Marat
@marat1.bsky.social
I travel places. I eat things. I meet people. And I write about it.
#Storyteller #Writer #Travel #Food #Wine
Substack: https://travelogues.substack.com/
#Storyteller #Writer #Travel #Food #Wine
Substack: https://travelogues.substack.com/
Wesley’s sword is lowered. Fezzik’s strength has failed. Indigo has no quest. And the news is simply inconceivable.
apple.news/AVdd65bZhQyW...
apple.news/AVdd65bZhQyW...
Rob Reiner, 'When Harry Met Sally' director, 'All in the Family' actor and political activist, dead at 78 — Los Angeles Times
Rob Reiner, a Hollywood scion who directed iconic films including 'When Harry Met Sally' and 'The Princess Bride,' was found dead with his wife Sunday in Brentwood. He was 78.
apple.news
December 15, 2025 at 6:05 AM
Wesley’s sword is lowered. Fezzik’s strength has failed. Indigo has no quest. And the news is simply inconceivable.
apple.news/AVdd65bZhQyW...
apple.news/AVdd65bZhQyW...
Sometimes the bravest move a tourist makes is breaking formation.
Occasionally, someone escaped the serpentine line for tables and finds the bar, stunned to discover it’s open to anyone who dared approach. Wait time zero and experience doubled.
A tiny rebellion against the tyranny of the queue.
Occasionally, someone escaped the serpentine line for tables and finds the bar, stunned to discover it’s open to anyone who dared approach. Wait time zero and experience doubled.
A tiny rebellion against the tyranny of the queue.
December 9, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Sometimes the bravest move a tourist makes is breaking formation.
Occasionally, someone escaped the serpentine line for tables and finds the bar, stunned to discover it’s open to anyone who dared approach. Wait time zero and experience doubled.
A tiny rebellion against the tyranny of the queue.
Occasionally, someone escaped the serpentine line for tables and finds the bar, stunned to discover it’s open to anyone who dared approach. Wait time zero and experience doubled.
A tiny rebellion against the tyranny of the queue.
In a city full of photo ops, Caffè Greco was resistance.
Order properly, stand at the bar, and be present. Just you, your coffee, and a room full of strangers pretending to be locals. It was rare. It's absence stings.
Real experiences don’t always photograph well—and that’s why they matter.
Order properly, stand at the bar, and be present. Just you, your coffee, and a room full of strangers pretending to be locals. It was rare. It's absence stings.
Real experiences don’t always photograph well—and that’s why they matter.
December 8, 2025 at 5:41 PM
In a city full of photo ops, Caffè Greco was resistance.
Order properly, stand at the bar, and be present. Just you, your coffee, and a room full of strangers pretending to be locals. It was rare. It's absence stings.
Real experiences don’t always photograph well—and that’s why they matter.
Order properly, stand at the bar, and be present. Just you, your coffee, and a room full of strangers pretending to be locals. It was rare. It's absence stings.
Real experiences don’t always photograph well—and that’s why they matter.
Mourning a café felt ridiculous—until it didn’t.
Walking back to Caffè Greco after hearing it had closed felt like a funeral procession. Via del Corso, right on Via dei Condotti, past the same shops and the same crowds, all unchanged.
Only the destination and the ritual was gone.
#Writer #Travel
Walking back to Caffè Greco after hearing it had closed felt like a funeral procession. Via del Corso, right on Via dei Condotti, past the same shops and the same crowds, all unchanged.
Only the destination and the ritual was gone.
#Writer #Travel
December 8, 2025 at 5:27 PM
The heartbeat of Hanoi doesn’t just live in its people
It lives in those who taste, smell, feel and dream Hanoi. The city changes them. Because once you’ve tasted it, once you’ve experience it, it never really leaves you
It’s a place that will rewrite your heartbeat.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller
It lives in those who taste, smell, feel and dream Hanoi. The city changes them. Because once you’ve tasted it, once you’ve experience it, it never really leaves you
It’s a place that will rewrite your heartbeat.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller
December 5, 2025 at 10:43 PM
The heartbeat of Hanoi doesn’t just live in its people
It lives in those who taste, smell, feel and dream Hanoi. The city changes them. Because once you’ve tasted it, once you’ve experience it, it never really leaves you
It’s a place that will rewrite your heartbeat.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller
It lives in those who taste, smell, feel and dream Hanoi. The city changes them. Because once you’ve tasted it, once you’ve experience it, it never really leaves you
It’s a place that will rewrite your heartbeat.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller
Standing here, on a rooftop bar, the chaos of Hanoi below appeared to have a rhythm.
