During my first visit to Hanoi the year prior, I was able to ride its famous rickshaw, or "cyclo" as they called it there, on a brief pedal from the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum back to the Old Quarters. Other than that, I was not able to hop on it and pass through the busier parts of the city, as I opted to spend most of my time moving and dodging motorcycles on foot.
A Cyclo Ride Around Hanoi | Vietnam
Less than a year later, I was fortunate enough to be included in a familiarity tour organized by the Philippines' leading budget airline, Cebu Pacific Air, for another runabout in that charming city teeming with colonial architecture and crawling with rich history. Among the first activities we did was to take a cyclo that rolled us to the heart of the Old French Quarters for an hour.
It was a colossal encounter of the elements as they battled it out for the attention of my senses. The roaring motorcycles whizzing past gave me visual thrills. Smelling the beautiful scent of brewed coffee as we turned one corner had me yearning for it to accompany the cold of the forming winter months. The constant blowing of the horns and the chatter of the locals solidified the good sensation of being in a foreign land.
As evidenced by my endless ravings about Hanoi during my first trip there, that time was no different, and it came with the added bonus of experiencing it with fellow travel bloggers, a lot of whom I had traveled with before already. The same went for the new faces I met on that trip. Creating new memories in the city that made me walk miles and miles without skipping a beat—because of the pure bliss of witnessing fascinating scenes at every turn and ricochet of my feet—definitely boasted of a wonderful time.
We ended our cyclo tour near the rotunda at Hoan Kiem Lake and quickly proceeded to Trung Nguyen Cafe to order some brewed coffee. While the weather was not as freezing as the previous December, I held my cup using both of my palms, rubbing the heat into my skin, and as I savored each sip. In no time, the source of that pleasing aroma warmed up my already cheery spirit.
