Skip to main content

Good Morning Hanoi!

FREEDOM! Finally the train ride was over and back to Hanoi we were after 4 days of fun in Halong and Sapa.
As I walked out of the station, an idea struck me - to capture as much of Hanoi as possible in the early morning. Was inspired by this segment in The Straits Times whereby shots of what goes on in people's lives just before 8am were taken. So it was just me and my most humble Canon Ixus during the almost 1hr walk back to Sinh Cafe from Hanoi Train Station.

At 6am:

Vietnam Press Holdings (VPH) in action.

Laying out the greens for the day. By the way, check out the seller's coat!

How happening for a stall vendor ay?

Void of the noisy and chaotic traffic - a trademark of Hanoi's streets.

Appreciated the absence of the jarring honking of motorbikes and other vehicles.


At 6.15am


Working out when the air is much cleaner and fresher

Brekkie on its way.


Balancing act - makeshift stall somewhere I suppose.

With what she was carrying, she actually walked ahead of us! Pro.


At 6.35am


Patiently waiting for her customers. So meanwhile, relac 1 corner!

One of the many vegetable sellers I've met as I walked along the streets. I just love the way they carried their goods and confidently strutting across the road. A pity I didn't a chance to try carrying what they carry. It will be a cool experience I suppose.


At 6.45am

A bunch of backpackers still trying to find their bearings!

"Where are we man????" ; "Are we lost??"


At 7am-ish

We finally arrived at Sinh Cafe. Dumped our bags in 1 corner and went out in search for breakfast.


Patronized this roadside stall that sold 'Pate' - Viet's subway sandwich. Jeff's recommendation. I must admit for once it was a good call.

With so many eyes on her, she had no choice but to give us good stuff! Haha..look at how intense the guys are looking at the lady. No room for any mistakes boy :)

Oh and before I had my sub, I actually satisfied another craving of mine - DONUTS! Bought 1 stick and it was quite nice. Rather different from Singapore's donuts - softer and less sweet.

By 7.30am, the whole town was already bustling with activity. Stalls were all in full operation and the honking began. People were once again going about their daily routine. It will be non-stop action till nightfall and the cycle starts all over again.

I always enjoyed the walks along the streets as I get to see so much that's happening around me. I take delight in just being able to soak into the atmosphere of the place and get first hand experience of the kind of lifestyle the people had.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wo(Man) of the hour

As I read the tribute to the late Dr Goh Keng Swee, I can't help but feel this profoundly deep admiration for this immensely brilliant forefather of Singapore. I was in awe of his contributions and how his influence is so pervasive in modern Singapore, yet so few actually heard and know of his legacy. The more I read on about what people remembered of him and his long list of accolades, the more proud I am to be a Singaporean. I never knew places of interests like our zoo, bird park and even Sentosa were his ideas! These are just a tiny fraction of his contributions. My gosh....it was just an incredible discovery and I was hooked to the Saturday's Special edition on 'Remember Dr Goh Keng Swee'. Strangely, my heart was pounding as I read and later reflected on this titan's life. Instinctively, a question came to mind i.e. will there be another titan like Dr Goh, Mr Lee KY, Mr Wee Kim Wee or the other members of the Old Guard in my generation? Will I get to see one em...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day 3 & 4 - Halong Bay

HALONG BAY Cat Ba Island (2 days, 1 night) After 1 day of exploration of Hanoi city, we headed for Halong Bay via the junkboat. Our destination was on Cat Ba Island where we stayed for the night. It was also there that we ventured onto 'Monkey' Island - not to be deceived; there was only 4 monkeys sighted. The exhilirating part of this journey was the motorbike ride to the ferry terminal to board the boat to 'Monkey' Island. Felt like I was part of a short scene of a James Bond movie (pillion with Pierce Brosnan!). Will never forget the cold draft blowing against my face and just riding up and down the slopes! Cat Ba Island is a very quiet & tranquail place. Little activity especially at night. Wanted to catch the morning activities at the fishing wharf opposite our hotel but could not wake up in time. Nonetheless, managed to capture some snippets of what goes on at the bay. Waiting patiently to board the boat. Snapped this on board the boat. Not a vietnamese but fe...
2 comments
Read more

Be The Best

The trio met again last evening for dinner and as usual, engaged ourselves in a thought provoking conversation about THE STATE OF EDUCATION! (what's new???!!!). But seriously, such conversations never failed to make me think about what kind of a teacher I would want to be in future. As I listened to dearest Joani's impassionate speech on her personal thoughts/feelings about teachers and teaching, I could not help but feel a little guilty. She was basically ranting about how some people just cannot see beyond the immediate discomfort, not realising that the so called 'hurdles' at this moment are merely temporal and are meant to toughen us up for the journey ahead, which is not going to be a bed of roses. Succintly putting things into context, it was about one's attitude towards our work. Nothing perfectionist or nazi-sistic but I respect her for the pride she takes in everything she does. Sometimes I 'scold' her for being too kan cheong, making things difficu...
Post a Comment
Read more