Hanoi = Bia Hoi (pronounced Beer Hoy!)

What can we say, the capital of Vietnam, Hanoi, is an overwhelming mix of pesty touts, millions of motorbikes, cheap beer and colourful characters. In short - it took us a day to settle in but we have now fallen in love with this fast paced city. To cross the road here is complete blind faith. Hundreds of motorbikes cram the narrow streets and with no traffic lights to stop them, it is impossible to find a gap to walk through. Instead you simply hold your breath and walk straight out amid the zooming bikes. Remarkably they manage to swerve around you and as yet (cross fingers) neither of us have been hurt. After the first day it becomes second nature to step in front of traffic. I must admit though, I have reverted to my childhood and Bol has to hold my hand whenever we cross the road! A tid bit of info for you - there are 4 million residents in Hanoi and more than 2 million motorbikes!

Bol indulges in the Bia Hoi stall

We're staying at a hotel right in the centre of the "Old Quarter" - the liveliest part of the city. It's lined with shops and stalls, touts and the infamous "Bia Hoi". For those who don't know, Bia Hoi is set up on street corners. They consist of a keg of beer and a stall owner who pulls out tiny plastic kids chairs for you to sit on. You kick back chatting to locals and other backpackers on miniature stools drinking - you guessed it - beer, for the bargain price of 18 cents a glass. Magic! Needless to say Bia Hoi has become our favourite hangout in Hanoi.

The world has also become so much clearer to me during our stay here. I finally got a pair of prescription glasses after struggling to see long distances for the past year! For just $45 (so cheap in comparison to Oz) I got a cool, very simple pair of specs. When I walked out the optometrist the world was suddenly crystal clear. Bol and I did a circuit of the city in which I kept saying "Oh my god - look at the blades of grass." "Wow - I can see people's faces. Before they were just blurry images and now I can actually see every detail of their eyes, nose, mouth ...". I've decided not to wear them too much though, because as soon as I took them off the world looked more blurry than it ever had before. So I think I'll save them for special occasions - job interviews in Europe and work (when I manage to get a job).

I try out my new specs (they look better in real life, I swear!)

Hanoi is the base in which to head to Sapa, in the mountains, and Halong Bay, on the coast. We've just returned from Sapa (see next blog post) and we head to Halong Bay tomorrow. The weather at the moment is really hot and humid so we're looking forward to the sea breezes. There's not too much more to say about Hanoi at the moment as we've only been here a couple of days and it's been spent hanging out with other travellers and just meandering around the crazy streets. The food though definitely deserves a mention. Fresh fish, "make it yourself" fresh spring rolls (filled with caramelized beef) - Mmmmm.... Our tastebuds have definitely had a work-out. Over and out!