Onward to Hanoi
Trip Start
Jul 11, 2008
1
9
12
Trip End
Jul 26, 2008
Hanoi,
Vietnam
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Our stress levels began to rise as again no official confirmation could be made and we had to leave to make our 12:00 p.m. to Bangkok to connect with our flight to Vietnam. Not a big deal, except we had to take another longboat from Railay (which didn't leave until after 9 a.m.) to Krabi, and then a cab to the Krabi airport. Fortunately, each leg went smoothly and everyone involved was very helpful. I have to say that, unlike in America, where most of the airport staff seems determined to do everything in thier power to make your air travel as difficult as possible, the Asian airlines staff have been helpful to a fault, explaining all options, facilitating connections, and in several instances when they could tell we were confused they personally walked us to where we needed to go
Ngoc Son Temple
. Very comforting when you're tired and confused.We arrived in Hanoi around 8:30 p.m. and took a taxi to our hotel. On the 45 minute ride we got our first glimpse of the insanity which is Hanoi traffice. Thousands of motorbikes weaving in and out of trucks and cars, people riding bikes anywhere - on the shoulders, in the lanes , and sometimes the wrong way, and everyone continuously honking thier horns. Somehow, despite the chaos, it all kept flowing at a steady pace and no one seemed to succumb to road rage. Kim and I were thankful we weren't driving. Upon arrival at our hotel we were dismayed to find that they did not have our reservation. Not to worry - not only did the pleasant woman behind the counter help us in finding another hotel with a room, she personally walked us the three blocks in the rain to find it! The Prince Hotel is relatively no-frills, but the room was very clean, the staff freindly, and we were very tired at this point, and it looked like heaven. We booked the room and collapsed into bed.
In the morning we awoke with our batteries recharged, eager to explor Hanoi. Our hotel is in the heart of the Old Quarter of Hanoi, which dates back to the 13th century. Using our trusty guidebook, we decided to do a walking tour of the quarter as outlined by the author. The quarter was started with different specialized trade guilds operating on each street and it is very much the same today. One street has all the shoe stores, oneall the laquer wares, one has bizarre herbs and traditional medicines (dried seahorses, starfish, cobra wine?) and on and on. We started our tour at lake Hoan Kiem, a small lake that has an important pagoda called the Ngoc Son pagoda in the middle of the lake, reached by crossing the red Bridge of the Rising Son
Ngoc Son Temple
. Oops, I forgot to mention that on our way to the Hoan Kiem, as we were getting used to the frenetic activity of the streets, a tiny woman carrying two baskets of fruit suspended form a bamboo pole, approached us with a winning smile and the offer to let us pose for photos holding her wares, and wearing her hat....we thought "how quaint" and agreed. She then offered to sell us some pineapple for 60 Dong ($1 = 17,000 Dong). The smallest note I had was 100,000 dong, which upon seeing she said "yes, you give me two!". I said no, realizing that was absurd, at which point she grabbed the 100,000dong note and scurried off! We had just been robbed by an 80lb fruit peddler! Oh well, welcome to Hanoi, round eyes! We put on our game faces and vowed to be more vigilant. Back at the temple, tickets had to be purchased before crossing the red bridge at a cost of 6000 dong. I gave the woman in the ticket booth a 50,000 dong note, and she handed back my tickets and change. Upon counting my change, I discovered she has shorted me 10,000 Dong. When I confronted her, she didn't bat an eye and handed me the correct change. We were incredulous and I wondered if Buddha would have approved of such behaviour at one of his temples. Anyway, Kim and I crossed the bridge and entered the temple, which was a bit grungy (hey, it is 800 years old) but still fascinating and beautiful in its own way.After leaving the temple we crossed the sqaure and saw a large monuement which looked much different than most of the other statues we had seen, and it reminded me of USSR propoganda posters
Ngoc Son Temple
. the reason for this being that it memorialized the nationalist movement of the eary 1900's that would eventually give rise to communisim in Vietnam. From here we pretty much just wandered the old quarter, our senses completely bombarded from all sides by the sounds, sights, and smells of Hanoi. We saw many interesting shops and walked through a large open-air market which sold a myriad of strange fruits, vegetables, and every kind of seafood imaginable, most of it still swimming in tubs of water. Wriggling eels, all types of fish, crabs, prawns, and several things we had never seen- all fresh and ready to be eaten. We plan on going back with our guide and I at least would like to try some of the local market fare, since many of the vendors will prepare you a meal right on the spot. Few of these people spoke any English at all, so I want someone in the know to steer us in the right direction. A footnote about navigating the streets in Hanoi's Old Quarter- since there are no traffic signals, stop signs, or traffic cops, and the sidewalks are used for vendors wares, scooter parking, and cafe seating, pedestrians walk along the sides of the streets. When crossing a street you don't wait for a clear shot across(there will never be one) you simply walk steadily across and the swarms of scooters and taxis swerve around you. this arrangement definately takes some getting used to(!!!) but it works because all of the drivers seem to know the deal. Judging from the fact that I saw a man on a scooter, his young daughter on the seat in front of him, his wife holding on behind him, and he's swerving in and out of traffic, driving with one hand and talking on a cell phone with the other, Hanoi drivers are adaptive and have great reflexes.After a mid-afternoon cool-down and siesta at the hotel( the humidity and heat hear puts even Atlant to shame), Kim and I had a delicious Italian dinner at a guidebook recommended spot called Mediteraneo-we needed a break from Asian food, even though it has all been delicious. After dinner we strolled through the Quarter back to the hotel, pickeing up some exotic souvenirs along the way. Tomorrow we have a guide to give us a tour of the city, so I'm sure there are more unique experiences on the way. 'Til then, this is Team Bookout signing off.
