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Published: January 8th 2009
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It sounds like a new dance move... but really, it's what you do when you try to cross the street here.
We arrived into Hanoi without too much trouble. As we looked out the airplane window as the plane was going "guh-guh-guh-guh-guh" across the runway (which badly needs repaving) I felt like I was in 1970. That must be about the last time the airport had any work done to it on the outside. My first thought was "we are not in Singapore anymore!" Our driver picked us up from the airport and took us to the Sunshine Hotel, where we are staying. Along the drive, there were many more scooters than cars, and people pack all sorts of crazy things on there scooters. First I noticed a scooter with a cage on the back of it that held a few dogs. Not Paris-Hilton-style, but the dogs were packed in like you would a suitcase, with their little underbellies pressed on the edge of the cage. Then we saw a cage with pigs packed in like sardines. I'm not sure if they were dead or alive. We passed by many farms with palm, kumquats, corn, and who knows what else.
Hanoi looks like somebody just dropped a bunch of seeds at random and up popped a bunch of houses. All the houses look like rowhomes just scattered around, but not necessarily attached. They face every which way, you will see this grand house next to a totally ghetto one. It is definitely chaos.
We checked into our hotel, which is in the old quarter. The hotel itself is fine - clean, safe, etc. However, when you step out on the streets it is back to the chaos. We begun our adventure by making our way through the narrow, winding streets of the old quarter down to the lake in Central Hanoi. It is pretty, with a pagoda and a temple in the middle of the lake, with a beautiful red bridge leading out to the temple. We went to a water puppet show, which I am pretty sure is where I got pickpocketed. The unlucky criminals didn't get any money, but they did take my hotel key - grrr. It doesn't say where we are staying or anything, but sooo irritating. I only keep a few dollars in my pockets so I don't have to pull out my money
Confucious Temple of Literature
These are the names of people who passed the Royal Exams before 1474. This is a series of tests that the Chinese government would have everyone take. Over a couple thousand years, only 1300+ people had passed them, including Confucious pouch in the middle of the street for that very situation, but it is definitely irritating. The water puppet show was OK but not fabulous from our nosebleed-section seats. The rest of the evening proceeded to a crappy massage followed by a mediocre dinner with loads of hassling from the taxi/cyclo/motorbike drivers asking us if we want a ride. When I went to sleep last night, I was determined to check into a 5 star hotel the next day so I don't have to listen to the constant sounds of car horns.
This morning we were woken up to the sound of communist propaganda, which they play in loudspeakers throughout the whole city at I don't know what time. My patient boyfriend listened to my frustration with Hanoi, checked out the various hotels, and we decided to walk some more and check things out. We ended up walking to a temple honoring Confucious, a peaceful respite from the chaos. (Did you know Confucious lived to be 73 years old??? This was in 500BC!) Then we headed over to Ho Chi Minh's tomb, across the river, and then to the 5-star Sofitel. We indulged ourself in their amazing lunch buffet,
and had foot massages/pedicures at the hotel. At the buffet, we sat by the window that overlooked one of the crazy intersections of Hanoi and watched the scooters maze through the intersection with all sorts of goods mounted such as skinned pigs, lumber, and a big screen TV. I guess you can get anything on those scooters. Not for me though - much too dangerous. The best part about lunch was the quiet of the hotel. After our pampering, we headed back to the hotel for a nap, and are making our plans for the next few days. Tomorrow we are going on a 3 day tour of Halong Bay, where we will check out limestone formations and go kayaking! It is pretty chilly here, maybe gets down to 50 or so at night and quite damp. The air in Hanoi is awful, you smell like exhaust after being outside for 10 minutes. I am quite ready to leave Hanoi, and don't recommend it to any travelers. Live and Learn. Enjoy the pics!
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Jenn's MOM
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Hanoi blog
Hi Jenn and Raymond, I am glad you are safe, and the pickpockets didn't get too much. Thanks especially for the photos. The contrasts must be amazing. Love, MOM