The reason I backtracked and returned to Hanoi from the perfect destination of Ninh Binh instead of continuing to head South as planned was to meet a model from MySpace to discuss possibilities of doing photoshoots together in response to my recent post of looking for Vietnam’s Next Top Model.
But there aren’t any photos from my three day stay in Hanoi because the capital which kept me shooting for a whole week last time I visited held no interest for me.
After the peaceful and relaxing three weeks in Ninh Binh the busy Hanoi Old Quarter presented an unpleasant culture shock. In addition I had that feeling of familiarity being back at a place I have seen before which does not particularly excite my notoriously short attention span.
Regarding my Vietnam’s Next Top Model interview: there was not enough chemistry between the model I to further plan photoshoots, this is said without placing any blame, I am quite picky and certainly not easy to inspire or please.
If it naturally happens great but if it doesn’t then I do not force myself into a project which will result in bad photos and waste both of our time.
The good thing about being back in Hanoi was that it gave me a chance to reconsider making plans to visit Northwest Vietnam.
Last time I was in here I decided to skip that part of the country mainly because the main attraction being Sapa turns out to be not only beautiful but a notorious tourist trap as well.
The initial idea was to make as many stops as possible and thoroughly explore the area but after researching and speaking to other travelers I decided to reduce my itinerary to only one stop and it would not be Sapa but the smaller mountain town of Bac Ha a popular daytrip destination famous for its stunning scenery and its colorful Sunday Hmong minority markets.
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