Exactly the sort of maze the hubs and I love to get lost in. When we land somewhere new, we do a very quick tour of all the “big” ticket items that we are interested in, and then without any regret, we promptly turn left instead of right with the rest of the crowd. When in Hanoi recently, we found a little alleyway that looked interesting, followed it through into a maze of other tiny alleys and spent hours just wandering, eating with tiny local street (alley) food stalls, talking with the people who lived or traded in these alleyways, as best we could using words, google images and vigorous waving of hands and arms. It was a fantastic afternoon away from the usual spots such as Train Street which has become a commercialised and tourist laden area.
Your day in Hanoi sounds like my idea of a perfect day! I did something similar in Chinatown, just took a turn and went places that you'd mostly never see on Instagram and absolutely loved it! The best way to travel!
Wow...I want to visit there now! That 1000 year-old church is amazing. And I love your term "elegant decay". So descriptive!
Thanks, Chris! I can't claim credit for "elegant decay." I read it somewhere once and it stuck! But I loved exploring that neighborhood.
Exactly the sort of maze the hubs and I love to get lost in. When we land somewhere new, we do a very quick tour of all the “big” ticket items that we are interested in, and then without any regret, we promptly turn left instead of right with the rest of the crowd. When in Hanoi recently, we found a little alleyway that looked interesting, followed it through into a maze of other tiny alleys and spent hours just wandering, eating with tiny local street (alley) food stalls, talking with the people who lived or traded in these alleyways, as best we could using words, google images and vigorous waving of hands and arms. It was a fantastic afternoon away from the usual spots such as Train Street which has become a commercialised and tourist laden area.
Your day in Hanoi sounds like my idea of a perfect day! I did something similar in Chinatown, just took a turn and went places that you'd mostly never see on Instagram and absolutely loved it! The best way to travel!