Various Photographs of Things I Have Seen and Done (Hoàn Kiếm Lake, Thiền Quang Lake, Old Quarter, Hanoi)
I can’t muster the energy to relate in wordy detail all that’s gone on over the past two days, so have some photographs instead, that’s what you like anyway, nowadays, isn’t it, all pictures and no real content.
At the weekend, the roads are closed off and children roam free in miniature cars, either self-drive or remote controlled. It’s chaos, but it’s the cutest and coolest thing ever.This is Finn, he lives at LENS Coffee. He barked at everyone but me. I felt blessed. Good boy.The view outside a wonderful bia hoi. I had a couple, read my book and ate beef. The young lads working there loved football. I told them I wasn’t bothered. This confused them, so I’ll be sure to lie in future. I currently support Newcastle.
The menu had some great hardcore/post-post-punk band names.
NailrollsBare FlooringCow BucketThrow PhungCalf HearingCow SqueezesWhere the magic happens.I found my all-time favourite beer at die Träumerei (49 P. Quang Trung, Trần Hưng Đạo, Hai Bà Trưng, Hà Nội)Not my photo, thanks to Anna Auden.They had a wide selection of European beers and deli specialities. If I ever need consoling with strong beer and cured meats, I know where to go.A terrible picture of a beautiful lake, Thiền Quang. It was Sunday night so it was very peaceful, the gentle chirrup of crickets punctuated by the occasional toot of a passing bike.I met some very cool students celebrating birthdays. They invited me to sit, they shared their passion fruit cake and we chatted about music, culture and language (read; swearing – vãi lồn!) Happy birthday to Tuan and Hien. I went in search of further refreshment. It was late, about 11, and this bia hoi place was showing Premier League. I approached gleefully, shoot the shit with the locals about the beautiful game (Come on you Newcastle… players…), what could go wrong? (Not my photo, credit: Thắng Môi Trường).
At this point, a man, sat with his two friends raised his arms in the air, crossed, and shouted ‘No!’ several times in an aggressive fashion. Perhaps the place was closing, perhaps he assumed I am a hooligan (easy mistake to make), or maybe he’s just a big, stupid racist. Either way, I went to watch the football and got shouted at/threatened within seconds. Makes sense really, stupid game for bigots (j/k, don’t throw a bench at me).
My view the following morning from The Note Coffee (64 P. Lương Văn Can), a cool place where travellers leave inside post-its of potted ‘wisdom’ on every available surface. Shaken by my interlude and in agony after a ludicrous amount of walking over the weekend, I sat and edited an audio drama. I felt incredibly cool, although none of the other Westerners acknowledged me. There are a great many po-faced adventurers here, Western-wise. Cheer up, pricks!
Shout out to CoBa Bakery (Hàng Gai, Hoàn Kiếm, Hanoi 10000) for the egg coffee (cà phê trứng), bao, and awesome pastries. Lovely people too.
The pickled vegetable pot had the cowering air of the liar…Alas, I was wrong. Eco cup my arse…
I spent most of Monday and Tuesday day time sleeping. I was fatigued beyond all measure, the realities of being an old, rapidly disintegrating bastard quickly catching up with me. Still, I have some vigor left in me, so by Tuesday tea time I was up and at ’em again, albeit feeling like my intestines were trying to chew their way out.
This cat at 1975 cafe (delectable hot chicken and cheese Bánh mì) is a trooper. A stray dog tried to pinch one out in front of the cafe and this little guy ran him off like a hero. Great work, tiny friend.Tiny Music Club at The Hanoi Social Club (every Tuesday, 6 Ng. Hội Vũ, Hàng Bông, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, Vietnam). Big recommend. Pink Frog headlined, lovely vocals over some beautiful, gentle guitar playing. Ayush, the host, also played a set of cheery (too cheery) reggae-ish tunes. Ayush is a genuinely lovely Nepalese guy who’s lived here eight years and has no plan to leave. I can see his point. I’ll go into further detail about this beautiful little event later on. May have done a little cry.
Some wicked art inside, too. Really cool place, I’ll be back, for sure.
Hỏa Lò Prison thenHỏa Lò Prison now.
Yesterday, I went to Hỏa Lò Prison, aka Maison Centrale, aka the Hanoi Hilton, aka Heartbreak Hotel, aka (Get to the point – ed.), John McCain’s former residence, not to mention the tens of thousands of political prisoners who upset the French, but that’s a whole thing that it’s best not to get into when you’re probably fatigued with all of this self-indulgent guff.
So, that’s it. Largely uneventful and I’m sorry I put you through it. No real insight to offer, other than that I’ve been told by several people (shout out to Thung, aka Bluemato https://soundcloud.com/bluematoofficial) that the incident with the aggressive football man is very unusual, and I was simply unlucky. I love this place, all of its chaotic traffic, endless food stalls, po-faced travellers and welcoming locals.
There’s a huge storm forecast in the south, so I’m chilling in Hanoi for a few more days before heading towards Hải Phòng and the stunningly beautiful Hạ Long Bay.
Max Lawrence Writes 
One response to “Various Photographs of Things I Have Seen and Done (Hoàn Kiếm Lake, Thiền Quang Lake, Old Quarter, Hanoi)”
Nice!
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