Blaring horns and shouts melted into melodies. The noise seemed in sync with the movement of lights and people on the street.
The sweat from my glass pushed against the hanging humidity. Everything was perfect.
Blaring horns and shouts melted into melodies. The noise seemed in sync with the movement of lights and people on the street.
The sweat from my glass pushed against the hanging humidity. Everything was perfect.
December 2, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Standing here, on a rooftop bar, the chaos of Hanoi below appeared to have a rhythm.
Blaring horns and shouts melted into melodies. The noise seemed in sync with the movement of lights and people on the street.
The sweat from my glass pushed against the hanging humidity. Everything was perfect.
Blaring horns and shouts melted into melodies. The noise seemed in sync with the movement of lights and people on the street.
The sweat from my glass pushed against the hanging humidity. Everything was perfect.
Travel isn’t movement—it’s transformation.
Every step I took through Hanoi rubbed something unnecessary off of me and replaced it with awe.
Real journeys don’t show you the world; they show you yourself. Travel isn’t escape, it's evolution.
#Writer #storyteller #travel #LifeInParts
Every step I took through Hanoi rubbed something unnecessary off of me and replaced it with awe.
Real journeys don’t show you the world; they show you yourself. Travel isn’t escape, it's evolution.
#Writer #storyteller #travel #LifeInParts
December 2, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Travel isn’t movement—it’s transformation.
Every step I took through Hanoi rubbed something unnecessary off of me and replaced it with awe.
Real journeys don’t show you the world; they show you yourself. Travel isn’t escape, it's evolution.
#Writer #storyteller #travel #LifeInParts
Every step I took through Hanoi rubbed something unnecessary off of me and replaced it with awe.
Real journeys don’t show you the world; they show you yourself. Travel isn’t escape, it's evolution.
#Writer #storyteller #travel #LifeInParts
When you’re searching the streets of Hanoi for that “one spot” you read about on Yelp, remember this—
Not all the chefs want to be found. Some want to stay as they are—Local secrets.
Lost in the alleys, rumors online, whispers between locals, protected by anonymity. Always cooking with love.
Not all the chefs want to be found. Some want to stay as they are—Local secrets.
Lost in the alleys, rumors online, whispers between locals, protected by anonymity. Always cooking with love.
December 2, 2025 at 1:21 AM
When you’re searching the streets of Hanoi for that “one spot” you read about on Yelp, remember this—
Not all the chefs want to be found. Some want to stay as they are—Local secrets.
Lost in the alleys, rumors online, whispers between locals, protected by anonymity. Always cooking with love.
Not all the chefs want to be found. Some want to stay as they are—Local secrets.
Lost in the alleys, rumors online, whispers between locals, protected by anonymity. Always cooking with love.
There’s something magical about watching the sun come up and go down on Hanoi.
Morning coffee. Evening beer. Different rituals. Different times. But always, as it seems, the same energy. The same magic. It’s a heartbeat that's endless and never rushed.
A rhythm and a soul, that's sublime.
#Writer
Morning coffee. Evening beer. Different rituals. Different times. But always, as it seems, the same energy. The same magic. It’s a heartbeat that's endless and never rushed.
A rhythm and a soul, that's sublime.
#Writer
December 1, 2025 at 10:13 PM
There’s something magical about watching the sun come up and go down on Hanoi.
Morning coffee. Evening beer. Different rituals. Different times. But always, as it seems, the same energy. The same magic. It’s a heartbeat that's endless and never rushed.
A rhythm and a soul, that's sublime.
#Writer
Morning coffee. Evening beer. Different rituals. Different times. But always, as it seems, the same energy. The same magic. It’s a heartbeat that's endless and never rushed.
A rhythm and a soul, that's sublime.
#Writer
The street food vendors in Hanoi are alchemists.
Their restaurant? The street. Their tools? Smoke, steel, recipes, spices and memory. Their masterpiece? A meal that vanishes from your plate, but stays with you forever.
They are chefs who create moments you will never forget.
#Writer #Travel
Their restaurant? The street. Their tools? Smoke, steel, recipes, spices and memory. Their masterpiece? A meal that vanishes from your plate, but stays with you forever.
They are chefs who create moments you will never forget.
#Writer #Travel
December 1, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Hanoi at night glows with human warmth.
Lanterns shimmer. Smoke rises from searing woks. Laughter drifts. Scooters whine. The air hums with possibility. Every empty seat with a food vendor feels like an open invitation.
Hanoi Is magic—breath it in deeply.
#Writer #Traveler #Storyteller
Lanterns shimmer. Smoke rises from searing woks. Laughter drifts. Scooters whine. The air hums with possibility. Every empty seat with a food vendor feels like an open invitation.
