Hanoi has been a ton of fun. We stayed in the old quarter which initially can be a bit un-nerving. The streets were originally named based on the type of goods that were sold in that section of the street. (The convention of businesses of a similar ilk clustering still holds - all houseware retailers are found in just a few blocks of Bac Su next to a few blocks of kid's toys, etc.) As a result, Hang Na becomes Hang Dieu which becomes Hang Ga all within six blocks, and it is a street that runs strait north out of the old quarter, the name changing every one or two blocks. Desperately clutching a city map, we were able to see a lot if this great city.
Dispite how heavily populated Hanoi is, virtually every street is tree lined. Ancient looking trees lean out over the narrow roads and lanes of Hang Na, fine tap roots creating curtains which drape down to the car tops. Get into the wealthy areas around the presidential palace and huge mango trees shade the broad avenues. Hanoi has much urban space dedicated to park space and this is reflected in the quality of the air.
It is hard to believe that such a (relatively) clean and pretty city was, only 35 years ago, still having the shit bombed out of it by Amercan B52's.
After arriving we were searching for the area where we hoped to find a room and stopped a French couple - Adeline and Erwin we later learned - to ask directions. Once settled we headed out for dinner, stopping at a corner bar. After being seated we noticed that these folks were at a nearby table. After a bit of chit chat, we joined them and spent the evening eating, drinking and chatting.
Our first full day in Hanoi began with a little orienteering. I was up early and found Hoan Kiem, a small lake in the centre of Hanoi around which a broad walk circles. I also tracked down the major roads that cut through the old quarter, in all their sobriquets. We visited the "Hanoi Hilton", went down most alley ways in the area, and ate some pretty good food. Lonely Planet leads one to believe that great food is everywhere at hand in Hanoi, but my experience is that it talks a bit of finding. It is worth the looking. We joined Adeline and Erwin for a drink before taking in the famed Hanoi Water Puppet show. I hardly slept at all during the show, just ask Kim. The four of us finished the night with dinner.
In the morning of our second day we had a short visit with Ho Chi Minh - no shit, they have pickled him and put him on display ala Lenin. Damn, he looks good. We were visiting on a Sunday and tens of thousands of folks joined us for a visit. We followed this up with a brief stop at the Musum of Literature, the oldest university in Vietnam (1000 years plus). This attraction drew thousands as well, though as it is a fraction of the size of Ho Chi Minh's tomb, the crowds soon forced us out. I felt like the coach of some sports team whilst trying to find the museum. We wandered down a warren of lanes hoping to run into the road the museum is on. That road is at one point named Nguyen and then becomes Thai. So I was encouraging Kim to look for a Thai (pronounced "tie") or a Nguyen (pronounced "win").
We later braved the Hanoi Public transit system to travel cross town to purchase our tickets for Cat Ba Island. Took a bit of doing and lots of kindness from strangers whose language we don't speak, but we worked it out. We wrapped up the night with a hot pot dinner with our new pals.
One of the great past times for me in Hanoi was to sit at a streetside restaurant and watch the traffic. There are a crazy number of vehicles on the streets and almost no traffic lights. No driver stops before entering an intersection. Everyone just goes, weaving and dodging, stopping short as a last resort, but only briefly, before scooting ahead. And it works! If Vancouver had this much traffic and most drivers observing the rules of the road, it would be grid lock. But taking a taxi across Hanoi is a fairly speedy experience. Unless there is an accident (I'm making an assumption here as we didn't see any accidents) everything flows surprisingly well.
I mentioned the fact that similar businesses are clustered. Another example is at the market in the Hang Na area. This market, unlike most outdoor markets we have seen in Southeast Asia, is in a three story, newish, big building. In this building is a section that is about 150' by 150' and is completely populated by 6' wide stalls, all of which sell booze. There must be 50 or 60 of them and they all carry the exact same products at the exact same prices. ?????? How does this work?
On to Cat Ba in Halong Bay.
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