Scenes from Hanoi

Ah Hanoi, what a beautiful city. Great food, and fantastic scenery.

Huc Bridge to Ngoc Sam Temple


Old men playing chess at Ngoc Sam Temple. Have to love a place where people gather to play games and talk with friends.




The Temple of Literature was founded in 1070 as a Confucian temple. The first university of Vietnam was established within the temple, and it educated Mandarin scholars for over 700 years.

Woman fanning herself selling water and incense.



The gift shop inside sold these water puppets. Creeps me out with all these beady eyes staring at you.


There's something to be said for simple photographs.


Black and white entrance to the courtyard

Halong Bay part deux

What better way to appreciate the natural beauty of Halong Bay then go kayaking around? Beautiful scenery, plus I got the chance to work off all the bowls of pho.

We first had to take a boat like this...

... to stay in some island cabinas...

... and sleep under bednets...

... and getting a firsthand view of the rain.

When it poured, it poured!


The kayaking was spectacular, these photos do not do the scenery justice.



Did I mention it was raining? Can't imagine why BOTH my digital cameras no longer work now... can't imagine how they got wet.

Such a serene special place.

Hello to Halong

One of the most popular tourist sites in Vietnam is the wonderfully sublime Halong Bay. It was fantastic to see the more than 3000 prehistoric-looking rock outcroppings emerging from the emerald green water.




Even though the bay is a "protected" site, there are many floating fishing villages established in the bay. Unfortunately, that also means that there is a lot of floating trash as well.


The floating villages were completely analogous to their land counterparts, complete with a floating bar and pool table, a floating temple, and yes, there was even a floating boat hawking sundries and vegetables. Some huts had tv antennas as wide as they were attached to them.


People also lived their entire lives aboard their fishing boats. Can't be an easy life.

Colorful still-life in Hoi An

Hoi An was a very colorful town. I was lucky to get these shots before the humidity got to my camera and it went kaput, doh!

Lanterns being made, hung, and lit at night.







Door and window shutter