I flew into Hanoi in fog and mist. It was evening, and the winding streets of the Old Quarter were alive with flickering lights and plenty of stalls selling sizzling fried pork and beef and fried critters I dare not eat. Everyone was out, sitting at tables in front of storefronts, smoking a cigarette or chatting amiably together. The city streets are packed with motorbikes. They whirl by you at every second. I narrowly missed a few but the glide right by you, effortlessly, as I moving through water. I think Hanoi is incredible, full of this old Asia energy and pho stalls and the air smells like incense and fish. Also…you can eat snake and dog here. I’m thoroughly not for it, tales and scales aren’t among my food preferences. Tomorrow morning I am going on a boat trip to Halong Bay. It’s said a dragon swam through the waters and created these huge rock formations that protrude from the waters surface. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. I paid for a deal where I can go swimming and kayaking in the caves as well.

Last night I finally gathered energy to go for a walk around the lake. I found it by chance, the Old Quarter is a labyrinth of winding streets. It’s easy to get lost and found again within minutes. The lake was serene, with two old buildings lit up on islands. People were all out walking, couples hand in hand, children pedaling bikes a short distance in front of their parents. On one corner of the lake there was a massive crowd of middle aged locals doing some sort of Richard Simmons rendition of exercise, flailing their arms from side to side and kicking their legs up and down, all to some funky sounding music. I almost joined in, I haven’t done yoga in days and the movement might have been nice. But I walked on. Some polite yet persistent high school students wanting to practice their English stopped me. In a few minutes I’m going to try and hit some museums, including the Temple of Literature, it sounds amazing.