Hanoi, VIETNAM

Hi there everyone :) I have been so busy out of the office...which also means living out of my laptop and blog-land. It's been so busy and crazy here and we are all caught up with another huge celebration next week, Chinese New Year and every shopping mall and street here has been jammed to the max. Seems like so many people are buying everything and there's lots of happening at malls in conjunction to this festival.  As promised here are the photos from Hanoi....more will come later on Chinese New Year later.  

Of course any tour to Hanoi will not complete without a visit to the mausoleum.  We had a lousy tour guide and considering the money we had to pay...I can't say he was worth it. 

A trip to the gardens with some Government building nearby, I snapped this Vietnamese soldier, much to the shock of the tour guide. He warned not to do it again..which I didn't, but it was shot from the back...and the soldier didn't notice. Not very friendly guy I must say..the guide and the soldier :(

Half way through the tour, we were brought back to this place - the French Quarters, or old Hanoi.  A very busy place and since it was so near the hotel, we ditched the lousy guide and walked on our own.  I must say Hanoi traffic was crazy, there dont seem to have much law here. Everyone and every vehicle since to be crossing the road at the same time. So, drive or walk at your own risk.

A common sight, people eating everywhere outside the shops :)

Overhead wires everywhere, reminded me of Bangkok. 

The streets were busy and cramped everywhere.

We took a walk to the wet market, a scene so similar with many places in Asia and even here in Kuala Lumpur. It's busy, narrow, wet and more wet everywhere.

Love this purple fruit, the mangosteen.

An assortment of teas. Oh by the way, if you are not Vietnamese, do expect the price to be inflated a few hundred percent more than what locals pay! So, you really have to squeeze your bargaining skills to the max. Prices ranged from expensive to really ridiculous.

Plenty of spices everywhere.

You can always get a fast bite everywhere.

Ah...more traffic.....busy and dangerous too.

More crazy wires and that red flag indicated that Hanoi was celebrating its 1000 years anniversary.

Just out of curiosity...this was showing in the local theatre.

My favourite flowers, the lotus...though I still could not get mine to bloom this big.

Sorry, I have been very slow in visiting, will try to soon.  There's a whole load to things to do before Chinese New Year and I am trying to see some of the cultural events next week so I can share soon.

Take care.... :)