It’s been a busy week here thus I have not been able to find time to post here earlier. Well, I did a little more exploring the past week and checked out a few more joints. I knew there is an Irish Pub in Hanoi and I have even past by it on the way home from the office but it wasn’t until the past week that I checked it out.

Finnegan’s is a pretty decent joint compared to the other bars in the city. If the dingy and musky smells in tights spaces puts you off, this Irish pub here might fit the bill. With largely a foreign clientele, again I have the privilege of mistaken identity. For the past few weeks, I have been mistaken to be Vietnamese. Not too bad a thing actually since I can go about my business and no one tries to sell me pirated DVDs, fake Zippos, fake designer goods, Hanoi travel books or offer me a cyclo ride as I explore the city on foot.

Little signs behind the bar with some humour tells it all.

Would have bought one of the Finnegan’s Polo if there had it in ‘Medium’

First time I’m trying Amber and wondering why they don’t have it in Singapore.

Nicely done.

Anyway, the food there was decent and probably what one would expect of an Irish joint. The drinks were quite pricey though. I’m surprised that Guinness was not available. An Irish bar is not Irish without Guinness. At least to me. Amber Draught was going for 60,000 VND while a can of Kilkenny’s was double of that. If it wasn’t for the English humour or speaking environment, I would think twice about the drinks there.

This past week alone, I met 3 folks from the United Nations. An American, a Japanese and another from Laos. Turns out that the Japanese lady has met NL through a friend of his. Then there was an Irish chap and an English and another Irish lady who are in Hanoi teaching English. Not forgetting a friendly Swiss guy who brought me to Hai Bac Trung for the opening launch party at Jojo’s where I met a 2 Germans and an Australian guy who was in Hanoi on a project with some similarities to what our team is doing here. So in short, it’s been a ‘meet-the-expatriates’ week for me.

Opening launch party at Jojo’s after Finnegan’s on Friday night.

Had a lazy afternoon yesterday. Headed out to Little Hanoi at Hang Gai Street for an early dinner. Was kind of hungry and MF had told me the previous day that Little Hanoi serves one of the biggest bowl of Phở Bò she has encountered. Thought it was a good idea since I was famished. The assorted spring rolls with crab meat, shrimp, pork and stuff was not too bad. Unfortunately, the Phở Bò was disappointing. the beef wasn’t fresh and the meal has to be the worst Phở Bò I have had in Hanoi.

Assorted spring rolls at Little Hanoi.

Highlands Coffee with a good view of the traffic below me in the Old Quarter. You got to be here to experience the traffic first hand to really appreciate it. Unless you reside in the major cities of India, crossing the roads here for your first time during rush hour can be pretty hair raising. The picture below was taken on a Saturday evening. On the weekdays, it gets worst than this.

Criss-crossing traffic on a Saturday evening.

Check out the videos below.

How to make a 3 point turn in Hoan Kiem, Hanoi (1:30 mins into the video - watch the MPV-Taxi on the left).

Try crossing this junction in under 10 seconds without running.

Went DVD shopping in the evening. For 680,000 VND, I believe I would have bought enough to keep me occupied till Christmas assuming I watch 96 movies and 15 seasons of drama with about 20 episodes each on average. Except for Season 1 of ‘Over There’, Seasons 1-3 of Battlestar Galactica and the compilation of 96 movies in ‘Cruel Battles’ the rest were for DF and CY back home.

Ok, time to get some food and start packing my luggage for my flight out this evening.