Variety is the Spice of Lite
Hanoi, 10th May 2002 (Part 1)
When I woke up after a long night's sleep, I found that the other
two guys had already been up and left to look around town. They'd
both managed to get up & get ready without waking me up, Impressive!
I took my time getting ready then set out to explore Hanoi. I'd been
too tired last night to really take anything in. I only remember
seeing the roads packed with countless Vietnamese people on bikes
wearing the traditional conical hat. That's what I really expected
Asia to look like, bicycles & pointy hats.
I spent the day walking around the Old Quarter of Hanoi, the heart
of the old city. It's a fantastic place, full of character, what I
imagined an 'Asian' city to be like. The streets are small, packed
and full of action. It's difficult conveying this place, when every
sense is brutally assaulted for your first few hours. Everywhere you
look, people are rushing around. Asian ladies march with heavy loads
on their shoulders, their pointy hats shielding them from the sun.
Families sit on the pavement eating strange soups from small,
colourful bowls. Motorbikes plough through the streets, thick like
ants around a morsel of food, continually sounding their horns.
Sharp, Chinese herbs emanate from the small shops & filter through
your nose. The city is vibrant, alive & busy, yet strangely clean -
unlike many European cities.
Once you've learned the logistics of getting round, Hanoi becomes an
easy city to explore. The 3 main things to learn are:
1)Crossing the road. The roads are always packed with motorbikes and
the occasional car or bus. Don't wait for a gap or try to find a
pedestrian crossing, it won't work. The few zebra crossings are
merely for decoration. Here's the procedure: a) Pick any place at
all then step out and walk painfully slowly across the road. This
way the motorbike drivers can easily judge your position and drive
around you. b) Cross one step at a time, letting the motorbikes
avoid you. If you run, the drivers won't be able to go round you and
you'll get creamed. c) But, if you see a bus, then the above rules
don't apply, the bus won't swerve, so run!
2)Putting up with the touts & street vendors. I'd been warned that
Vietnamese hasslers are really bad, however, I found them quite easy
to deal with. Once you've experienced the hasslers of Bali,
everywhere else is a piece of cake. Just smile, take it easy & don't
get angry. The children selling postcards & (photocopied) Lonely
Planet guides are the most common hasslers. They will charge you too
much & follow you around insistently. A quick "No thank-you,
repeated about 5 times, usually works. (However, these kids can be
interesting to speak to, many of them, at 13 years old, can speak 3
or 4 languages very well, quite amazing!). I have fun with the
motorbike taxi drivers. They usually wave at you and say "Hello"
before starting their sales pitch. I just wave and say "Hello" back,
before hurrying past, leaving them open-mouthed, too late to start
their pitch. Actually, I'm starting to enjoy the constant hassling
by vendors, which is the best way to deal with it. Just smile, take
it in your stride and enjoy this essential part of Asian culture.
3)Although there are pavements, you have to walk on the roads. The
pavements are used for parking motorbikes & for families to sit &
eat, meaning they're always blocked. Luckily everyone seems to walk
on the road and the traffic will avoid you. Once you trust the
traffic enough, this is easy enough to live with.
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