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Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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 Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 12:03 pm Post subject: |
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| gang ah jee wrote: |
| Tiger Beer wrote: |
| Geckos Bar |
Easy Tiger! This might all be a bit before my time.
I think there's a 'Gecko's Kitchen' on Ngo Bao Khanh, but 'Gecko's Bar?' Only Itaewon comes to mind. |
Its address is 14B Bao Khanh St. across from Funky Monkey.
Hope its still there. The owner was a French chef who ran away to Vietnam years ago.. and started a bar.. married to one of the women who bartends.. about 4-5 ladies bartend with the owner around at times.
Very comfortable and small little place.. meet tons of expats in there who give all the latest info and such.. great place for a beer.
There was also some scandal deal where he'd get shook down from local mafia types who were specializing in shaking down foreign owners with the intention of wrestling away the rights from the foreigner - hope that wasn't his fate. |
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gang ah jee
Joined: 14 Jan 2003
Location: city of paper
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| Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 12:21 pm Post subject: |
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Geckos Kitchen on Bao Khanh sounds right - but Funky Monkey's on Hang Hanh. I'll check out the place tomorrow, but it doesn't seem to be very popular (or even known) amongst the people I've met so far.
Perhaps Deessel has a different opinion though - maybe it's a secret LL hangout or something.
These days the only place in that area open after 12am is Inside Bar featuring the incomparable Rosie. |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 1:34 pm Post subject: |
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| gang ah jee wrote: |
Geckos Kitchen on Bao Khanh sounds right - but Funky Monkey's on Hang Hanh. I'll check out the place tomorrow, but it doesn't seem to be very popular (or even known) amongst the people I've met so far.
Perhaps Deessel has a different opinion though - maybe it's a secret LL hangout or something.
These days the only place in that area open after 12am is Inside Bar featuring the incomparable Rosie. |
Gecko's kitchen sounds funny.. as there wasn't a kitchen in there. Maybe something weird happened where the French Chef lost the Geckos Bar, and bought a kitchen - as before he moved to Vietnam, he made his living as a top chef somewhere else.
It was Summer of 2002 that I spent a month there.. a lot can happen.
The previous Geckos that I knew was a very small bar.. it was almost inward small U-Shape for patrons to sit.. and ultimately get drunk and chat. To the right when you came in was a stairwell (where some of the bartenders slept I believe - I think it wasn't for patrons).
At any one time there were about 4 female bartendresses.. all friendly.. and definetely a draw to the place.
It almost sounds logical he'd have sold it and bought a kitchen and kept the 'geckos' name part for the next business. |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 4:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Tiger Beer wrote: |
Just curious.. what kind of business is your wife in that she goes to Hanoi frequently? |
She works for the GAP as an auditor.
Just this year alone she's been to Russia, Vietnam, The Philippines, Thailand, and soon heading to the US for a conference.
Bah! Silly me. I have the stress free job but she gets the one with travel.
BTW, thanks for all the advice on this thread guys (and girls?). It'll help a lot. |
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deessell
Joined: 08 Jun 2005
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| Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 5:35 pm Post subject: |
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Re Gecko's
Nope....I thought it was a russian hangout. I was a frequent guest at Half Man Half Noodle.......relaxed smoking policy(also the teachers hang out) and my personal favourite....Le Marquis......a cool, smoky little french speakeasy (where my photo is on the wall!!!!!
Hanoi is changing rapidly. I left three months ago and already there are three new bars open.
PS Gang ah jee...........If I do know you 'HI" . Also if you go to Half man half noodle ........say hello to Mau and the crew for me.....they should remember D  . |
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Moldy Rutabaga
Joined: 01 Jul 2003
Location: Ansan, Korea
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| Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 1:37 am Post subject: |
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My Vietnam tour guide / pictures are here: http://keneckert.com/pictures/southasia/vietnam/vietnam1.html. It's just my 2c, remember.
I wasn't so crazy about Vietnam; bloody noisy, people trying to sell me something every three seconds, poor transportation.. but Hanoi has its charms. I actually really liked the water puppets. The food is good. There's a tiny restaurant stall underneath the jazz club in the Old Quarter that has amazing dishes for about 75 cents!
I liked Tam Coc better than the overrated and overtouristed Halong Bay, but I suppose both are on a tourist's list. Just keep a thick skin as on the Tam Coc boat ride you'll be pestered even more than usual to buy things (if that's possible).
I would spend a shorter time in Hanoi and check out (comparatively) peaceful Hoi An, but that's my preference.
