the group has come together

Good morning!  It’s 5:44 AM in Hanoi as I start this.  I am walking early here, but I went to bed at not too bad a time and slept reasonably.  It’s starting to get light out, and I will head down to breakfast soon.

It was a low key day for me and Conrad yesterday.  We walked around a little, but we didn’t quite have the energy to do so much.  And that’s ok!  We have a lot to see and do in days ahead, after all.  The grey weather wasn’t the best for photos either, alas.  

Still, there was a terrific lunch (turmeric noodles with chicken for me)

and a bit of poking in stores.  Oh, and Starbucks in Vietnam!

Most importantly, however, the tour group was all together for the first time.  Hooray!  So good to see Denelle, Peter, and Pru again, and really terrific meeting the others.  We were taken by bus to a restaurant

with a private room and a very very generous meal.  I didn’t photograph the food, but the menu shows all of the things we had.  

I especially liked the spring rolls and the pork ribs, and that sauce for the vegetables had some real tasty kick to it.  The staff were worried that we didn’t like the food because we left so much, but we simply couldn’t eat it all.  I felt badly that they thought we didn’t like it.

Today there will be sightseeing with the group, and then later today I am meeting with someone from a local library before Conrad and I (and perhaps others) go off to find dinner.  Tomorrow the library visits begin!

a seven-course meal

Marie, my darling sister, was in Vietnam with her brother Dave earlier this year, and she had a recommendation or two to share.  One of those was for a Hanoi restaurant, Maison 1929.  

Have the pomelo salad, she said.  And so we did.

It was a relatively easy walk to the restaurant.  I say that to mean that one block from the hotel we turned left and headed in a straight line.  The sidewalks were cluttered with scooters, the city was livelier than earlier in the day, and we had to walk in the street at points.  Just like everyone else, no big deal.

6:00 seems to be an early dinner time here, and maybe we can blame that choice of time on jet lag.  We’re actually doing not badly on sleep even if it is just before 6AM as I start writing this.  But no, we opted for an early meal, and as such, for a goodly part of the time at dinner we were the only ones on their small balcony overlooking a five-way intersection.

The restaurant had à la carte options, but we opted for the discovery menu, seven courses.  We each had wine - cocktail choices were very limited - and I thank Conrad for having the red wine first so that I knew to ask for the white wine instead.  

That was a small point against the meal, one of the only ones.  Otherwise, it was terrific.  Yes, we were warm sitting outside, but there was a fan keeping the air moving, and we settled in to watch the traffic below and enjoy our company before having a week or so with a larger group.

But on to the food, right?  In order of courses:

Fried clams.  Squeeze lime on the clams, mix, scoop on to the crackers.  Tasty, light, a good way to start.

Pomelo with fresh and dried shrimp.  Marie was right, this was a star on the menu.  Loved it!  My second favourite course.

Spring rolls, a trio that included crab, pork and mushroom, and beef.  All of them were good, but I liked the pork and mushroom best.

Squid stuffed with sausage and served with a turmeric sauce.  My favourite.  That sauce was so good!  Tender squid, too.

Sautéed duck.  Another one I loved.  I enjoy duck but all too often I find it cooked as a breast, sliced, and so chewy and kind of cold.  This was very tender.

Pork ribs.  Tasty and tender.  I took the meat of the bones and use the lettuce and herbs as a wrap.

Oh, we also had rice to go on the side for the three entrees.

Banana cake with coconut ice cream.  Nice, not too sweet, a little mundane after the previous courses, but fine.

Filling but not too filling, the meal was a good one.  We walked back, wound down, and got into bed before ten.  Now I want some breakfast and maybe some postcard writing!

checking in from Hanoi

Hello!  And wow, it occurs to me I should know some basic Vietnamese words of phrases for while I am here.  Hello, thank you, maybe more.  Bad of me.

Anyway, we got in to our room by around 12:30 or so last night, did moderate unpacking, slept very very well.  Not a long sleep, but a good one.  Breakfast at the hotel,

and then it was on a walk that Richie, who picked us up at the airport, recommended:  over to and around Hoàn Kiếm Lake.  

Traffic on the road around the lake would be blocked off, and there would be plenty of people out walking.  So we joined them, sweating along, taking many photos on the way there around the lake, and nearby.  

Eventually we veered off into the Old Quarter and sat outside a cafe by the cathedral, sipping hot coffee (yes, hot) and having a light lunch.

We’re back at the room now to cool off and dry out a little.  Dinner plans in several hours.  I have no doubt a nap will ensue.

But wow, there is sure to be so much to come from here!