Hanoi Is magic—breath it in deeply.
#Writer #Traveler #Storyteller
December 1, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Hanoi at night glows with human warmth.
Lanterns shimmer. Smoke rises from searing woks. Laughter drifts. Scooters whine. The air hums with possibility. Every empty seat with a food vendor feels like an open invitation.
Hanoi Is magic—breath it in deeply.
#Writer #Traveler #Storyteller
Lanterns shimmer. Smoke rises from searing woks. Laughter drifts. Scooters whine. The air hums with possibility. Every empty seat with a food vendor feels like an open invitation.
Hanoi Is magic—breath it in deeply.
#Writer #Traveler #Storyteller
What’s most incredible place in Hanoi?
It’s not a temple. It’s not a monument. Want to know where it is? It’s a street stall at dusk. Chef stirring. Smoke rising. People slurping. Conversation flowing like Bún Bò Huế.
Satisfaction always smelled like grilled pork.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller
It’s not a temple. It’s not a monument. Want to know where it is? It’s a street stall at dusk. Chef stirring. Smoke rising. People slurping. Conversation flowing like Bún Bò Huế.
Satisfaction always smelled like grilled pork.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller
November 30, 2025 at 11:07 PM
What’s most incredible place in Hanoi?
It’s not a temple. It’s not a monument. Want to know where it is? It’s a street stall at dusk. Chef stirring. Smoke rising. People slurping. Conversation flowing like Bún Bò Huế.
Satisfaction always smelled like grilled pork.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller
It’s not a temple. It’s not a monument. Want to know where it is? It’s a street stall at dusk. Chef stirring. Smoke rising. People slurping. Conversation flowing like Bún Bò Huế.
Satisfaction always smelled like grilled pork.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller
Hanoi moves at a different speed.
Between the zipping scooters and hurried tourists, discovery means slowing down enough to notice what has never changed.
Just remember, the secrets of Hanoi reveal themselves to those who stop and take notice, even for just a moment.
#Writer #Storyteller #Travel
Between the zipping scooters and hurried tourists, discovery means slowing down enough to notice what has never changed.
Just remember, the secrets of Hanoi reveal themselves to those who stop and take notice, even for just a moment.
#Writer #Storyteller #Travel
November 26, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Hanoi moves at a different speed.
Between the zipping scooters and hurried tourists, discovery means slowing down enough to notice what has never changed.
Just remember, the secrets of Hanoi reveal themselves to those who stop and take notice, even for just a moment.
#Writer #Storyteller #Travel
Between the zipping scooters and hurried tourists, discovery means slowing down enough to notice what has never changed.
Just remember, the secrets of Hanoi reveal themselves to those who stop and take notice, even for just a moment.
#Writer #Storyteller #Travel
Hanoi
The slurping of bún chả can be heard over the buzzing of the street scooters. Noodles. Broth. Ground Pork. Fish sauce. Sugar. Garlic. Heads bowed down into their bowls in what appeared to be a shared religious experience.
It’s shared melody that communicates flavor, culture, and history
The slurping of bún chả can be heard over the buzzing of the street scooters. Noodles. Broth. Ground Pork. Fish sauce. Sugar. Garlic. Heads bowed down into their bowls in what appeared to be a shared religious experience.
It’s shared melody that communicates flavor, culture, and history
November 26, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Hanoi
The slurping of bún chả can be heard over the buzzing of the street scooters. Noodles. Broth. Ground Pork. Fish sauce. Sugar. Garlic. Heads bowed down into their bowls in what appeared to be a shared religious experience.
It’s shared melody that communicates flavor, culture, and history
The slurping of bún chả can be heard over the buzzing of the street scooters. Noodles. Broth. Ground Pork. Fish sauce. Sugar. Garlic. Heads bowed down into their bowls in what appeared to be a shared religious experience.
It’s shared melody that communicates flavor, culture, and history
The street food in Hanoi was proof that culture doesn’t need a script.
It thrives in flavor, texture, family and lives in gestures. It’s the swirl of a ladle in a cauldron. It’s a mother’s voice teaching her daughter when to lift the pork from the grill.
It’s culture, heritage, love, and skill
It thrives in flavor, texture, family and lives in gestures. It’s the swirl of a ladle in a cauldron. It’s a mother’s voice teaching her daughter when to lift the pork from the grill.
It’s culture, heritage, love, and skill
November 25, 2025 at 8:36 PM
The street food in Hanoi was proof that culture doesn’t need a script.
