Blogs from Hanoi, Red River Delta, Vietnam, Asia - page 242

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Asia » Vietnam » Red River Delta » Hanoi June 19th 2005

I’ve been in Vietnam six weeks to the day, and all of that in Hanoi. The more I don't learn or speak Vietnamese, the more I realise how crucial it is if you are more than just a blow-in tourist. The deeper I get into the culture and the more I grasp, the greater the miscommunications. Yesterday Jan, a mate from my course, and I rocked up to a side-of-the-road stall serving Bun Cha - basically cold soup with barbecued meat, rice noodles and fresh herbs. A steal at 50 cents a pop. I can appreciate that with a tonal language, the Vietnamese might not understand my very Western pronunciation of the word two (hai), referring to our order for 2 Bun Cha. So I also hold up two fingers (the polite way round) to clarify ... read more

Asia » Vietnam » Red River Delta » Hanoi June 18th 2005

Light Star hotel, Hanoi overcharged me in the morning. They added VAT and internet which hadn't told me about and I qucikly got to understand the cynic factor that afflicts Vietnamn travllers as mentioned in the Lonely Planet. After about few minutes waiting I spoke up "Why didn't I get change?", I asked. He had left me additionally short a couple of dollars. "I don't have any", he attempted to excuse himself... I had the good fortune to meet a German/Vientnamese couple (who amazingly were of similiar age), who I spoke German to and they brought me to faboulous New World Hotel (woman was very honest and always smiling) where I got a bedroom with sitting room place for 8$.. I went a walking and got a Cyco driver down one street...towards Ho Chi Minh's maousoleum ... read more
My favourite Commie
Soren and Vicky
Soren and Julian

Asia » Vietnam » Red River Delta » Hanoi June 17th 2005

My last day in Vientianne. I booted around the massive market (Talat Sao) by bike and finally bought the obligarory beer Lao t-shirt (1.50$). I bought a bunch of other things which later I relaized were either lost or stolen.....(I had sat down at one of the market stalls for a coke and the woman owner was trying to pair me with her daughter....A large middle aged man found the whole thing hillarious, looked at me gestured at the girl laughed and stomped off....) At Wattay airport, I gave the happy tuk - tuk driver all my KIP, bumped in to Tony again who got caught for overstaying one night (10$). We were met in Hanoi by the pushiest taxi drivers I ever seen at an airport anywhere...(little did I know how naive I really was) ... read more

Asia » Vietnam » Red River Delta » Hanoi June 1st 2005

For the last three days I've been touring Ha Long Bay, a few hours east of Ha Noi. Ha Long bay is a World Heritage Site and is home to about 2000 limestone islands which jut out of the sea in stunning formations. The trip started with a 4 hour bus ride to Ha Long Harbour where we boarded our ship. The ship is quite hard to describe. It was 2 stories, a main dining room area on the second floor, and cabins below. There was also a rooftop lounge area. However most of the first day was spend in the dining area while it poured rain outside. There were about 16 of us on board the first day and we all looked at the beautiful scenery of the islands that surrounded us on all sides. ... read more

Asia » Vietnam » Red River Delta » Hanoi May 14th 2005

Just in case you haven't got the jist of it yet, Southeast Asia is really hot. Nick and Lora thought it would be interesting for us to expound on how hot it is in our journals. So, how hot is too hot again? --When you're in one of the most beautiful, sparkly places in the world with heavenly temples, but you feel like you're in the pit of Hell, the heat is too hot. --When you get inside crappy air conditioning and it feels good, the heat is too hot. --When you've drank enough liquid to fill a bathtub, the heat is too hot. --When your hair is so humid it feels like a bush, the heat is too hot. --When and ONLY when you can see the sweat soaking through yours AND everyone else's clothing ... read more

