By midday today, the workshop group had all arrived and had met in the Golden Silk Boutique Hotel's lobby. For a couple of hours, I described the general parameters of the workshop insofar as multimedia was concerned. The participants are (by order of arrival to Hanoi) Colleen Kerrigan, Sharon Johnson Tennant, Graham Ware, Frances Bruchez, Victoria Alexander, David Regehr, and Shane and Julie Green.
Following lunch at a nearby restaurant, we then brought our photo gear out and walked in the streets of Hanoi, to explore the teeming street life, the pandemonium of zigzagging scooters, and the endless street food stalls. Street photography in Hanoi is both simple and difficult. The mass of people on the streets sidewalks is breathtaking, and lots of opportunities abound...however, it's quite difficult to figure out eye-pleasing patterns because there are simply too many people in one spot.
In the evening, we had dinner at the notorious Xoi Yen, where we all had xoi xeo ga (yellow glutinous sticky rice) with chicken breast, and fried shallots. This is a very tasty dish, and one we shall return to when we're back in Hanoi.
Tomorrow, we fly off to Danang...onwards to Hoi An and Hue.