It thrives in flavor, texture, family and lives in gestures. It’s the swirl of a ladle in a cauldron. It’s a mother’s voice teaching her daughter when to lift the pork from the grill.
It’s culture, heritage, love, and skill
It thrives in flavor, texture, family and lives in gestures. It’s the swirl of a ladle in a cauldron. It’s a mother’s voice teaching her daughter when to lift the pork from the grill.
It’s culture, heritage, love, and skill
Hanoi secretly teaches patience.
You can’t rush flavor. You can’t rush connection. You can’t rush understanding. In a way, it’s the city’s quiet way of telling you to slow down, or you’ll miss everything.
Try moving at the pace of flavor, not convenience.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller #LifeInParts
You can’t rush flavor. You can’t rush connection. You can’t rush understanding. In a way, it’s the city’s quiet way of telling you to slow down, or you’ll miss everything.
Try moving at the pace of flavor, not convenience.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller #LifeInParts
November 25, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Hanoi secretly teaches patience.
You can’t rush flavor. You can’t rush connection. You can’t rush understanding. In a way, it’s the city’s quiet way of telling you to slow down, or you’ll miss everything.
Try moving at the pace of flavor, not convenience.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller #LifeInParts
You can’t rush flavor. You can’t rush connection. You can’t rush understanding. In a way, it’s the city’s quiet way of telling you to slow down, or you’ll miss everything.
Try moving at the pace of flavor, not convenience.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller #LifeInParts
There’s an honesty in street food that no Michelin Star restaurant could ever compete with.
No theatrics. No molecular gastronomy. No plating. No showmanship. No pretense. Just fire, patience, simple ingredients, and craft.
Flavor is truth, and truth needs no garnish.
#Writer #Travel
No theatrics. No molecular gastronomy. No plating. No showmanship. No pretense. Just fire, patience, simple ingredients, and craft.
Flavor is truth, and truth needs no garnish.
#Writer #Travel
November 24, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Want to know a secret?
The real Hanoi isn’t found in guidebooks. It’s tucked in alleyways where flavor meets scooter exhaust. It’s discovered in laughter echoing through tangled wires and open windows.
It’s not photogenic—but you’ll never find anything else like it.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller
The real Hanoi isn’t found in guidebooks. It’s tucked in alleyways where flavor meets scooter exhaust. It’s discovered in laughter echoing through tangled wires and open windows.
It’s not photogenic—but you’ll never find anything else like it.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller
November 24, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Want to know a secret?
The real Hanoi isn’t found in guidebooks. It’s tucked in alleyways where flavor meets scooter exhaust. It’s discovered in laughter echoing through tangled wires and open windows.
It’s not photogenic—but you’ll never find anything else like it.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller
The real Hanoi isn’t found in guidebooks. It’s tucked in alleyways where flavor meets scooter exhaust. It’s discovered in laughter echoing through tangled wires and open windows.
It’s not photogenic—but you’ll never find anything else like it.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller
Hanoi. Every vendor here has a story.
Negotiation is both theater and expected. It’s a haggle for the best deal. And between all of the hand gestures, there’s a ritual that’s hidden in the mundane.
Want to learn? Just watch and listen.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller #Hanoi #Vietnam #LifeInParts
Negotiation is both theater and expected. It’s a haggle for the best deal. And between all of the hand gestures, there’s a ritual that’s hidden in the mundane.
Want to learn? Just watch and listen.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller #Hanoi #Vietnam #LifeInParts
November 21, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Hanoi. Every vendor here has a story.
Negotiation is both theater and expected. It’s a haggle for the best deal. And between all of the hand gestures, there’s a ritual that’s hidden in the mundane.
Want to learn? Just watch and listen.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller #Hanoi #Vietnam #LifeInParts
Negotiation is both theater and expected. It’s a haggle for the best deal. And between all of the hand gestures, there’s a ritual that’s hidden in the mundane.
Want to learn? Just watch and listen.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller #Hanoi #Vietnam #LifeInParts
Scooter riders in Hanoi continuously flow through the chaos.
They are like dancers in constant improvisation, weaving gracefully through a sea of of what we could only call madness.
It’s a skill that Hanoi teaches everyone silently—resistance slows you down; rhythm gives you momentum.
#Writer
They are like dancers in constant improvisation, weaving gracefully through a sea of of what we could only call madness.
It’s a skill that Hanoi teaches everyone silently—resistance slows you down; rhythm gives you momentum.
#Writer
November 21, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Scooter riders in Hanoi continuously flow through the chaos.
They are like dancers in constant improvisation, weaving gracefully through a sea of of what we could only call madness.
