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Published: November 24th 2006
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Thankfully on the way into Hanoi from the airport I met up with a Brit guy - Andrew, who was familiar to the ways of Hanoi. His first words were pretty much "Walk slowly across the street". For those of you that have not yet gotten to Hanoi (or somewhere similar), you just walk across the street, slowly and ideally not in front of cars / buses (bigger mass = slower time to stop) and everyone swerves around you. Don't stop, go faster, go backwards, just go. Slowly.
I did try to teach this aussie couple how to do this (after watching the Water Puppets = cute n kitschy but bit odd. Not a snob but nothing after having house seats at the Lyric Theatre for some time). A motorcyclist came screeching to a half right in front of me. After exhaling... hyperventilating, and having these 2 Aussies stare at me in shock, I proceeded to walk across slowly. Sucessfully.
This is actually kind of fun, it's kinda like pedestrians have right of way. Unfortunately, I took this mentality down to Hoi An where a cyclist crashed right into me. That kinda hurt.
Hanoi was otherwise, just fun.
Bonsai
For your inspiration Mum. Heaps more on my camera but they take way too long to upload Cheap good beers. Bai Hoi. Lots of pho noodles. Some dodging as I walked across the street. Didn't spend very long though. Just 2 days.
No Ho Chi Minh. He's in Russia for 3 months having "maintenance". What the hell does he need to go to Russia for 3 months for to do that? Temple of Literature - just like a pretty garden dedicated to scholars (I believe) but lots of bonsai (Mum - some inspiration for your work. I hope Jasper hasn't sabotaged any but he does need walks)
Am getting quite bad at remembering what I've done...
Apparently the lake in the Old Quarter (opp the Water Puppets theatre) has a giant turtle in there. There's a preserved one in the temple / pagoda on the lake. These 2 Viets told me this. I asked them whether it was like the Loch Ness Monster. They said looking at me weirdly, no it's a turtle... I didn't want to press the point.
Hoi An - 10 Nov 2006
Shopping. Tailors. That's all I need to say. Tim - the tailor loves you. I think she remembers you too as I mentioned your name and
she said blonde brown curly hair? She also said Tim means heart in Viet and everyone remembers Tim. (I really hope that Viet postal system loves me too). I really think that tailor now loves me too - given the amount of work I've referred down to here too.
The beach in Hoi An was just rubbish..... I didn't go swimming. We're def spoilt back in Aus. Went down there with a fellow mate from Aus. Was quite funny as she's half Asian, not that you could guess it, but she was saying the only gene she inherited was the 'red Asian' gene. Probably the last one you'd want.
Pt 2 of Hanoi - 17 Nov 2006
The backpack is getting heavy and is now broken.
This I found out after Chinese customs interrogated me for half an hour on all my stamps - kept asking me 'Why did you go to Laos / Thailand / Vietnam / Thailand, Why did you go to Thailand just for 2 days etc etc and I'm thinking expected me to slip up and say trade in opium, made me wait half an hour, went through all my things and confiscated my Lonely Planet guide. For all those travelling overland from Vietnam to China (my advice, don't or at least try to hide your Lonely Planet and expect long delays. This customs official was so f#@!ing bored. I really think he confiscated my Lonely Planet guide to sell on ebay. Considering hte stockpile that he had already! His initial reason why was because Taiwan was not on the map as part of China, I told him he could tear the map out, he then said there was no introduction, I pointed at the page entitled "Introduction". He said it wasn't comprehensive enough and at this point lawyer-ly arguments were not getting me anywhere. I decided to go for the teary emotional single female traveller argument. This after he talked to his supervisor, got me a few pages of Kunming with a map and an address of a bookstore in Kunming (which was rubbish unsuprisingly). Funnily enough, in the bookstore where I got a travel guide, China was the only country which didn't have a lonely planet guide but rather a rough guide (which I'll add is absolutely rubbish, although it does have Chinese astrology section, it doesn't have anything about looking after a hamster in China - suprisingly, given the amount of rubbish in it). By the way, the hamsters in China are really quite cute.
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