Asia » Vietnam » Red River Delta » Hanoi May 10th 2005

Asians are not known for their eccentricity but watching hundreds of Hanoiens partaking in their morning exercise routine around Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem Lake is a sight to behold. Old, young, disabled, fit and fanatical all congregate at and around the lake, not discounting sword-wielding grandmas, Tai Chi masters, gyrating mums at public aerobics, and buffed wannabe steroid junkies using portable gym equipment on the narrow footpath just centimetres away from the onslaught of morning moto traffic. You can also get a weigh-in by the side of the lake, or just about anywhere in Vietnam, on a set of musical mobile scales. Hanoi is a beautiful city, described as the Paris of the East given its legacy of French colonial architecture. But somehow my heart still lies in Cambodia and with the Khmer people. In spite of ... read more

Asia » Vietnam » Red River Delta » Hanoi May 6th 2005

Day 3 - 4 in Vietnam Hanoi It takes time to get used to Hanoi... the first impression is that this city is nothing else but a huge chaos! Kind of like an ant house: it's moving fast in every corner of the city, it's noisy. Really noisy! It's difficult to make your way through the crowd and traffic... But once you have accepted the tempo and follow the flow, you feel much more at ease! The day we arrived, we heard the sirens of an ambulance, and noticed that the traffic did not give way to it. When the ambulance finally passed by, sirens blaring, we saw that the 5 occupants were not at all stressed, not on any emergency. They were sitting relaxed with their elbows out the windows, just trying to make use ... read more

Asia » Vietnam » Red River Delta » Hanoi May 4th 2005

Day 1 - 2 in Vietnam Getting to Vinh Our bus to Vinh (Vietnam) left from Phonsavan (Laos) at 8.15, more than 1 hour late - something we are getting used to - stressful for Marion, perfect for Zak :) Our entry into Vietnam was NOT a pleasant experience! Already on the bus, we noticed a big difference between the calm respectful Laotians and the loud invasive Vietnamese passengers. We also started feeling at a disadvantage, as suddenly, Zak had zero understanding of the local languages - Vietnamese is a whole other language family, nothing like Thai or Laotian, which he had learned from his volunteer work days. We could tell when people were discussing us and dishing out snide remarks - they had no qualms about making that really obvious - but we had no ... read more
4 couples Lay Bac at Hang Bac

Asia » Vietnam » Red River Delta » Hanoi April 12th 2005

Here in Hanoi, one of the western-style cafes (named the Kangaroo Cafe, and of course there are about 3 other rip-off "Kangaroo Cafes" around town!) sells T-shirts which proclaim, in Vietnamese, "No! I do not want... motorbike, cyclo, postcards, cigarettes, t-shirts, etc.. now go away!". I think it sells well. If the locals here actually learned the word "no" in their standard issue Vienglish textbooks, they're not letting on. In this city, with its amazing old quarter complete with a maze of narrow streets (named after the products sold on the street - I'm staying on Thuoc Bac Street, which must be Vietnamese for 'Pots and Pans") and motorbikes blocking every path, you are accosted non-stop by motorbike and cyclo drivers wanting to take you places as you walk (quicker than them) down the middle of ... read more
Halong Bay 2
Halong Bay 3
Inside the Citadel

Asia » Vietnam » Red River Delta » Hanoi April 5th 2005

It's all coming back to me now.... Maybe it's the constant horn honking, maybe the lawlessness they exhibit behind the wheel or handlebars of their motorbikes, perhaps it was the feeling of being marked in the crosshairs of street vendors as their next meal ticket that has made me realize where I am today. Hanoi - April 5th, 2005 Landing in the belly of the red dragon (as I will refer to Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam) from now on, was as smooth as can be. After a rather comfortable 17 hour flight from LAX to Hong Kong, playing video chess and watching some of the latest movies, I had another 1 hour flight into the dragon's belly before the start to my latest adventure. The taxi ride from the airport was about 40 minutes ... read more
Hoan Kiem Lake - Lake of the Restored Sword
Thap Rua - Turtle Pagoda
Hoan Kiem Lake - Lake of the Restored Sword




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