Hanoi

This city is busy. We hopped in a little toyota immediately after gathering our luggage. Held my breath at moments wondering if it was going to make it. Luckily sleep was had on the plane and I was feeling fresh, more or less. Our ride to the hostel was nail biting excitement. I had no idea how the horn in a car could be your best friend. I was glad our driver was skilled with his. His steering wheel was reinforced with clear tape because his thumb was wearing through the brand new car's horn. Scooters, bikes, pedestrians were all part of the chaos of the ride into the old city. We drove for twenty minutes in the city before we saw a traffic light.
We went out into the city after settling into the rooms. Typical backpacker hostel. Walking across the street was crazy. There is a very zen way of walking at a constant pace so the motorbikes and cars can move around you as they predict your speed. There is food being cooked right on the streets from steaming pots and all the stores spill into the sidewalk. We escaped into Pagoda's for some Buddist moments and looked at the shrines that have been around longer than our country has existed.
The next day we walked about. Visits to the Vietnam war museum and fine arts center were both amazing. The black lauquer wood cuts were my favorite. Seeing the perspective from another country that fought against mine was grounding. I picked up such pride in the way they fought for their country that I hadn't previously th0ught about before.
We drank tea on the streets with locals and they poured us cups of fresh green tea as we sat in plastic stools three inches tall. At lunch a student ordered pidgeon and we dined on fried squid as well, i passed on the pidgeon. The specialty is pho a thinly sliced beef with noodles that is quite tasty and costs under a dollar on the streets. Off to the northern jungles of Sapa soon.