Oh Hanoi

---

It's a bit of a harsh transition to go from the tranquil beauty of Malaysia to the bustling grime and vibrance of Hanoi but I'm here and I'm making every effort to get a whiff (so to speak, but also viscerally) of what Hanoi is all about. Or as much as I can figure out in the two days that I'll be here.

So far, the thing that has made me the happiest since I arrived in Hanoi is that the hotel has laundry services. REAL laundry, with a washer and dryer and same-day service: the works. My clothes are, how do you say, disgusting. They are all in various states of dampness and all have been worn during periods of prolific sweating, creating a lovely potpourrie of aromatic stench. I had to open my backpack yesterday en route and a distinct odor erupted. Fortunately, Sarah's clothing has been in the same state, so I think we've both become de-sensitized to the smells, but now that I'm back in the "real" world, I probably should deal with the situation before it reaches a critical state. I wasn't sure I'd be able to get same-day service here in Hanoi, and since I leave tomorrow for Halong Bay, well, that would have meant I'd of had to go another 3 days without clean clothes leading to aforementioned critical state. Anyway, I am VERY excited.

After dropping my stink-bag off at the hotel reception (they must love me), I set off to wander the streets of Hanoi. I was hoping to find a cafe called Baquet & Chocolate, which some fellow-travelers had recommended. It is a cafe that employs kids as a means to keep them off the streets and teach them a trade. Oh, and they also are rumored to have the best coffee in Hanoi. There was an address in my Lonely Planet and it seemed close to the hotel so off I went, on foot, into the streets of Hanoi.

Similar to Phnom Pehn, Hanoi traffic is absoluately absurd. There are no (I mean that, zero) traffic signals here and traffic flow is a complete free-for-all. Imagine San Francisco with no traffic lights or stop signs. My Western values make me pre-disposed to think that this would clearly be a bad idea, but I've got to thinking...it somehow works. Cars, cyclos, motos, and people all criss-cross the roads and make their lines across the lanes. They narrowly avoid each other, but they all keep moving. It's like the absence of real rules makes people actually pay attention to what they're doing. It's impressive.

I found the address where Baquet & Chocolate was supposed to be, but to my surpirse (and under-caffeinated dismay), there was no Baquet & Chocolate there. I wandered across the street into a hotel and asked if they could help. The woman told me that it had moved. "Do you know where?" I asked. She did not.

So I walked back onto the street and a cyclo flagged me down. In my San Francisco-taxis-always-know-where-things-are mentality, I figured: ok, for $2, I can let the cyclo take me there. We had a brief conversation where it became very clear to me that the cyclo driver had absolutely no idea where Baquet & Chocolate was. He had never even heard of the place. Still, why should this be a reason for him to decline the ride and I figured: what's the worst that can happen: I get a little tour of Hanoi, so I accepted the ride and hoped for the best.

About 10 minutes later, he pulled over and asked a random person on the street if they knew where it was. I got my Lonely Planet out and showed her. She didn't know the place but she started to explain where it was based on the address in LP. Um, yea, I attempted to pantomime (because me: 0 Vietnamese and them: 0 English) I was already there and Baquet & Chocolate has moved.

The driver had absolutely no idea what I was saying. We stared at each other helplessly, both of us wanting desperately to bridge the language barrier but both stretched beyond our means. I finally decided to just give him the card for my hotel and so I ended up right back where I started. No sooner did I get back here than the sky parted and the rain began to pour down. Oh well, free internet here, so it's a good chance to catch up on email & blogging. Unfortunately, I think the computer is too slow to upload pics, but I'll give it a try. No promises. For those of you on Facebook, I've got the Thailand set up there...

I leave tomorrow for Halong Bay, on a 3-day/2-night junk tour (which means I ride on an old Chinese junk boat through the bay and we get to do all kinds of fun activities like kayaking, swimming, spelunking, etc.). And starting to get excited for Australia!!! That's it for now...wish me luck surviving the mayhem.

---