Day 15: Hanoi is quiet on new year’s day

Well, a little bit quieter anyway. Last night we looked over our balcony and the street was shoulder to shoulder, even the mopeds (which probably weren’t supposed to be on the “walking” street) were forced to a crawl.

Today, we could see the street below. There were the usual street vendors, pho and bun cha for those starting the new year early. Our initial plans were to hit the fabric market, but inquiries with the hotel indicated not all stores would be open, so we’re putting this off until tomorrow.

Instead, we took a stroll along part of the mosaic wall. Approximately 4km, covered in mosaics, and forming a barrier for one of Hanoi’s motorways, so quite admiration isn’t really an option. As all manner of beeping vehicles zoomed past, we took in at most 1km. It’s the work of many artists, so every 20-50m ther’s a new theme and style, from dragon boats and warriors, to large turtles, to latin musicians, to farm animals, fish, cats, elephants, and a whole lot more. I’m not sure if the wall has a focal point, so it’s the sort of attraction a tourist can dip into at any point along its length.

After the stroll it was time to relax, and we booked our complimentary massage at the hotel spa. We had some time to kill, so while I napped (I’ve been a little headachy all day) L had a manicure. The massage was very relaxing, so while I could have used a bit more attention to my back and neck in my current condition, I was at least able to forget my headache for the hour.

Then it was back to the room to chill, followed by a few card games on our balcony (the brand of card is DiamondPuke, I kid you not) before our complimentary dinner at the hotel restaurant (L negotiated a sweet deal with this hotel).

Dinner was good, the standout was the Hoi An style chicken, a steamed chicken and rice full of fresh herbs, deep fried crispy onion and lemongrass, a hint of chilli, and a delightful rice made with chicken stock and mushrooms giving it a real depth of flavour. As this was our fourth dish, we almost exploded. Previously we had vegetables wrapped in beef, which had a great sauce but the beef could have been a little thinner, it was quite a heavy dish; and spring rolls two ways, deep fried with pork, and rice paper wrapped with lots of veggies and chive flowers. Dessert was home-made passionfruit icecream, and mango sticky rice, both very good.

We took an opportunity to walk off dinner, and found the streets busy but still probably quieter than either other night we’ve been here. Out the window I can hear a distant loud sound system, so there are obviously still some new year’s festivities going on.

Which reminds me, possibly the weirdest thing I saw today was the Vietnamese waitstaff wishing a Chinese family happy new year. We live in strange global times.

In today’s rambling we also re-found the eastern gate of the old quarter, which is both the last surviving original gate of the old town, and where one of our favourite honeymoon snaps was taken. We duly posed with the same buildings behind us for a new pic: I have more grey hair, L has a little less hair, but it’s still us.

Tomorrow is the fabric market, where my role is basically to grunt and carry while L shops her hardest. Then there may be more shopping, or sightseeing, or possibly a massage. I’m hoping that a good night’s sleep takes this headache away.