Vietnam = Winter?
Trip Start
Feb 05, 2008
1
31
70
Trip End
Ongoing
Hanoi,
Vietnam
Sunday, April 13, 2008
My hotel, the one I'm supposed to be in, the Camellia 5, is situated on 'hardware row', just down from 'tin-basher's alley' and around the corner from 'shoe lane'. Seems that's how the old quarter is 'organized', loosely, like a department store. A room there complete with cable tv, a/c, the first high pressure hot shower I've had in weeks and a minibar stocked with ice cold Tiger Beer and Bia Ha Noi cost me $15 and that included breakfast and free internet.
The old quarter is zany
Streets of Hanoi
. The traffic is chaotic but somehow orderly. Without exagerating, scooters must outnumber all other vehicles by like 40 to one. You can't really navigate the sidewalks for the parked scooters, which of course means the narrow streets are also filled with pedestrian traffic. The Vietnamese are horn honkers; not like the Bolivians with their 'get the fuck out of my way' honking style, rather more like a 'hey I'm here' type of honk. But they are obsessive-compulsive to the extent that they honk a lot and often when it's completely unnecessary, particularly outside the city. The old quarter sounds like a behive of beeping and buzzing scooter engines. Crossing the road is truly an adventure. You take your break and start walking while making eye contact and they drive around you. I'm told in Saigon it's worse which in my estimation would make it potentially life threatening. There are no tuk-tuks here but on at least one corner at every interestection there is a moto driver (xe om), sometimes two and most often there are one or two on three out of four of the corners. They are adept at getting your attention with a friendly 'hey' or 'hello' and a wave and a point at their motorbike and the word 'moto'?. A 'no thanks' most often does the trick. Sometimes I would give them a 'hey' or 'hello' and a wave right back and they'd smile or laugh. There are also cyclos (xich lo) which are bicycle rickshaws with the chair in front
Streets of Hanoi
. They have a similar ploy but are sometimes more persistant than their moto counterparts. A 'no thanks' would be followed by the standard 'where you going?' question. Generally they are all good natured and move on after the second 'no'. The old quarter is filled with countless, countless restaurants of all types and sizes and mostly serving Vietnamese food. There are also many cafes serving Vietnamese coffees (so good!). Most of the locals eat at spots where there are short plastic tables surrounded by little plastic stools out on the sidewalks. There are also countless hotels. Every hotel is also a travel agent and on top of those there are a number of independent travel agents, some operating out of cafes, all of them peddling bus, train and airline tickets and tour packages to Ha Long Bay and Sapa. The range of options and prices is endless.
You can expect to bargain in Vietnam, except where prices are posted, like restaurants. It's the way things are done. And you'll wait for your change, but you'll get it, most of the time. Before getting my haircut, I asked how much--40,000 VND ($2.50). I gave her a 50 and she said thank you and stuffed the bill in her pocket. I stood there for a sec and thought, ah what the hell and let her keep it. Overall though the bargaining is enjoyable and they are good natured about that too.
During my first couple of days I spent some time walking around and siteseeing. I went to the Hoa Lo Prison, which you may know as the 'Hanoi Hilton'. It was nicknamed as such by the US POW's during the American War (funny how the Americans call it the Vietnam War)
Streets of Hanoi
. It is interesting to note that John McCain was shot down over Hanoi and spent some years here, a fact they seem to be making quite a big deal out of right now. I saw Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum Complex and the Presidential Palace and I walked through Lenin Park. I took most of my meals sitting amongst the locals at various 'sidewalk cafes' around town, most often ordering by pointing. The food has been hit and miss, sometimes spectacular, other times rather dull and uninspiring. They load it up with MSG. It's really cheap, usually about a buck a meal. Same for beer. I checked in on a bar called the R&R Tavern and got to see a live band for the first time in weeks--an american guy on drums and vocals and three Vietnamese, including a fantastic lead guitar player, who kicked out some killer '70's rock--The Grateful Dead, The James Gang and the like. The place is run by an American expat and the clientelle is largely made up of other expats and vets who live here now. It was a bit of an older crowd. One of the vets runs the Veterans for Peace chapter here.
I met Scott Cameron, a Vietnam vet who was shot in a helicopter here and is back for the first time since. He has become an activist of late and has the following website, www.coalitioncasualties.net
Streets of Hanoi
. Scott, Andre, a dutch fellow, and I enjoyed an interesting conversation about the state of american politics into the late hours. The culinary highlight was dinner at Cha Ca La Vong's, Vietnamese special dish since 1871. From their card: " Cha Ca, a special dish, first made by the family Doan in Hanoi. Cha Ca La Vong Restaurant had been opened through five consecutive generations for over one hundred years and has now become very famous at home and abroad. Cha Ca has been so appreciated that the street is names afterwards". Cha Ca is a Hanoi specialty of fish braised in a broth of tasty-oily-buttery goodness and served with a bowl of coarsely chopped green onions and vermicelli rice noodles and fresh herbs and peanuts on the side. The fish comes sizzling in a pan atop a small bbq like device that is placed on your table. You stir in the green onions and let it saute a little longer and then spoon some of it over your noodles in a small bowl, adding herbs and peanuts. There's enough for three or four small bowls. This place was recommended in the 1000 Places To See Before You Die book and it's easy to see why. It's an institution. All for not quite $6.
After three days in Hanoi it was time to get to Halong Bay. I was ready. The horn-honking and traffic gets to you after a bit.
