I am allergic to Hanoi.

Hanoi Flag Tower

Chao Ban!  We are in Vietnam and have spent time in Hanoi and Halong Bay so far.  We're waiting on my visa for India (just getting that out of the way so we can travel at-will from here on out), so we are spending a week in Hanoi.  I think I may be allergic to the intense smog here, but we took a two-day/one-night tour to Halong Bay and I feel much better now.

I'm more comfortable with Hanoi having been here a few days and walked along almost every confusing street - but I'm not in love with the city.  There are two million motor bikes here and crossing the street is like that scene in Indiana Jones (#3 - Holy Grail) where he has to step out onto the invisible bridge - you just have to brace yourself and walk - slow and steady.  The many motorbikes and cars will flow around you - it's fascinating and a bit scary - but I am getting good at it.

Tasty Hot Chocolate!

Our food list is growing and I'm getting braver about trying weirdness (some of it is even good!).

• Good stuff: squid, buffalo, cooked oysters, duck, Vietnamese spinach, pomelo, jicama, cat fish spring rolls, ban my (sandwiches), hot chocolate, Hanoi beer.  
• Not good stuff (in my opinion, not Jefferson's): snails, fully clothed prawns (eyes and all), scallops, Son Tinh (Vietnamese liquor - Jefferson tried four kinds), hot kakao, and Saigon beer.

We have two more days and have a few more goals in the city (like try street food and maybe see a water puppet show) - but mostly just relax!  We'll probably spend a lot of time at Jamocha - a tasty little coffee shop we found with really good hot chocolate (not kakao - that was meh) - and per Jefferson, really tasty lattes.  I shall plan our next destination from here!

In front of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (we did not go in)