It’s a skill that Hanoi teaches everyone silently—resistance slows you down; rhythm gives you momentum.
#Writer
They are like dancers in constant improvisation, weaving gracefully through a sea of of what we could only call madness.
It’s a skill that Hanoi teaches everyone silently—resistance slows you down; rhythm gives you momentum.
#Writer
The best meal in Hanoi won’t be on any list.
You can’t book it, tag it, or map it. Want to know where it is? You’ll have to wander until the streets choose you. Then sit and trust the old woman with the kind face.
The internet can tell you where to eat, but only serendipity feeds your soul.
You can’t book it, tag it, or map it. Want to know where it is? You’ll have to wander until the streets choose you. Then sit and trust the old woman with the kind face.
The internet can tell you where to eat, but only serendipity feeds your soul.
November 21, 2025 at 4:23 PM
The best meal in Hanoi won’t be on any list.
You can’t book it, tag it, or map it. Want to know where it is? You’ll have to wander until the streets choose you. Then sit and trust the old woman with the kind face.
The internet can tell you where to eat, but only serendipity feeds your soul.
You can’t book it, tag it, or map it. Want to know where it is? You’ll have to wander until the streets choose you. Then sit and trust the old woman with the kind face.
The internet can tell you where to eat, but only serendipity feeds your soul.
Bún chả. Hanoi. Vientam.
This cultural recipe is an equation.
Smoke + sweetness + salt = balance.
Fire + time + care = joy.
Every bite is the city reduced to its elemental truth—harmony and balance, chaos transformed into beauty.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller #LifeInParts #Vietnam #Hanoi
This cultural recipe is an equation.
Smoke + sweetness + salt = balance.
Fire + time + care = joy.
Every bite is the city reduced to its elemental truth—harmony and balance, chaos transformed into beauty.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller #LifeInParts #Vietnam #Hanoi
November 18, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Bún chả. Hanoi. Vientam.
This cultural recipe is an equation.
Smoke + sweetness + salt = balance.
Fire + time + care = joy.
Every bite is the city reduced to its elemental truth—harmony and balance, chaos transformed into beauty.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller #LifeInParts #Vietnam #Hanoi
This cultural recipe is an equation.
Smoke + sweetness + salt = balance.
Fire + time + care = joy.
Every bite is the city reduced to its elemental truth—harmony and balance, chaos transformed into beauty.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller #LifeInParts #Vietnam #Hanoi
A cup of cà phê đá coffee sits wrapped between my fingers.
It’s bitter meets sweet. Slow drip meets fast heartbeat. It’s how Hanoi teaches patience in a city that never stops moving.
Some rituals wake you up long before the caffeine hits your bloodstream.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller #Vietnam
It’s bitter meets sweet. Slow drip meets fast heartbeat. It’s how Hanoi teaches patience in a city that never stops moving.
Some rituals wake you up long before the caffeine hits your bloodstream.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller #Vietnam
November 18, 2025 at 4:20 PM
A cup of cà phê đá coffee sits wrapped between my fingers.
It’s bitter meets sweet. Slow drip meets fast heartbeat. It’s how Hanoi teaches patience in a city that never stops moving.
Some rituals wake you up long before the caffeine hits your bloodstream.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller #Vietnam
It’s bitter meets sweet. Slow drip meets fast heartbeat. It’s how Hanoi teaches patience in a city that never stops moving.
Some rituals wake you up long before the caffeine hits your bloodstream.
#Writer #Travel #Storyteller #Vietnam
The tang of fermented fish sauce hung in the air
The smell of fresh herbs, a melange of bird's eye chili and black pepper nearly stung my nose as they sizzled deep in the wok—the soul of Vietnamese cooking.
It’s proof that perfection often starts where comfort ends
Chase the flavors that scare you
The smell of fresh herbs, a melange of bird's eye chili and black pepper nearly stung my nose as they sizzled deep in the wok—the soul of Vietnamese cooking.
It’s proof that perfection often starts where comfort ends
Chase the flavors that scare you
November 18, 2025 at 4:05 PM
The tang of fermented fish sauce hung in the air
The smell of fresh herbs, a melange of bird's eye chili and black pepper nearly stung my nose as they sizzled deep in the wok—the soul of Vietnamese cooking.
It’s proof that perfection often starts where comfort ends
Chase the flavors that scare you
The smell of fresh herbs, a melange of bird's eye chili and black pepper nearly stung my nose as they sizzled deep in the wok—the soul of Vietnamese cooking.
It’s proof that perfection often starts where comfort ends
Chase the flavors that scare you