Hanoi Hotels
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Hanging out in Hanoi
Entry 11 of 11 | show all | print this entry |
So you can say that I have come down -- very quickly -- from the high of living in paradise in Luang Prabang. We arrived in Hanoi Monday evening only to find out that the luggage of the entire flight was somehow left in Luang Prabang. Luang Prabang International Airport consists of one runway and two 'gates' -- "international" and "domestic". It probably recieves about 3 flights a day, Max, and only 2 depart. Somehow, in the midst of having 2 airplanes on the runway, one arriving and one departing flight (OMG), all of the luggage from our flight was somehow left behind. And not only did an entire flight of people come up empty handed at the baggage claim when we arrived in Hanoi, but we learnt that the "technical" reason all luggage was unable to join us was because the plane was overweight. There is no airplane that is 'overweight' because it happens to actually seat to its capacity, and being in this area of the world long enough, I think that there was a VIP who needed something shipped to Hanoi and us nameless passengers had to deal with the extreme frustration and disappointment of having our trips delayed. For Nick and I, it meant that we weren't able to go to Ha Long Bay, the purpose behind our visit to Hanoi in the first place.
A lot of hassle later, including having to return to the airport to identify the bags because somehow the luggage tags "fell off", we have tried to make the most of the remaining 24 hours of our visit in Vietnam. That meant finally getting some restful sleep since we weren't worried about our bags being lost somewhere in SE Asia and Lao Airlines not being able to afford to send them to us in our home countries (our compensation was only $20 a person). And getting a fantastic spa treatment (for only $28 person), and eating at the famous Bobby Chinn restaurant. Bobby is an American who, after a very colorful series of occupations including trading on Wall St and doing some gig for the mob (so reported), has settled in Hanoi and created a brand for himself. The food was delicious, though in my opinion, I was hoping for more Vietnamese influence than was available.
In general, I've been rather nonplussed with Hanoi, though it can't help it I suppose, being the capital city of a socialist country. Ho Chih Minh City (aka Saigon) is apparently super cool and runs at a frantic pace, as opposed to Hanoi when the streets darken by 10 pm and the only places open cater to those who are seeking a drink. We also realized we were again in a country very wary of white men who date asian women, like in China. Thailand, Cambodia and Laos was a nice break from the attention (though in Thailand there was an unusually high number of really strange old men who gave me the creeps.) There is a whole long discussion about the experiences Nick and I have had being in public in China and Vietnam and I'd rather not get into it now, but they are annoying at best and downright ignorant, chauvinistic, xenophobic at worst. I try to set my reactions against the context of history and that white men invaded these countries not too long ago, etc etc, but ultimately, it does little to assuage my intolerance for their looks, attitudes, and behavoir. At best, I am seen by these certain Chinese and Vietnamese as 'more open' than the normal Chinese or Vietnamese girl they think I am. At worst, I'm a walking disgrace to my family, potential hooker, and cheap. The white male is just being a white male in an Asian country, is what they think. The Asian girl is the offense.
I've wanted to wear an American flag and speak in English as loud as possible to actually confuse their reaction, but ultimately, that's tacky and cheap as well.
So we just walk along and do the best we can to enjoy the rest of the city.
We're leaving for Hong Kong via 6 hour layover in Singapore soon (staying from midnight to 6 AM in the airport, don't have to pay for accomodations tonight!). After the experience of losing our luggage, dealing with small air carriers, and finding just a few too many ants in our baguettes, I think we're done with the developing country thing. I'm ready for Hong Kong, the bright lights, efficiency, cleanliness, shopping, beaches, EVERYTHING DEVELOPED nothing socialist or compromised.
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