Hanoi city life

Our soggy passage through Cambodia gave way to a couple steamy days in the North Vietnam city of Hanoi. It's a beautifully decrepit and lively city of about 7 million with nary a stop sign in sight.

With just a short time to visit, we stayed in the old French quarter in the center of the city. Gorgeous remnants of French architecture and city planning have been well-adapted to Hanoi's climate and community. Peeking out here and there among the piles of fakes handbags and watches were glorious crusty and doughy baguettes; wine shops on hidden lanes jostled next to art galleries; food stalls of roasted dog (yuck!) gave way to steaming bowls of pho.

Weaving through the millions of motor scooters were bicycles laden with produce, newspapers, flowers or immaculately dressed women in traditional Vietnamese costume.

Being on constant watch for traffic and pending rain (one typhoon was on its way inland and another was following directly behind) was a bit tiring, but luckily Hanoi is home to the fresh beer stall where we could relax with a cold brew and watch the harried world swirl by.  

The fact that we were sitting on the tiniest plastic stools and chairs in the world simply added to the charm.