Today we headed to the tiny Hue airport for our transfer to Ha Noi. Sadly we had to say goodbye to Nguyen he’d been lots of fun and his English was so good.
But then we met Trang and she was equally amazing. From Ha Noi airport and we transferred to our hotel to check in and drop off our bags. Before setting out for some sight seeing Tran took us to a local restaurant called Dai Hai which means big ocean. Here we had beef pho. In each area the pho is slightly different. In the north there is less in the pho. Just the broth, green onions and the beef and noodles and yet it was very tasty. The pho was served with fried bread which was a bit oily and too crispy for my taste.
First stop on the tourist trail was the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Thang Long Royal Citadel. This site holds much of the history of Vietnam, particularly North Vietnam. We were there on a weekend and there were students on school excursions completing assignments inside the musuem part of the building. Outside many students were having their final school photographs taken and celebrating their graduation.
Our walking tour then took us to Tran Quoc Pagoda the oldest pagoda in Ha Noi which was built in the 6th Century standing on the west shore of Hoan Kiem Lake. Outside there were turtles for sale for visitors to buy and release for good luck. We were warned that they were then recaught and resold so not to buy them there.
Our walking tour took us back to our hotel through the surrounding streets bordering the lake which are closed on the weekends for celebrations before the new year. The roads bing closed meant you could walk around without fearing for your life and it was so nice to have a break from the crazy traffic and be able to just look around.
After going back to our hotel for a rest we heading out again through the area near the lake to find somewhere nice for dinner. The streets were full of people, young and old all having fun and celebrating the coming lunar new year.
Your blog is great. Although I am a Vietnamese, I’ve never been to Hanoi before. Seeing Hanoi through your pictures is a nice experience. It’s also make me want to go back to school. I miss wearing my uniform now, although ao dai is uncomfortable a little bit ^^.
P/s: Sorry if I make any mistakes, I’m not really good in English ^^
Thankyou for taking the time to read and comment on my blog. I’m so happy you enjoyed it.
Thank you for reply. I’m looking forward to more posts on your blog ^^
please be a youtuber.. you will kill it..hah me encantoó el vlog
Dear Liz,
I found out about your blog last Friday and I took this weekend to read it and to appreciate your beautiful photographs. I like photography because it’s a way to look into places through someone else’s eyes, but your blog showed me another side. The way you write about your experiences made me feel like I was traveling with you, feeling the sensations and the adventures with you.
I can’t write a comment without mentioning that I had tears in my eyes reading about your dad and your mother-in-law, I felt the pain in your words (even if it was three years ago) and it made me think about how we should live a life we will remember. It was probably really hard and painful for you to write and thank you so much for doing that. Again, I’m truly sorry for your losses.
I’m 20 years old but I already have so many doubts and people trying to put me down, and seeing things like your blog, showing me how life can be pretty, really make me feel better. I’m studying to become a Veterinarian (year 2023) because since I was a little kid, animals are my big priority in life and all I want to do is to save them. You inspired me to try to create a blog to share my experiences with them, so I can read it later and see how much I’ve grown in life and to remember ever single feeling and experience those animals brought into my life. This way, I will know I lived a life I will always remember.
Thank you, Liz.
Sincerely,
Laura.
Thank you for your kind words. All the best with your studies. Animals need someone with a kind heart looking after them.
Wonderful blog! I found it while searching on Yahoo News. Do you have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo News?
I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get
there! Appreciate it