Lions Vietnam Charity Trip- Day 2 At Hanoi

Day 2 was going to be our last day in Hanoi... tomorrow we will check out and make our way to HCM. So whatever we want to do on our check list.. it will be last chance to do so...

In addition to that, we are also visiting an orphanage and bringing them some goodies today:)

Noticed at the breakfast counter that there is pho. so I tried.. Forget to ask them not oo much green onions... lOL

Waiting at hotel lobby for our friends who had gone out to purchase TV set for the orphanage that we were visiting...

Somehow the bus cannot come in to the small road where our hotel was... and so we went over to where the bus was lor.. and the strong men had to carry the tv over..

Weekend liao and we saw people selling all sorts of things on the streets.. fresh veg.. flowers.. fresh meat and fish even! And I recalled it was the same the last time we visited too:)

Drove for long time and nothing to do so wefie lah:)

After a somewhat long drive, we arrived at this provision shop. We are here to use the money fellow lions donated to buy foodstuff for the orphanages. And so we dropped by to buy things like oil, sugar, noodles, biscuits etc...

I nothing to do while they dicussing wat to buy and negotiating price so I walked around the shop to see see look look...

Wow... they also sell choco pie leh!

Our guide, Van, brought her cutie pie son along and Max played with him for a while.. he too shy for me to take photo of them together:)

THey say, 认真做事的男人最有魅力：）

So many people stared at us when we were loading the food and i think they were hoping we buy from them too :)

Finally arrived and the kids came out to help us unload the van...

We were invited to take a walk around the surroundings..

This orphanage has this kitchen that some kind souls donated money to build.. and I guess they are lucky in that they have land to grow veggies and rear poultry beside the home too...

And some guard dogs too:)

So cute of the kids to liven the place up with their drawings:)

This is homework room... which explains the long table and all the chairs...

Their veggie garden!

The cabbage so pretty wor! I asked 大白菜Max to pose with it.. but he refused...

Shy wat.. not first time posing with veggies anyway..

Picture taken during our honeymoon in 2004... LOL... cos he is Da Bai Cai and I am Xiao Bai Cai...

Got brocolli too!

We were told these are pomelo trees and the pomelos here are very sweet..

Time for group photo...

Bought some sweets for the kids so got our VIPs to give out lah..

While they were all having discussion about raising funds to build a better drainage system here, I took pictures of flowers:) Let the key appointment holders discuss lah.. I am happy taking my photos. :)

They were having lunch.. Max saw got spring roll so excited.. alas is got meat one.. he cannot eat...

Got tomato too!

While I was walking around, noticed this broom amongst the tree branches.. I asked what it was for and turned out, they put it there up on the tree so it wun get wet easily:) LOL

Their lunch looks quite sumptous leh,  I wonder if it is because we are here...

We tried their hom

They even gave us a packet of ownself fried peanuts.. smells so heavenly... I actually couldnt finish.. and brought them home and they were still crunchy and tasty a few days later!

I wonder if people here get pregnant often cos i saw a shop in the middle of nowhere selling maternity clothes on our way back to hotel...

By now, the cheeky little one is sufficiently warmed up to me. He spent the whole journey back playing with me:) hahahaha...

Dropped Van off at her hair salon.. And saw this guy... what is he doing with a Hello Kitty helmet??!!" ;)

Reach hotel liao... eat a simple meal and decided to venture out again... walk walk...

 Saw this egg coffee thing again... Max also noticed it and asked me what it was... Hahaha.. We decided we will try it:)

 

 Oh the snacks look so good.. dam.. should not have eaten lunch and just eat street food!:)

 We were just wondering why they allow wires to hang all over... isnt it a safety or fire hazard?

As we were walking, we came to a familiar place!

 We thought that this is the night BBQ grill we ate the last time we came! So we dropped a pin here and were determined to come back tonight for it! (PS I just looked through our old photos and we were right.. it is the same restaurant that served grilled food at night..day time though they selling hats now...)

 If we see this, Max must go in lah!:)

 Saw this but no time to go in...

 Max decided to change his HP screen protector here.... But actually quite ex I feel.. JB is cheaper..

Anyway, saw this ang moh guy who spoke no vietnamese.. and shopkeeper spoke no english.. he wanted to buy something and they conversed using CALCULATOR! LOL

Saw alot of shops selling backpacks and cos Ace keep complaining that his school bag cui already.. so we bought him one:)

 Swee boh.. But Ace told us later he thinks is cheong one.. and I think so too.. cos hor North face leh.. but is only $17 sing dollars...

 Can you tell what this place is?

Initially I tot temple or what.. and then upon closer inspection, realized it is the police station!

So the backpack checked... NEXT... Must find pokemon soft toy for Ace... our friend requested for PIKACHU...

