Motorcycles Galore
Trip Start
Oct 30, 2005
1
4
58
Trip End
Jun 19, 2006
Hanoi, Vietnam
Sunday, November 6, 2005
Cars, it appears, are a recent invention, at least as far as the Hanoians are concerned. Here, the motorcycle ("xe") rules the road, and there are thousands upon thousands of them. The traffic is as busy as any other major city, but it seems almost unnatural how few cars are part of the melee. Driving around on the back of a motorcycle (they double as taxis), clinging on for dear life as the driver plays slalom with the other bikes, is almost as fun as a Naples taxi!
Hanoi is fantastic, and I'm loving it here so far. The "you're not in Guatemala now" feeling finally kicked in last night after I arrived here, and now I feel like this trip has really started to get into gear
(01) The "Hanoi Hilton"
. After the comfortable organised sterility of Singapore, the chaotic and dirty streets of Hanoi are much more the Asia I've come to see.Of course, the food is delicious and so cheap - you start the day with a bowl of pho bo (beef noodle soup) for about 80 US cents, and go from there. Today I manage to fulfill a life-long dream, and dined out on frog (sweet and sour frog, no less) for lunch. Kermit was pretty tasty actually (a little like chicken, a little like fish!), but I must admit, picking up a piece of frog leg with the foot still attached was a little off-putting at first...
I'm going to forego the pleasure of eating dog while I'm here, but before I leave Hanoi I'm definitely going head out to the snake village of Le Mat for a bit of McCobra!
One big difference from Singapore is type of Westerner you meet wandering around. In Singapore, every backpacker I met was either Dutch or British. Indeed, I spent the day at the Singapore zoo on Friday with an Englishman, a Welshman, and a Scotsman. I wanted to get all the Home Nations together, but we couldn't get the Irishman out of the pub!Here in Hanoi though, the touristicles are almost all German or French, on bloody package tours. I did bump into a couple of Kiwis last night though, after I finally managed to find a pub showing the rugby. Bloody great game, and I had a couple of beers with an Auckland couple heading home from London. Good times!
[Damn - this is a loooooong one, but if you're still reading, congratulations on your stamina and thanks!]
Cheers guys, go the AB's, RIP Rod, and hope you are all keeping well.
Luv C.
Comments
vietnamese broads
in a strangely appealing way, the local chicks look like they'd do anything for money... which isn't necessarily a bad thing. then they open their mouth and reveal a language that sounds like they're being continuously pummeled in the stomach - or vomiting. it's a wash, really.
but connerd, you'd be missing out by not trying the dog. here's a secret... the best part is in the rear.
il jerko
p.s. cheers for the music. it's actually taking quite a while to download them so i haven't had a chance to really listen to them. stay tuned b/c i'm sure to opine sooner or later.
Lowered tone
Pant removal, kgs of poo, and dog rears - what is this thread...flypaper for freaks?!
That said:
Good luck in the hills bro - talk to you when you get back.
the jerk - totally agree, the local girls are awfully cute. I can see why the Americans stayed here so long.