Hanoi, Vietnam, January 14 -17, 2012
What can one even begin to say about Hanoi. It defines the word cacophony. It is hard to describe the chaos that is this city. Mostly this is due to the multitude of motorbikes which now have a growing number of cars and trucks to contend with on inadequate roads. Unlike India there are no animals like cows, or camels like Egypt but these guys just lean on their horns constantly and zip in and out. It was an adventure just to cross any street. you just have to commit and keep going even if one of them is headed towards you. Despite all that Hanoi is absolutely unique. the capital of Vietnam, there is more of a military presence here. Rather dour soldiers stand at some spots and order people around, especially over near Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. We stayed in the old quarter, in the heart of the city. for nearly 4 nights at the May de Ville hotel,another oasis located on the street where the ladies kill and gut the chickens. This is getting to seem normal to me now. I hardly glance at them as I walk by though I have to admit that I marveled at one lady's stall.She had trussed her hens, fully plucked, but still with heads and feet.The heads were stuck and tied between the feet and the faces had looks of horror.She had placed a rose sticking out of their rears. I hope the picture turns out.
Anyway the weather remained drizzly and damp though not really cold. We walked for a few miles and eventually made our way to the infamous Hoa Loa Prison better known as the Hanoi Hilton where John McCain was imprisoned for 6 years. It is an old French prison formerly used in the torture of Viet revolutionaries. It was so harsh and sad. There was, of course, quite a bit of propaganda but it was still absorbing to look at.From there we cabbed to the Ho Chi Minh museum which was a riot. Was like going through an Epcot exhibit showing how Ho had changed the world. A short distance away, his body lies embalmed and on display but only in the AM and we missed it. Instead we went to his house which was built on stilts and simple but beautiful. I guess he could have lived in the palace next door but wanted to show the people that he was like them. He is still a cult figure and you really had to watch your step around these areas. The guards kept ordering us this way and that and I was not going to argue with them. Bert has become an aficionado of pho and he found a good supply of it a block from the hotel, alternating between pho ga - chicken, and pho Bo-beef.
The next morning we left for a 4 hour van ride to Ha Long city. Ha Long bay is newly named one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. It is a bay filled with limestone karsts and hills which rise out of the water in many strange and odd shapes. There are about 500 replica junks which can be hired to ply the waters.Of our group of 14, we were the only ones over 40, who were a mixture of nationalities. Luckily everyone spoke English and that was the language used by our guide ,Tu. The ride there was long but tolerable as you get to see the many towns and villages. We had a great lunch of fish and rice and chicken and then visited a floating village and fish farm.The people live all the time on the water and was quite interesting to see their way of life. We then took a kayak and paddled through a tunnel to a hidden lagoon . The cliffs rose up all around us. No one spoke loudly. It is a place of peace and tranquility. We also had the joy of seeing the sun for the first time in a week. It was fleeting, however, but timely for this excursion. At the end of the boat ride we visited a limestone cave which was wonderful. The ride home went well with a rest stop. Glad we went. Cost only $45 each and well worth it.
On our last day, after a morning resting, we went to the famous water puppet show. It is held in a 300 seat theater with a regular stage but a 3 foot deep pond in the front. The puppets act out various scenes from Viet mythology with dragons and fish and emperors and such. Very entertaining and easy enough to understand though it was in Vietnamese. The accompanying music was wonderful,as well.
At 8:30PM we left the hotel for the chaos of one last taxi drive back to the airport. Let me say I have had many Kamikaze drivers but this young man could have beaten them all. I kept thinking as he sped into oncoming cars that I made it through a month in southeast Asia eating and drinking God knows what but I was going to die on the way home. So glad to finally see the airport! We flew during the night not sleeping at all due to cramped seats. Unfortunately we had an 18 hour layover in Tokyo as we had to make our own way from Narita Airport to Haneda the closer airport to the city.
First time in Japan and I was shocked at little English the people we had to depend on could speak. This included the information people as well. Of course, I know I know no Japanese but I was thinking that maybe they had to learn in school or something. Anyway we made it onto a local train. Dumped our bags at Hamamasucho station . Wandered down to Hinode Pier to take the water taxi to Asukusa, the old section. Nice ride. Old section a bit overrated but was fine. The weather was sunny, yeah! But absolutely freezing. We walked for miles hacking away with our now pathetic coughs. Ended up at the Art museum for western art, saw a ton of Monets and ate at McDonald 's. I know heresy, but it didn't even taste like McDonald's anyway. For our farewell we took the monorail to Haneda and here I sit finishing this up with Bert sound asleep on the benches at the gate. We have been up for 37 hours now and the flight is in 3 more.
This was a good trip,as they all usually are. I loved each place for its unique qualities. I think it is awesome to see all the young people who backpack around these places getting to know the cultures and people. They are the future leaders and it can only be a good thing that, when decisions are made, whether business or political, they have these experiences to draw on . They are good kids. Hardly any Americans but lots of Aussies and Europeans. We Americans need to get out there and get to know other peoples. To paraphrase Mark Twain, travel is fatal to prejudice.
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