Walked and walked... and came to the part selling traditional costumes:)

 Ooh.. even saw a policeman.. so quickly take a shot:)

Walk liao tired.. find a place.. sit down chill awhile.. saw a place tat sold EGG COFFEE! Going to sit down and try!

 Again we sitting by roadside.. this is our view when drinking coffee

 Max having a beer...

 I want to note it is early afternoon at around 2 plus.. but opposite side the kopitiam the uncles who are drinking already all look drunk!

 Our egg coffee! I think they add sweetened beaten fluffy egg white to it niah...

Actually I think it is quite nice lah:)

Max also says not too bad:)

Then walked past a real temple. The Door Good quite impressive siah..

Sweet and sour stuff anyone?

I think this street is all party supplies...

Finally found the soft toy street but the Pikachu is not nice leh...

I think pikachu quite popular still.. but this cake is scary!:)

This one looks better:)

This is fake flower street.. all selling plastic flowers..

Found the Caca la vong restaurant... BUT... no time... no stomach:) hahahaha

Wat? Why is this pikachu with moustache!!!!!????

I took picture and sent him and told him we bought him this cos very special... to my surprise, he no complain wor... when I asked him later after giving him the real one tat we bought him.. he said he was disappointed but he figured.. got toy better than no toy!:) LOL

Dunno why they all selling the piggy balloon.. who is this piggy character huh?

Shushu said he bought Under Armour shirts here for $6 sing or something.. we were trying to find the same at this price but cannot find nice ones... so din buy...

Meanwhile, our friends arrived in HCM and showed us their fridge.. they say waiting for us wor:) hahaha

So anyway, we walked hor... and finally bought the pikachu Ace wanted.. then leh, we feel urge to use toilet... and we actually walked back to hotel to use toilet... and then we head out again to jalan. And it is with mission this time...

The elusive salted fried toufu dish we were looking for... This is what we ate in teh wat wat garden restaurant the last time we were here:)

We declined dinner with the whole gang cos we were out to search for the salted egg fried toufu that we ate the last time we were here.... The problem is that we do not remember the restaurant name...

After walking around.. I told Max I think this is the restaurant tat we visited before... I remembered the name got something something garden.. (This place is called Hanoi Garden) and that it has a small outdoor garden and looked a little Victorian....

Since quite cool.. we decided to sit outside lah:)

We found Max's spring rolls ...

And there is a dish called salted toufu too... so we ordered...

And these came...

The toufu totally dun look like what we had.. cos i guess after so many years, chef change liao and menu revamped liao...

Since we found the restaurant we ate in... we were now on the roll... we are now determined to find the hotel we stayed int previously... Only problem was.. we did not remember what was our hotel name!

We walked and walked and then Max was just saying.. "I think hor, our hotel is in a little alley..  something like this sort of alley.." And then when I looked into the alley.. I told him I think this looks like THIS IS THAT ALLEY! So we walked in!

The sofa looks familiar!!!

And we walked in and saw this.. CONFIRM! It is our hotel! Woah! So great to be able to find it!

Now that we are on the roll, we want to find the other hotel that we also ate the salted egg toufu in that is close to this hotel.. it was a chinese restaurant.....

Walk and walk and saw this.. this is cloest I can think of... But leh, though decor the same... but sell different things leh...

Checked with the waiter and found tat this restaurant is pretty new...

And then since got time, we tot go back to the pasar malam to see see look look lah...

I think my MIL will love this.. but too bad cannot bring back for sure lah..

So much street food... Actually you will order and then we realized they have a deep fryer under the table.. so they will fry for you when you order lor...

Uniqlo also need to CHEONG meh...

So cute!

Got traditional performance...

We asked Ace if he wanted pikachu underwear!:) LOL

Fried sushi anyone?

Both Max and me agreed that fried sushi is only for sushi tat dun taste good!:)

Max's travelling backpack also cui already .. we we were trying to find a nice one to replace.. Walked and walked around a long time before we found one he likes.. But it is more than double the price of wat we paid for Ace cos tat person says it is REAL one wor... And then they refused to discount.. so we walk around somemore and bought at another shop at fraction of price:) hahaha

The moment I saw, I told Max he must buy... so him... not too bright... got his fav orange, can put laptop... Very him lah..

This is the pikachu we bought him in the end.. Ace was sooooooo happy when he got it!:)

His dad says this tshirt very nice.. and the material so comfy... organic cotton.. so we bought for him..

The perfect end to this beautiful day... is a session at the BBQ we so miss. We called Sunny and made at date to meet up and go to the BBQ....

Alas, when we reached, it was closed! Turned out that they have some sort of new laws now such that these shops cannot open pass a certain timing so it closed early.. and we reached just as they were closing... SAD:(

Just walked around in the end to find something else to eat and decided to have local noodles:)

Then walked back to hotel to zzz lor.. next day have to leave liao...

Sigh... cannot bear to leave.... love this weather.. love hanoi... Maybe some day we will be back:)

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