Hanoi, Vietnam {Part 1}

Vietnam.. wow. What an adventure that was. 

We absolutely LOVED it.

It is such a fascinating country and though we've studied it, seen photos, etc., I don't think you ever really get a good grasp on how another culture lives until you actually go and experience it and see it with your own eyes. 

 We loved everything we got to do and all the wonderful people we met. 

{fresh off the plane}

...

As soon as we stepped out of the airport we could immediately feel we were in a third world communist country. 

Our hotel driver picked us up and weaved through the crazy road dodging hundreds of oncoming motorbikes carrying entire families, newborn babies, baskets, flowers, chickens, you name it. No one uses a signal or the driving lanes, you just lay on your horn to get by.  The road was lined with miles of rice paddies and water buffaloes, also wandering into the traffic. There were people sitting on the side of the road on tiny colorful plastic chairs or just in the dirt, cutting up meat, working and eating.

After living in Japan, our mouths were open as we sat in the back of the car smiling and laughing, shaking our heads at each other repeatedly saying, "woah."

 We spent the first day and a half walking just about all of the Old Quarter and French Quarter, loving the colors {me..} of muted oranges and tans contrasted with sea foam green and turquoise, all while trying not to get hit by a motorbike, car, or bicycle. And ohh, the food! And the COFFEE! So delicious. The French influence is definitely still prevalent in the narrow, cafe-lined streets. And oddly enough, the chaos became normal to us after the first few hours and somehow added to the charm of the city. You learn to walk very, very slowly across the street, without making any fast movements to give drivers time to dodge you.

We came back to Hanoi, but first, we went three hours south to 

Halong Bay....  (: