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Hanoi series 01 |
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My explorer itch has taken over me and the first thing I did on the first week in Hanoi was take to the streets with my trusty camera and started clicking away. The locals are wary of photographers and often shy away. Some ask for compensation, especially if you are a foreigner. Taking pictures can be hard, but the end can be quite worthwhile. |
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A local taking a break from selling flowers in a busy scooter-choked street. Every morning starting at 4am she does the same ritual. |
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She has sold a bouquet to one of her regular customers, a restuarant owner. These owners fill their restaurants with flowers so that they always smell fresh and perfumed. |
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Taking a break from her rounds, she sits back and enjoy watching people pass by. Tea are their major beverage, often found in many varieties. Their most elegant is their fragrant Jasmine tea, with real Jasmine petals boiled in their pots. |
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If i were this flower lady, i would consider relaxing in one of Hanoi's proliferent Karaoke Bars. But then again, sitting down and drinking tea is a much more money-saving tactic. |
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Bagettes and French bread. Street bakeries churn out these popular pastries by the dozens so naturally they come in affordable prices similar to our Philippine Tasty or Pan-de-sal. |
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After her morning rounds, our flower lady may well have come home in this typical Vietnamese neighborhood. Houses are narrow but built upwards up to 4 floors to take advantage of their small lots. Majority of the houses will always have varendas, an architectural design influenced by the French. |
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Despite raging western rumors, the Vietnamese love their cats, not as dinner but as pets. These caged felines are in the waiting list of soon-to-be pets for cat lovers. Cats are known to be well taken cared off by their masters. A good indication: There are no stray cats anywhere in the streets of Hanoi. |
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Fresh chicken hand-picked and delivered door to door. This man carried these bundle of cackling feathers by bicycle to be delivered to a restuarant nearby. |
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