Persongalleriet #711: Hanoi, Monday

March 13th, 2017.
Sunday became a day of rest. Although I did some photography work on the computer, I didn't take the camera out at all. In fact I didn't even leave the hotel until it was time to get some dinner in the evening. And even then I bought a pizza to go and ate it in the room. I felt I really needed  the rest, not just from taking pictures, but also from the intensity of the street. The sounds, the smells, the crowds, the heat, the fumes.

Monday morning I felt reinvigorated and went on a walk through the Old Town towards Cho Dong Xuan market. It was the normal very light drizzle, feeling more like the air humidity has passed 100% rather than actual rain.

A Cosy Spot.

Look Left.

At the Welder's Shop.

At Cho Dong Xuan.

Market Blues.

I had a lunch of the famous Bun Cha. Barbequed pork in a noodle soup wih garlic and chili and fresh herbs. Daaaa-licious!  :-)

For the afternoon walk I chose to go back once more to what has become a favourite neighborhood. South and southwest of my hotel, there are a lot of narrow winding alleys, with almost no tourists at all. Well, I was there, so one! 

The Stretch.

Raw Red Bricks.

The tourist attraction located in this part of Hanoi is the Temple of Literature, and I passed by it gates at the end of the day:

At the Gates.

I've passed by a couple of times now and it looks really nice. I decided to be a good tourist and visit it the next day!

Be well, everybody!

Niklas

Persongalleriet #710: Hanoi, Saturday

March 11th, 2017
On this day, I went on two walks with a short lunch break in between. I moved through roughly the same neighborhood as on Wednesday afternoon, extending my perimeter.

One of the first photos of the day was a street portrait. It turned out to become the theme of the day. This first one was unposed, but several times during the day I was asked to shoot portraits of the extremely friendly people I met.

Here's a second street portrait shot on the fly:

The four below are posed, though:

Be well, everybody!

Niklas

Persongalleriet #709: Hanoi, Friday

March 10th, 2017.
Stayed in my room until lunch since yr.no had promised sun during the afternoon and I wanted to reserve my energy.

A bit of joy to start off with!

At first it was as cloudy as ever, but then the sun actually came out. A little half-heartedly, but still. I got a golden hour in the Old Town, but with a very soft touch. Sort of mixed with a little milk.

I dug out the little flash that came with the camera for this shot.

At the Centre of Attention.

Be well, everybody!

Niklas

Persongalleriet #708: Hanoi, Thursday

March 9th, 2017.
Today I took a walk along the narrow train tracks that go through central Hanoi. I've seen the photos how people live right on the tracks and wanted to see with my own eyes.

After about a kilometer, I left the tracks and got into the northern part of the Old Town.

Got this super yummy lunch from one of those portable mini kitchens n an alley. If I had the power to give out Michelin stars I would have! Amazing taste and freshness! And it only cost about 1 euro...

After lunch I happened onto Chợ Đồng Xuân market, the largest indoor market in Hanoi.

Chess game at the market.

I reconnected with the railroad at Ga Long Bien bridge, which spans the Red River.

The bridge has a bike lane in each direction as well.

A small arm or maybe backwater of the river.

Street Barber.

Walked back to the hotel and a much needed rest after a five and half hour walk.

Be well, everybody!

Niklas

Persongalleriet #707: Hanoi, Wednesday

March 8th, 2017.
Woke early and got myself out on the streets by 8. Just to walk somewhere else I took a route past the park with the Lenin statue, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the sight nearest my hotel, The Temple of Literature (which looked nice, I might visit it later). Sorry, no tourist pics from these attractions this time...  ;-) I did get to do high 5's with an entire class of 10-year-olds at the Mausoleum!

Sanitation, RGB style!

Mainly the R and B parts in this one...

Back at the hotel by 10 for a mid-morning tea and snack. And a nap...  :D

Got out again at 12:30 and walked some new (for me of course) alleys near the hotel, just west of the main train station.

Found these guys playing their chess. The guy on the left spoke very good English and surprised me by knowing where Umeå is. He had even passed through on a trip to Sweden!

I got hungry and started looking for something to eat. I found this little place where the guy offered to make me my first Vietnamese kebab! He said since I was such a special customer, he wanted to take a photo of us together. His buddy held the phone and of course i asked for them to take a shot with my camera also.

That's my kebab he's hold and yeah, it was super delicious! Different than a "Swedish" kebab, more like Gyros with cilantro...  :-)

While waiting for the sandwich to be prepared an elephant walked by:

And this scene made me stand up and cross the street:

Three chicken.

The afternoon walk was cut short by massive rains. I jumped into a cab and holed up for the rest of the day.

Be well, everybody!

Niklas