Cha Cha Cha (Ca) in Hanoi

In the afternoon, we arrived at Hanoi's Noiboi airport, and were picked up by the car from our hotel, the Golden Lotus II. We arrived at the hotel, nestled in the middle of the Old Quarter's market district, a good staging point for an evening in Hanoi. After checking in, we immediately headed to the Hanoi Water Puppet Theater. The Dragon Water Puppets are a traditional comedic art form, featuring wooden dragon puppets that seem to float in pools of water.

Sadly, because the Asian Indoor games had drawn so many tourists to the city, all shows were sold out for that evening. So we determined to stroll the market, grab a bottle of wine, relax on our hotel balcony, overlooking the busy Hang Trong street (meaning "drums" and indicating that leather goods are sold there) and then pursue dinner at one of the traditional market eateries.

On our hotel's block, a group of French expats opened a wine boutique called "The Warehouse." We picked up a bottle of bubbly, opened our balcony door and listened to the bustle below as we read through guide books looking for the perfect dinner spot.

We decided on a Cha Ca restaurant, which means "roasted fish." All cha ca restaurants are located on the aptly named Cha Ca Street and offer only this one dish. We sat a table with a hot plate. The waittress brought a cast iron plate with curry-seasoned fish cut into chop-stick-sized chunks, along with a bowl full of fresh dill, scallions, and lemongrass. She tossed all together, and set it on the hotplate. After 5 minutes, we put the delicious-smelling fish fry over a bowl of rice noodles and chilis, ladled in some smelly tofu sauce, and set to work.

Heading back to the hotel after dinner, we decided to spend another few hours on the balcony and then pack in anticipation of our upcoming boat adventure beginning bright and early the next morning.