Hanoi

after our 'stunning stay' in  Sapa and our goodbyes to Halong bay, we found ourselves back in Hanoi.  Only this time for a much more brief stay. We had only a day until our one hour flight from Hanoi Vietnam was leaving to Luang Prabang Laos.  We decided we would not waste any time relaxing and found some new, exciting ways to explore Hanoi our second time around. 

 

This is where we had dinner, the food is so delicious locals and travelers alike line up for the chance to get a table! Lucky us!  It was a Vietnamese barbeque where you do the barbequing yourselves. They bring you all kinds of mouth watering  fresh veggies, marinated beef and rice chips (to snack on or for dipping) and washed down with an ice cold beer Hanoi. You are able to  help yourself, cook what you want, relax and just enjoy!  Our kind of meal! 

After stuffing our bellies and indulging in a few more beer Hanoi's we were not sure if we would be able to stay awake to see some more sights. But determined as we were, we got up and headed downtown for a second look at the hustle and bustle in the lively city. 

 

city sights 

Walking downtown we came across a lady who was bent over on the sidewalk, wad of cash in hand.. burning it! When our big curious eyes saw this, of course we had to stop and learn why. 

When we asked her why she only told us for luck and for Buddha, then she handed Shaun a bill and motioned him to burn it with her. 

And last but not least, to conclude the night we had bought tickets to a water puppet show. 

It was quite neat to see,  very dramatic and elaborate and humorous at time.  

 Our last night in Hanoi and in Vietnam was over.. we were two tired pups, crawled into bed and before we knew it we were awake again and on our way to Laos!