Ken:> |
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ed4444
Joined: 12 Oct 2004
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| Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 7:38 am Post subject: |
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| If you want to chill out as a contrast to Hanoi, i would recommend Cat Ba village in Halong Bay. Its a very nice spot. |
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deessell
Joined: 08 Jun 2005
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| Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 2:15 pm Post subject: |
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| ed4444 wrote: |
| If you want to chill out as a contrast to Hanoi, i would recommend Cat Ba village in Halong Bay. Its a very nice spot. |
IMHO Cat Ba is the ugliest town in Vietnam. A concrete tourist trap, better to head to Hoi An. |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 11:42 pm Post subject: |
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Vietnam does get exhausting with any long-term time there.
My first month travelling through, I loved Vietnam.
Second time (and another month), I just got extremely exhausted from the Vietnamese people themselves. |
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skookum
Joined: 11 Mar 2005
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| Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2005 11:13 pm Post subject: |
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| For you who have been to Hanoi and other parts of VN - did you take malaria pills? I know everyone has their own opinion on the subject, but how did you personally approach the issue...... |
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neandergirl
Joined: 23 Jun 2005
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| Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2005 11:53 pm Post subject: |
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Didn't even think about it, but here's what the CDC says:
Vietnam: Rural areas, except no risk in the Red River Delta and the coastal plains north of Nha Trang. No risk in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Da Nang, Nha Trang, Qui Nhon, and Haiphong. |
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desultude
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Location: Dangling my toes in the Persian Gulf
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| Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2005 3:13 am Post subject: |
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| gang ah jee wrote: |
Yup, I'm in Hanoi now - until Sunday.
I pretty much agree with everything said above, although -
| neandergirl wrote: |
| The French Quarter (where the Mausoleum is) is amazing just for the architecture, although there are now lots of towers. I think this is where the Korean embassy is located (it��s where most embassies seem to be). |
Speaking of the Korean embassy, it's in the Daeha building right in front of the Daewoo Hotel - in the Giang Vo/Kim Ma Korean Quarter. This area is probably the ugliest area of central Hanoi, and I wouldn't recommend staying there - though it's likely the area your wife is most familiar with. The area south-west of Hoan Kiem around Ba Trieu and Pho Hue/French Quarter would be a nicer place to stay, as well as the area north of the Old Quarter around Truc Bach Lake. Like Tiger Beer says, the Old Quarter is too touristy now to spend too much time in - nice to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.
I also highly recommend Ha Long Bay and Sa Pa. Tam Coc is great too. Get a recommendation on a boat tour though and don't just go for the lowest price - you can get as low as $20 for 3days/2 nights meals included, but the quality leaves much to be desired.
And Deessel - I'm pretty sure I've met you before. Hope this time in Korea's going better than last time. |
When I was in Hanoi the first time, I had to deal with the Korean Embassy. I told the scooter driver where I wanted to go, and he took me to the Korean Embassy in the embassy district. Beautiful building- old french colonial with huge shuttered windows and beautiful gardens. And real scary armed guards- with old russian machine guns. Just inside the gate there stood a tall board with a photo of- Kin Jung Il.
The Korean consulate is indeed near the Daewoo Hotel and you are right- it is in a rather ugly part of town, a fair ways to the west of the Old District. But the Koreans there were nice and really helpful. |
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deessell
Joined: 08 Jun 2005
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| Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2005 4:13 am Post subject: |
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| skookum wrote: |
| For you who have been to Hanoi and other parts of VN - did you take malaria pills? I know everyone has their own opinion on the subject, but how did you personally approach the issue...... |
I lived there for two years and motorbiked all round the country, went to Laos and Cambodia many times and I never took any medications. In fact I have never had any shots for any country and there is nothing wrong with me  |
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desultude
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Location: Dangling my toes in the Persian Gulf
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| Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2005 4:18 am Post subject: |
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| skookum wrote: |
| For you who have been to Hanoi and other parts of VN - did you take malaria pills? I know everyone has their own opinion on the subject, but how did you personally approach the issue...... |
Before you take larium, read up on it carefully. People who react to it have seriously terrible reactions. There is an antibiotic treatment that can be used prophelactically that is much safer. Do your research. |
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neandergirl
Joined: 23 Jun 2005
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| Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2005 5:29 am Post subject: |
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If you intend to take a chemoprophylactic you need to see your doctor at least 2 weeks before leaving for your trip as they are not instantaneously effective.
I believe that the Atovaquone/proguanil combination (Malarone) is recommended for travellers in high risk areas of Vietnam.
In general, due to chloroquine resistance in the parasite that causes malaria, mefloquine (Lariam) is the drug most often given (taken once a week) however, daily doxycycline can be substituted if you can't take mefloquine. But like any drug, it has it's side effects too.
There is another drug, Fansidar (not sure of the spelling) you can carry with you to take if you come down with symptoms, but obviously an ounce of prevention is the better option.
Like I said, I didn't bother about it - it's really not much of a concern unless you intend to be spending lots of time without mosquito protection in the boonies. |
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