After sleepy Vientiane, Hanoi appeared full of chaos. The streets are absolutely FILLED with motorbikes and every driver is constantly honking. No one stops, or even slows down. Although, drivers will do their best to avoid you if you don’t make any sudden or unanticipated movements. Since Perry and I were ready to pick up the pace anyways, this hectic atmosphere suited us just fine. When we arrived in the “Old Quarter” via airport shuttle bus, we had a short walk to our guesthouse, the Especen Hotel. Our walk took us right by Hoan Kiem Lake, where hoards of locals were exercising, meeting, chatting, eating, walking, and generally just hanging out. It was a great first impression of Hanoi, and of Vietnam.
Next few days we spent exploring the city. When I say exploring, I mean walking, walking, and walking. I refused to let Perry ride a motorbike in the crazy Hanoi traffic. (Thinking back though, I’m not sure that we were really much safer on foot . . . ) Our alternate transport options were limited. We learned quickly that taking one of the many “cyclos” (three wheeled bicycle taxi) constantly vying for our business brought on all sorts of unexpected conflict and cost. We used a cyclo three times in Hanoi and had only slightly varied experiences. The first delivered us to our agreed location and accepted our agreed price (yey!). The second tricked us into taking two cyclos instead of one (“My friend want to help me . . . ”) and attempted to charge us double, while dropping us near, but not at, our agreed destination. The third dropped us 3 blocks away from our destination and requested more money than the agreed price. Yikes! Add to that our accelerated meter taxi experience ($8 for about 10 min . . . ok for Canada, exorbitant for SE Asia) and we pretty much decided that our own two feet were our best bet.
We had fun though, wandering around. We managed to get our camera fixed, both flash and display (yippee!). Perry got a haircut in the street for 40,000 VND, the equivalent of less than $3. Other travelers were shocked, but it is actually one of the best I’ve ever seen on him . . . now that it has two weeks of growth. We had more than our share of Bia Hoi, the super cheap draft beer sold at kiddie size tables on the corner of (it seems like) most streets. And, we managed to sample enough “pho” restaurants to conclude that the one around the corner from our hotel was definitely the best. (Still #1 in Vietnam actually . . .) Hanoi also has loads of public green space which the locals really take advantage of. It was fun to see people in their daily exercise routines. And of course, wandering Hanoi is exciting, because you constantly feel like you might get run over by a motorbike, car or truck . . . but you never actually do (at least we didn’t). This feeling changes from “exciting” to “annoying and frustrating” after approximately 2.5 days.
One of the highlights of Hanoi was visiting Ho Chi MInh’s embalmed body. Yes, you read that correctly. He looks like a very peaceful wax figure laying in a glass box. It is all very serious and official and VERY cold. There were big crowds the day we made our way there, as Ho Chi Minh’s birthday is May 19, a big day here in Vietnam. We also wandered through the very bizarre adjacent museum full of interesting yet strange exhibits about Ho Chi MInh and Vietnam in general.
We kept our nights busy wandering through the markets. The walking street in Hanoi is big and much more crowded than even Chiang Mai’s was. I’m not quite sure why though, because it was mostly full of junk. Proof being that even I couldn’t find one thing to purchase. We also attended a “water puppetry” show one night. I admit, it was a very touristy show which I dragged Perry to. But hey, it’s definitely something I’ve never seen before . . . and likely never will again. It was cute and all, but I think without any kids to take, it’s like going to see “The Wiggles” all on your own, at 31+ years old.
By our third day in Hanoi, my legs were thoroughly warn out. I think I was also exhausted by the realization that I no longer had any idea what anybody was saying, and by the generally more aggressive nature of the Vietnamese (ah, the luxury of Thailand and Laos . . . ). I have to admit that I barely paid attention on our visit to the Vietnam Military History Museum. (Which I now feel guilty for, but will try to make it up in HCMC . . .) It was clear the time had come to move on from the big city. So, we booked a nice relaxing 3 day trip to Halong Bay and took off the next morning.
For photos of Hanoi and all of our adventures, see http://gallery.me.com/adamschen
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