas and hold them. People down the block pose for selfies with the. Honestly, it's a little insane. We should start charging, I'm convinced it would fund our trip.
The kids decided last night that they would go to Halong Bay the next day on a tour. So they were up and out early for their day trip. Luke and I started the day with pho and a coffee. This is where I discovered the most amazing form of coffee….the coconut coffee. Frozen coconut milk blended smooth and mixed with cold coffee topped with toasted coconut pieces. It's heaven! We decided to take the boys on the hop off and on tour of Hanoi. It was super underwhelming and I don't recommend it. In the afternoon Luke and I trekked the boys through old town for a bit of shopping and some eats. We sampled some more banh mi and a dish of meat and fried tofu accompanied by a fermented shrimp paste. It was an interesting one and we still have mixed feelings about it. On the way home we were in search of some bia Hanoi (non preserved draught beer), which is harder to find than you would think. We settled for a quick pint in a garden café that housed 50 or so caged birds. The boys were being insane toddlers and wreaking everything, so our enjoyable beer turned into chugging and chasing. We were out of there quick and back home.
Isa and Mack have been eyeing up some cheese tarts from a bakery a few blocks from our place. We sampled some before Luke arrived and decided we should celegrate his arrival with more. They also took the money we left them for food and pooled it together to get a large tart while we were in Halong Bay. Yes, they are that delicious!
Thursday was our turn to Halong Bay. Luke and I opted for an overnight cruise. We checked into our cabin, which is one of the most luxurious accomodations we've had on this trip. We have a tub and a private balcony overlooking the sea. There were a number of events lined up for the day. We took a traditional boat to a sheltered bay and made frineds with some Argentinians. Argentinians, as we learned this year, like to have a good time. Sami and Santi were no exception! We bonded over beers. Back at the ship, the crew set up some ladders that allowed us to jump or dive from the secondary boat. The water was cold, but it was a really great time. After a nice hot bath (#2 that day), we met everyone upstairs for happy hour, followed by dinner in the dining room. Plenty of wine flowing at diner. The meal itselft was good and heavy on the seafood, but I felt hungry still afterwards. The rest of the evening was filled with rounds of Bia Hanoi and shuffling through 80s and 90s rock music. The staff broke out some squid fishing, but we were told it wasn't really the season for it and we caught nothing. I think we wandered to bed around 2am. My last memory was accompanying Sami to wake up a staff member for a bottle of wine to take to her room...
Needless to say the next morning was a little rough. We opted to skip the kayaking experience and sink back into bed. We missed connecting with Sami and Santi before they left the boat. Lucky for us, they tracked us down and I am looking forward to returning to Buenos Ares for some asado ;) We paid our 2 million or so dong bar tab and headed home to be responsible parents again.
Tomorrow is an early trip to the airport and a quick flight to Hue.
We decided we would head back to Hoan Kiem lake for the day and hit up a banh mi place Isa was interested in for lunch. Then we stopped at the Note Café for some beverages. Every inch of the café is covered with "love notes" written by patrons. Some are genuine, others are there to give you a laugh, The boys spent most of their time in a spot over looking the square performances below and taking pictures with 2 young girls...my little Casanovas. We went to the fringe of old town, but it isn't very conducive to strollers. Isa and I returned later while the kids slept to get some retail therapy in.
For dinner Mack and I stumbled upon this little place down a side street that served one of the most delicious and interesting soups I've ever had. It was a sour and spicy broth and it was to die for! Mack has been my food buddy while Luke is away. He's open to trying just about anything with me :)
Tuesday, we all headed into old town carrying the boys. Everyone was tired real quick and so not much was accomplished. We did manage some Banh Mi (about the only thing Isa will eat here) and found some over priced and stale banh ran. Luke's complete E-Visa was FINALY processed by the afternoon, so that sped things up for his arrival. I met him at the Opera house and took him to the sour and spicy soup joint Mack and I had found.
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| One of the ladies who works at the restaurant in our alley |
The kids decided last night that they would go to Halong Bay the next day on a tour. So they were up and out early for their day trip. Luke and I started the day with pho and a coffee. This is where I discovered the most amazing form of coffee….the coconut coffee. Frozen coconut milk blended smooth and mixed with cold coffee topped with toasted coconut pieces. It's heaven! We decided to take the boys on the hop off and on tour of Hanoi. It was super underwhelming and I don't recommend it. In the afternoon Luke and I trekked the boys through old town for a bit of shopping and some eats. We sampled some more banh mi and a dish of meat and fried tofu accompanied by a fermented shrimp paste. It was an interesting one and we still have mixed feelings about it. On the way home we were in search of some bia Hanoi (non preserved draught beer), which is harder to find than you would think. We settled for a quick pint in a garden café that housed 50 or so caged birds. The boys were being insane toddlers and wreaking everything, so our enjoyable beer turned into chugging and chasing. We were out of there quick and back home.
Thursday was our turn to Halong Bay. Luke and I opted for an overnight cruise. We checked into our cabin, which is one of the most luxurious accomodations we've had on this trip. We have a tub and a private balcony overlooking the sea. There were a number of events lined up for the day. We took a traditional boat to a sheltered bay and made frineds with some Argentinians. Argentinians, as we learned this year, like to have a good time. Sami and Santi were no exception! We bonded over beers. Back at the ship, the crew set up some ladders that allowed us to jump or dive from the secondary boat. The water was cold, but it was a really great time. After a nice hot bath (#2 that day), we met everyone upstairs for happy hour, followed by dinner in the dining room. Plenty of wine flowing at diner. The meal itselft was good and heavy on the seafood, but I felt hungry still afterwards. The rest of the evening was filled with rounds of Bia Hanoi and shuffling through 80s and 90s rock music. The staff broke out some squid fishing, but we were told it wasn't really the season for it and we caught nothing. I think we wandered to bed around 2am. My last memory was accompanying Sami to wake up a staff member for a bottle of wine to take to her room...
Needless to say the next morning was a little rough. We opted to skip the kayaking experience and sink back into bed. We missed connecting with Sami and Santi before they left the boat. Lucky for us, they tracked us down and I am looking forward to returning to Buenos Ares for some asado ;) We paid our 2 million or so dong bar tab and headed home to be responsible parents again.
Tomorrow is an early trip to the airport and a quick flight to Hue.
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