Waking Up To The Symphony of Horns
Trip Start
Jun 14, 2006
1
2
8
Trip End
Sep 01, 2006
Ha Noi,
Vietnam
Friday, June 16, 2006
Our room faces a set of internal stairwells, our bathroom window overlooks a side street.
It is a bright day outside. SUVs mingle with weary walkers carrying heavy burdens.
The topic of conversation between the eight of us here is how hot it is and how to combat the heat. Our hair is up. Our make-up is limited. Our water bottles in tow.
Cold beers don't stay cold for long. They fizzle down to a luke warm temperature ten minutes into our meal.
Our glowing faces are a mixture of sweat and excitement.
Our flight yesterday was long. We learned the "courtesy bell" inside bathroom stalls at the Seoul International Airport makes flushing noises to cover up less appropriate sounds while in the toilet.
We nearly missed our flight from Seoul to Ha Noi while having a bowl of soup in the Food Court. I have never seen an airport like the one in Seoul. It is like a shopping mall.
Our hotel is fantastic. We are very thankful for the air conditioning in our rooms as a relief from the hot hot heat outside. Breakfast this morning fresh fruit like lychee, fried sweet breads, different types of eggs, egg rolls, and fresh bread.
Other than the heat, it hasn't fully hit me that I am in Viet Nam. It has been 14 years since I'd left but I feel strangely at home. My rusty Vietnamese is kicking in, my limited vocabulary will prove to be a challenge.
It is wonderful to be surrounded by people that speak my language and are near my height!
Today will be our first day out on the city and in the words of Lauren,
"We're ready to go".
The group's initial impressions of Ha Noi:
Hot
Sticky
"I know what sticky rice feels like now-Cara"
The people are constantly trying to sell us something
Everything we think to be normal...confused of what is normal...completely different way of life...doesn't make any sense to some of us but it is absolutely normal for them
Everyone is nice and courteous, but does not allow themselves to be stepped on.
Streets are organized chaos
Love that there are only motorcycles
Great to walk slowly
The pace here is fast and slow. The motorbicycles give life here a sense of urgency. Others are relaxing in front of the t.v. watching the World Cup.
Comments
Hi Mytam
The way that you described the heat. It sounds so HOT and HUMID. I'm glad that you feel comfortable around people that speak our own language and with our own height....haha. Hoping that you will feel at home soon. When I was there for 3 weeks, it was hard for me to feel at home. I was home sick, America home sick, actually. I'm sure your experience with Vietnam will be totally different than mine.