Barbershop quartet
Hanoi, October 2013
Posts tagged ‘hanoi’
Fish
West Lake, Hanoi, September 2013
(Intermission: Back to Hanoi)
Regular readers will know that I’ve spent the last three and a half months or so following the Mekong river from Yunnan province in China, through Laos and Cambodia, and into the Mekong delta in the south of Vietnam. That trip has now come to an end, and it’s time for me to get back to real life, and the business of finding a job and somewhere to live. And that’s where a big change comes in: having lived in Saigon since the end of 2011, I’m moving back to Hanoi. Hanoi is where I lived for more than two years when I first came to Vietnam, and it’s the place in the country where I feel most at home. People in the south tend to look at me like I’m crazy when I say I prefer life in the north, and it’s not really something I can explain logically; all I can say is that it’s a move that feels right for me.
The pictures above were taken during a quick visit to Hanoi back in April. I might not be posting any new pictures for a while, but there are still more to come from the Mekong trip. I’ll still be taking pictures in Hanoi, but I want to build up a bit of a collection, and get the rest of the Mekong pictures out of my system, before sharing anything new.
Tracks
Last weekend, while visiting Hanoi for a few days, I took a short walk along the stretch of railway track that leads from Hanoi station, over Long Bien bridge and out to the north. I followed the tracks across the busy city streets near the station, then through a quiet neighbourhood, and above a local market. Space is tight; houses open directly onto the tracks. Trains are fairly infrequent so, as in any other Hanoi neighbourhood, people go about their everyday business in the streets outside their homes.
As the railway heads gently up and towards the bridge, there is little room for the market stalls underneath. Here, dog meat is being sold as a train passes overhead.
Wayne and Frank were out looking for trouble.
Other forms of transport are available.
I stopped for a cup of tea…
… which this nice man insisted on paying for.
Unfortunately, I was too late for lunch; the com binh dan was already closed.
Surrounded
Perhaps it’s just me, but when I see a street food seller from this angle, surrounded by baskets and bowls of food, I think of a 70s rock drummer, Neil Peart perhaps, surrounded by an elaborate collection of drums and cymbals. Anyone else see it? Oh, just me then.
Pith
Near Dong Xuan market, Hanoi, yesterday.
Bits and pieces
Hue, central Vietnam, May 2012
View of Hanoi from the top of My Dinh tower, October 2012
In Lenin Park, October 2012
In Ta Phin village, near Sapa, north-west Vietnam, October 2012
Over and under the bridge
On Long Bien bridge, you see urban Vietnam: motorbikes, tired colonial architecture, views of narrow houses and tower blocks fading into the smog. Under the bridge, the island, where you find a slither of rural Vietnam: fishing villages, farmland, brave Red River swimmers.
When I lived in Hanoi, it was one of my favourite areas to go and take photographs in. These pictures are from a brief visit in October, when I stopped over in Hanoi for a few days on my way further north.
Travels with my sister
It’s easy to become jaded and cynical about a place after you’ve lived there for a while. One of the great things about visits from friends and family is that you get to look at familiar sights with some fresh perspective. Things that you might have started to take for granted become interesting again. So nine days in Vietnam with my sister, as well as being an opportunity to spend some time with one of my favourite people, was a chance to remind myself about what drew me to Vietnam in the first place.
These pictures are from the few days that Kate and I spent in Dalat and Hanoi.
Green (potw #41)
I’ve spent the last week and a bit on holiday with my sister, Kate, who came over from the UK to visit her little brother. We had a great time in Saigon, Dalat and Hanoi before Kate had to head home last night. I have a few pictures to add, but I thought I’d start with Mr Green here, seen this morning in Hanoi.
Without an H 