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Published: September 2nd 2009
Hi Everyone
Well I'm back in Hanoi again, and yes it's still hot!!! Sapa was a lovely temporary reprieve, but it was never going to last. The problem seems to be that it's really still the rainy season here, but it's NOT raining. So the heat just keeps building up, and gets worse and worse. In fact during the 4 weeks I've been away, it has really only rained 3 times, none of which lasted all that long, and hasn't stop me from doing anything.
Anyway, picking up from my last blog......... I had a great day on my "motor cycle adventure". We went over the mountains into the next valley to a small village called Tam Duong. The highest pass we crossed was 2000 metres, and the road was pretty narrow and cut into the side of the mountain. They were working on the road and there was huge machinery (bulldozers etc) in precarious spots along the way.... I have no idea how they got the machinery into some of the places. Needless to say we had to stop often as there was rocks and stuff all over the road from the work. It was a bit scarey as there was also some pretty large trucks coming along the road.... petrol tankers and semi trailers, and they were not to be messed with!!! At the highest point we were in thick fog, and it was pretty cold.... yes I actually felt cold for about 15 minutes !!!!
The village was much less touristy than Sapa, and had a genuine local market. All sorts of strange things were for sale like crabs, small frogs, tiny little eels that looked more like snakes, the usual assortment of chickens and ducks, and a whole bunch of stuff I had no idea what it was. This village was predominately occupied by a different tribe from the hill people in Sapa, and they were dressed quite differently. While we were in the market, my guide Tang bought 2 ducks to take home for a family party that was being held the next day. He put them into a bamboo cage and strapped it onto the back of the bike (behind my spot). By the time we got back to Sapa I was actually feeling very sorry for the ducks, as I'd bonded with them on the journey home, and their life was about to come to an abrupt end.
We spent quite a bit of time in the main market, and then went to a small settlement out of town. Here we were invited into one of the houses (obviously preplanned by the tour guide) for a weaving demonstration. Naturally I then had to buy something. Fortunately they had some small shoulder bags, so that kept them satisfied. It was quite interesting in the house, as despite them being clearly very poor with very few possessions, there was an old TV and a DVD player in the corner, next to the shrine to Buddha!!!
I got the train that night from Lao Cai, and arrived back in Hanoi at 4.30am!!!! The train trip was pretty uneventful, except I was ripped off by the "refreshment" cart man. He had chips ect, and on asking the price of a box of Pringles was told it was 60,000 Dong. So I handed over what I thought was a 50,000 and 10,000 Dong note, and the scoundral was smiling saying, "yes madam, right money", and quickly disappeared into the next carriage. It was only when I got back to my cabin, I realised I had given him a 100,000 Dong note, not 10,000. So the packet of pringles cost me around $10 instead of about $3. Serves me right for eating pringles in the first place !!!
We arrived into Hanoi station at 4.30am and despite it still being dark it was a hive of activity. As it was so early I didn't want to go back to Alison's & Murray's place and wake them in the middle of the night. So I tried to fill in some time by getting a Chai (milk coffee). There I was sitting on a small plastic stool amongst hundreds Vietnamese, sticking out like a sore thumb. I was getting hassled every 30 seconds by taxi drivers, as they figured I needed their services....westerners don't catch buses!!! Eventually I gave in, and let one take me home, as I just couldn't say "not yet, soon" one more time. I discovered it's actually reasonably cool at 4.30am, and for a short time was hopeful the temperatures had cooled down. However by 7am once the sun had come up, I realised this wasn't the case.
So I am now back in Hanoi with Alison & Murray. Yesterday I played tourist again and went to Hoa Lo prison, which the French used to house anyone who resisted their authority back in the colonial days. It was also known as the "Hanoi Hilton" during the Vietnam (American) War, as the American pilots shot down over North Vietnam were imprisioned here. There was an interesting display showing how well the Vietnamese treated the American pilots, and how badly the French had treated the Vietnamese!!! I also went to a couple of temples, the most interesting being the Temple of Literature. This buddist temple dates back to1016, and was basically a university for monks. Now a day it is more a tourist attraction, but it is a very nice temple in a peaceful setting.
So that's about it from me. I leave Hanoi on Friday, and head to Koh Lanta in Southern Thailand for a week on the beach. You wait, I bet the rain that isn't falling will decide to hit with a vengence as soon as I get there!!!
Cheers, Ali xxx
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hey auntie alison this is talitha just seeing if this is working on grandpas computer so he can keep into contact with you... so hopefully this does. hope all is goin well and grandpa says hi to you to! lots of love from talitha and grandpa xoxoxoxox