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Published: February 1st 2008
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Orange tree guy
You see lots of guys riding around with these mandarin trees on their mopeds--and of course the banana ladies--we like them too!! Jan.30/08 Hai Phong-Hanoi 110km 16.5km/hr.
We both found the ride a bit long to Hanoi. The road was flat though and you're separated from the road traffic by guiderail most of the way on a dedicated bike/cart lane. G was still just fighting her cold and my tank just felt a bit empty. We got away late from Hai Phong so couldn't afford to take many breaks. We met a nice young French couple cycling out of Hai Phong! Alexis and Charlotte were 4 months into a year-long journey around the world and were on there way to Halong Bay. We rode with them until the fork and had some nice chats and photos!
Anyway, Hanoi has been a blast! We're staying in the old quarter-lots of winding streets with people selling anything that you could want and maybe some things that we as Westerners might be less interested in---thit cho for example...let's just say that you can eat it here but at home it's usually a pet!! The traffic is amazing! You really have to be aggressive though or you literally would never get across a street! It's really sort of organized chaos--for the amount of
Hanoi Traffic
Note the mopeds in the foreground--they're on the sidewalk!! vehicules(90% mopeds) we've seen very few minor "fender benders". The traffic was particularly bad today and when that happens people on mopeds(and not just one or two) take the sidewalk as shortcuts! We actually joined them on our way into Hanoi! People who know me probably don't need to be told that I love it! G seems to be enjoying it too--she definitely crosses the street like a local! I would have liked the chance to drive a moped here but I did have a little blast where I pedalled like a maniac for a spell and was passing them and honking at/with them as I wove in and out--it was wicked!!! The weather is still cold and drizzly. People always say--you're from Canada so it should be no problem. It's so different though because the buildings aren't heated so you're always cold---the only place where you're not is in bed! Last night I couldn't think of anywhere else I wanted to be at the end of a long day of walking, shopping and sightseeing than under the multitude of covers on our bed! There's definitely lots to see here--but alas, our steeds are calling and we're ready to pedal
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
Kinda spooky seeing Uncle Ho(that's his nickname)---they have him preserved inside! again!! There's also lots of cuisine to sample--G and I both love our food(you know Pips! Vish--you're just weird!!). We found an excellent french bakery where we had brunch today(Maisson Vanille for those of you who come here)--it's a bit expensive from a shoestring budget traveller's perspective if you're used to eating at street stalls and cheap-eats places but definitely worth that extra little spurge if you want a treat and still cheap by westen standards(we might have spent $10 for brekkie and some pastries!!). We're off to the post office soon to mail home all of our warm weather clothes(shorts,t-shirts, sandals etc--as we definitely won't be needing them!) as well as a few souvenirs. Then it's off to the Kangaroo cafe(our fave place for veggie fare) for dinner(the one on Hang Be--not the original in Bao Vanh which we didn't try) and maybe a visit to the night markets. Tomorrow we plan to start heading up into the mountains towards Sapa(where guess what--it's even colder!) and hopefully visit some of the smaller villages and hill tribe peoples before heading back into China. It'll proabably take us 3-5 days to get there depending on where we stop etc so there may not be any more updates until then or even longer depending on connection speeds etc so to the worrying types: please don't be alarmed if you don't see anything for maybe even as much as a couple of weeks. We know what you're thinking.....just a quick email to say you're ok---alright we'll try-lol!!! Oh, and check out previous days blogs--we added a couple more pics!
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Rising Damp
Great shot your photo from the balcony. How about creating a calendar for next year (or the next few years) with your favourites? Even in France people say that you should not feel the cold coming from Canada but the damp really penetrates one's body (some houses here have not yet discovered central heating even though the Romans had!). Thought of you two when viewing scenes of China's snowstorm - there was a photo of a moped heaped precariously high with boxes tied with rope about twice the height of the vehicle itself and with a few centimetres of snow on top of the cargo and it's driver, quite a balancing trick! Alors Bon Courage et Bonne Route.......bisous.