part two, day #2 in Hanoi...

Paul and I went to a little place called Papa Joe's cafe for dinner. We had panini sandwiches. Then we walked down this street full of stalls that has become the impromptu night market. It is nuts. There is stuff everywhere and so much of it. All sorts of things---shoes, clothes, jewelry, stuffed animals---all over it. We walked to the end of the market street where the Dong Xuan Market is. It was closed, but who needs it when there is tons of merch on the street to browse. Then we walked a few more blocks to the Long Bien bridge. It was dark and we honestly could not see that much. This bridge was supposedly built by the same guy who built the Eiffel Tower, but there is rumor that it is not true. This bridge though was bombed heaps during the war by the Americans. Each time the Vietnamese would repair it, so that they were able to continue using it. It was not until the American POWs were the ones repairing it that the American soldiers stopped bombing it. It is still pretty old looking and the repairs are still visible. We did not see them last night, but we have been told you can see them.

After the bridge, we got a taxi back to our hotel. We sat downstairs in the courtyard cafe having drinks and eating some french fries. It is so cool that we can do that. The cinema was busy, but we weren't interested in seeing any movies last night. There is an indie film showing Monday night that we are going to see called The Owl and the Sparrow. It's Vietnamese with English subtitles and has won many awards. We relaxed in the courtyard before calling it a night.

Paul booked our tickets to Hoi An for Tuesday and also began the process of looking for a hotel there. It was not an easy task because many of them are booked. Argh. He did find one this morning and we are hoping that it will work out.