Enjoying Bia Hà Nội on our balcony
Tomorrow will mark our one week anniversary in our new home. This week has been fun, exciting, tiring and terrifying (only when crossing the road) all at once. Monday morning Zack dove right into work and will spend the next month in language class. I, happily, am much more free to enjoy the sights and sounds of our new neighbourhood. Not wanting to wait all week for Zack to explore with me I have taken the plunge and decided to go and do and eat wherever I end up, usually somewhere within a 5 mile radius of our apartment. Although it’s always great to have Zack with me I am pleasantly surprised as to how relaxing and easy it is to explore by myself. It’s hard not to make comparisons to Gambia and although I never felt unsafe walking on the beach (etc.) it was unpleasant constantly avoiding the “Bumsters”.
Walking around I see any number of things that often make me both laugh and cringe, sometimes simultaneously. A few examples from the past couple of days:
- Unidentified squealing animal in a plastic bag on the handle of a scooter
- Indefinite about of close calls on the road, usually involving multiple scooters coupled with multiple phone texts
- Toads in a bowl on the footpath (a new take on toad-in-a-hole)
- Eels (or something) in a bucket of water on the footpath
- A puppy in a bike basket
- A baby in a bike basket
Our evening routine this week has included multiple walks in various directions, eating a new Vietnamese dish every night and enjoying Beer Hanoi on our little balcony overlooking the street. Since arriving our excitement to be in Vietnam has increased and we’re keen to get into life here and continue exploring both the city and the country.
Hẹn gặp lại
Hà Nội Sống 