HELLO FROM HANOI
North Central Vietnam

Being in downtown Hanoi is like always being at the center of a swarm of roaring spinning flies. Everyone seems to own a motorbike. And all the buildings are narrow and vaguely French. They extend far into the centers of old blocks. Tourists abound, surprise surprise, and the ladies exchanging money accidentally slip wads of 5000 Dong notes in with the 20,000s to see if you're paying attention. Scam a minute.

I did enjoy my train ride from the border to Hanoi, despite arriving at 5 o'clock this morning and driving around in the taxi like I had a leak in my pocketbook. The calm of the train ride has been replaced with a feeling of disorientation and heat. The Vietnamese are much less curious about foriegners than the Chinese and the people in my train compartment made no effort to communicate with me, despite my asking them if they could speak English, French, Chinese or Spanish. The response was a flat "No!" But people on the street are generally much less afraid to strike up conversation and no one so far has asked if she can be my friend just because I speak English.

Also, the coffee here is like a whirlwind. They grind the beans like espresso powder and use a metal strainer. The effect is strong. I don't know if they add something else to the brew, but two small cupts blew my top off.

And generally, I've found that, with a little bit of discretion, I can trust most of the Vietnamese I meet. The map seller was angry that I didn't buy a map. The man my age who came up to me on my morning park bench and told me he was hungry really did want the soup I bought for him, and little else. The guy at the border was right that the bank wasn't open on Saturday, but he was obviously in cahoots with the money exchange woman. The guys who found me wandering at 6am and took me to their guesthouse really did have a room with hot water, a fan, and a TV for $4/night. But I wasn't about to walk down a dark alley with them. Luckily, morning cabbage markets and the like were bustling and narry a street was deserted when the train barreled in at 5.

And the bread! Mmmm... After only a month of deprivation in China, I appreciated the French influence greatly! I quickly devoured four 15cent loaves before my stomach realized what was going on. Reason for this is the Chinese just don't get it on bread. They're forever adding sugar and pummelled white flour. Candy bread, we used to call it last year in Qingdao.

Now I'm off to see the infamous "Water Puppet Show." Actually, I have no idea what this is, but it only cost $1.50US and Lonely Planet recomended it.

So for any backpackers reading this, a good place to stay in Hanoi is the "Red River Hotel" at 83 Thmoe Bae St. (tel 8250020). It's a bit further north of Hoan Kiem Lake than most hotels, but the rates are nice. I got a double with a posted price $6US for $4. Maybe this is the off-season, but it doesn't feel like it. "Red River" also has some of the cheapest package tours in town. I've checked. Nice people too.

Good morning Western Hemisphere! (From the bustle of night in urban Vietnam)
~josh(away)