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Hello everyone,
My previous post was suppose to be my last one about Vietnam but then I realised that I barely talked about one of my favourite thing to do while traveling: visiting the local markets.
And the food markets in Asia are definitely worth a visit. Full of life and colours and strange food, they are a shutterbug AND an epicurean dream. I guess that would explain why I love them so much… ;-) So I couldn’t resist doing one – or two – extra entry about Vietnam.
But doing justice to the markets I visited in Vietnam only in with words in extremely difficult. The experience is too sensual, to intense. Between the roasted meat smell mixing up with a more muddy, fish like perfume, the sounds of locals chatting and going around there business, the fun and new colours and shape of food you’ve never seen before and the occasional escape of a chicken or eel cutting you off, you’ll always be busy.
So instead of loosing myself in words, here are a few pictures taken in the many Vietnamese markets I visited. They can never do justice to the real thing but I hope they’ll inspire you to swing by the local food market on your next trip.
Happy Easter everyone! H.
I'll always remember our arrival in Hanoi: it was late, dark, and as we were entering the city in a cab we notices that regardless of the late hour, people were still everywhere on the street, selling, eating, just going about their business.
As we slowly made our way to our hotel and settle in our room, it became obvious that noise would be an issue - at least for the first days...
It's as if the city never falls asleep. Or perhaps for just a few hours, somewhere between 3h00 Am and 5h00 Am, right before the loud speakers encourage us to get out of bed and stretc
h.
Pollution is another big issue in Hanoi. Usage of fuel with lead and the obsolescence of most of the vehicles on the road - not to mention their extremely high number - are the main source of air pollution. While authorities are aiming at a maximum level of 0,02 mg of suspended air particles by cubic meter, the reality in urban zone has been closer to the 0,04 or 0,05 for the last five years.
I guess that would explain why breathing mask are being sold as fashion accessories...
Than being said, Hanoi is fun to wander around. One of the best thing to do is to just get lost in the city's old quarter, the Hoan Kiem District. In this mazelike neighbourhood you'll find everything from century old houses to temple and a variety of stores, the best and the worst...
Originally, the neighbourhood was home to the 36 guilds of Vietnam who, in the 13th century, established themselves in this part of town. Each guild had there own designated street : one for candles, one for lanterns, tailors had there spot and so one. In time, more and more merchants added to the or
iginal 36 streets but you'll still find a definite tendency for the merchant to regroup.
What I call the ''Embassies'' Neighbourhood - is another fun place to wander around. Located far west of the Hoan Kiem District, this area is home of Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex. Unfortunately, the Mausoleum was close during our visit but we still were able to visit the park where you'll be able to visit Ho Chi Minh museum, HCM Stilt House and the One Pillar Pagoda.
This area of town is also home to many foreign embassies. Most of them establish themselves in old colonial houses. A stroll along one of those large boulevard, surrounded with century old trees and colourful colonial houses 
make for a refreshing afternoon.
Well, that's it for now. Next post: A few nice relaxing spot of Hanoi and more pictures. Have a good day every one!!
H.
We woke up the next morning at around 4h30 AM, early enough to catch dawn and the sunrise.
We decided to drive back to the dunes and boy was it the best decision we made! First we were greeted by a setting thin moon crescent. What a treat! We were expecting a moonless night but apparently we were off by one day… Never so happy to be wrong! Setting up the tripod, I was lucky enough to catch this beauty.
And then we just walked up the dunes again. Nothing beats the immensity one feels when climbing a sand dune. I believe it has to do with how they refer us back to the fragility of life… Nature can turn entire seas and countries into sand… And the all mighty man can’t stop it… One can’t help but feel humble by such force and beauty.
So all we did is just take in the beauty, basking in the slowly rising sun. These moments were amongst my favourites of this entire trip. The landscape was changing by the second, mountains turning red, then blue… The sun was firing the dunes and warming us. For a second there, I felt completely out of time. 
