So after getting settled in and having a bunch of drinks with an old friend he decided to be a tour guide of sorts for me and we went to a bunch of stuff. The city (like any huge, heavily populated city) has tons of things to see, but we didn't try to overdo it. We did walk 11km and that was enough for a guy like me.
Our day began at the Hoan Kiem Lake, which I was just delighted to find out had actual sidewalks all the way around it.
For those of you that saw my "gripes" from day one, this is one of the major problems I have with Hanoi just in a general sense. The streets are packed and there is nowhere to walk without dodging traffic. In that regard the lake was just incredible.
You have to look closely but there is an island out there and there is a nice fantasy story about a turtle that I don't remember that relates to the small castle there. The entire area is really nice, well maintained, and very clean. It is a nice refuge from the crazy traffic that is very nearby.
We went for lunch in the "Old Quarter" which as the name implies is the older part of the city. Unfortunately, this also means the streets are even more narrow than other parts of the city and of course, for the most part, there are no sidewalks. It is necessary to walk in single-file and be very careful about vehicles approaching from all directions.
*I've seen some crazy stuff being transported on bikes in Asia, but this is the first bed* The lunch was great at a burger place called "Chops" and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Later we stopped by the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum during a changing of the guards. It was a very reverent place and the gardens were impeccable. There are a lot of rules here and the tourists are kept in line by soldiers wearing white uniforms that blow whistles at you if you venture into any of the CLEARLY marked off-limits areas (it was not me that did the wandering.)
In the same area is the presidential palace and i might have enjoyed it a lot more if it weren't for the fact that there was a thousand other tourists in there. I was only able to get one clear shot and it had to be quick. Mostly this was kind of a "meh" attraction because you are not allowed to enter anything but it was extremely cheap (like $1) so in that sense, if you are in the area, go for it.
After that and just a block away is the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long. This place costs a whopping $2 to enter and the complex is huge. We are allowed to enter most of the buildings which is fantastic because it is a UNESCO world heritage site. There were some really cool bunkers that were used during various wars in the past century and I really enjoyed being able to enter those.
*double massive doors with an airlock in-between*I really enjoyed all of these places because for once I had sidewalks... haha, i know i keep returning to that gripe but call me silly... I enjoy being able to walk without fear and getting honked at / run over.
There are tons of other places like this in the city, but simply visiting these three took us many hours and like i said, we walked a bunch. The fact that the entrance to these things are either free or damn near free is a nice added bonus.
Day 2 gets a thumbs up from me :)