Hanging in Hanoi

I arrived in Hanoi after an uneventful series of flights from home on Air Asia, purveyor of cheap flights to my favourite places. Its the first time I'd flown them and to be honest they're just like Jetstar, although slightly not as good. But cheap is cheap and if that means a few more coffees with condensed milk so be it. Another new experience, an overnight stay at an airport. As Douglas Adams once wrote "it can hardly be a coincidence that no language on earth has produced the expression 'as pretty as an airport'". But what, I hear you cry, about Changi, Singapore, Dubai? Its true, klia2 is shiny, and full of shops and places to sit. But at the end of the day like any other airport, it's full of exhausted people in limbo between where they've been and where they're going, unattracted by the jumbo bags of Hersheys chocolates and shiny rows of perfume. Even duty free is a tease as invariably the bar its shut being 2 in the morning or there isn't one this side of immigration anyway. And as for my no frills Tune Hotel? Let's put it this way - how hard is it to provide a toothbrush (which even my hotel in Hanoi for which I'm paying much less can manage) and walls that aren't paper thin? Mike drop - airport rant over.

Home sweet home - for a night

So to Hanoi. And the most complained about part - getting from the airport. Its is no exaggeration that everyone is trying to rip you off and there is no set or even roughly agreed on price. So I did the only sensible thing i could - attached myself to a couple from Queensland who'd booked their transfer and rode into the Old Quarter with them! The kindness of strangers. And me taking advantage. In the end I had booked a hotel if only to give the tour i was going on the next day somewhere to pick me up. I'm in a nice room 3 floors above the street noise with AC and cable TV for $27 a night. I stayed in this area, near the cathedral last time i was here and not much as changed. Though the dodgy hotel i stayed in last time has gone, replaced by a boutique one. It is much quieter than in the northern part of the old town above the lake. As I promised there has been a fair amount of time spent sitting, reading and drinking coffee with condensed milk. On my second day I did a street food tour I read about on Travelfish. Its was fantastic. Tu the lovely guide had us try many delicious things, none of which I'd had before either. There was crab noodle soup, a dry version of pho called pho tiu, fried sweet potato and prawn cakes, young green glutenous rice sweets and egg coffee. But the highlight for me was getting to try chicken cooked with medical herbs in a beer can. I'd read about it before and Luke Nguyen covered it in his show. And here it is:

Tastes like chicken

Its does taste ok - the chicken is moist. It's stuffed with bitter greens and then dipped in chilli, lime and salt. Its really needs to be. But honestly its not something i'd be compelled to eat again! Tu has also emailed with more suggestions for eating in Hanoi as well as the other cities I'll be going to.

I have professed a love for Hanoi many times but i've got to say it does wear you down. And the main reason is the traffic. Its beyond the madness I remember from last time, careering into insanity. I have spent a lot of time finding rooftops and cafes trying to escape. I'm still good at crossing the road but I've been surprised on the so called footpath once or twice. Sometimes Hanoi feels like a giant motor scooter park with a hint of road and footpath! But to what I've been doing. I spent an interesting morning doing a self guided tour of 1930's architecture in the French Quarter I found online. It took me to a part of town into which I don't think many tourists venture into judging by the curious looks i got.

I visited the Women's Museum which was facinating. I don't know of many museums of its kind and it was a really well put together insight into the life of women in Vietnam. The most interesting sections were on women's contributions to the French and American wars and a small display and film about street vendors. These are the women you see selling baskets of goods on bikes and poles. Most of them are from the country trying to make enough money for their families. One woman's husband only earns $60 a year so she works in Hanoi to keep them from starving. And here I was having spent $60 on a ring the day before. Tourists drop more money on a single meal than these women earn in a week.

One of my other favourite places has been the Citadel. When I was last here it was still a functioning military area but recently it has been awarded World Heritage status due to its archaeology that dates back to before the founding of Hanoi. It was mostly razed to the ground by the French but a few gates survive as well as some French era buildings which now house objects from the digs. And in the early morning it's a quiet, cool place to wander. One whole section is still an active dig covered by massive roofs. But I think my favourite part was the 1960's period military command bunker.

No fighting in the war room!

I tried and failed to find B52 lake, the remenants of a downed bomber in the alleys near the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum. It wasn't a total loss, it was facinating wandering the alleys seeing people go about their lives. And I stocked up on books having finished my first two in a matter of days. I've wandered and looked in wonder, eaten lots of yummy things and am trying to limit myself to two coffees a day! I'm off to Hoi An next to do more wandering, reading, eating and drinking. Until next time.