First few hours in Hanoi. Second time in Vietnam but first time in this city.

In the four hours that I’ve been here I’ve had a mixture of emotions: awe when we checked in out well preserved French villa from AirBnB; sadness as I listened to the audio recording and walked around Hoa Lo Prison Memorial; fear as we crossed the streets and got ourselves engulfed by motorcycles, honking cars and counterflow drivers.

And after that whirlwind of emotions I treated myself with peach milk tea from the nextdoor cafe. And I will myself to take in the quiet moment before embarking on a walking and food tour at 2 o’clock. Today will be a long day. But that’s part of the perks of being a wayfarer.