So here we are in Hanoi at the very start of our year long adventure. One of us shed some tears waving Sydney goodbye at the airport (I will leave it to you to guess who) but hey, on the bright side, we were leaving cloudy, rainy Sydney for....oh...cloudy, rainy Hanoi.
Ok, well Hanoi is touted as being "the nicest city in SE Asia" and described as mixing Parisian grace with Asian chaos...so it sounds like the perfect exciting city to start this thing. So what am I missing? Maybe it is the rain and absence of sunlight for two days but I am not feeling the love for Hanoi. Its not that I don't like the place, I just don't think it lives up to this kind of hype. I am obviously in the minority here as The Doctor is of the opinion that Hanoi is great.
Feeling jet-lagged and lazy I leave it to The Doctor to go
exploring the streets alone. He returns every time bringing back tasty treats - hooray! My tastebuds thank Hanoi's French influence in the form of mini eclairs, chocolate tarts and cream cakes. Yet to try a Vietnamese dish I promise myself I will try to match The Doctors enthusiasm for food and develop a palate beyond that of a two year olds...."No, its got chilli...argh, I don't like noodles....eww I hate soup!"
Once I venture outside the Serenity Hotel I am daunted by the prospect of making it across the road without ending up a bloody and broken mess. But The Doctor has got it down pat by now so I just grab his arm and let him lead me blindly into a wall of cars and motorcycles...and miracurously...they seem to part for us like the Red Sea...and yes! we are on the other side. I realise that the traffic is not as deadly as it first seems and once you step into the flow of bikes and cars coming every which way they will expertly weave around you as if they have 360 degree vision.
So now that we are both out and still alive we head up to some markets where The Doctor purchases a $3.50 watch (which is to break only a few hours later - he feels quite ripped off at this feeling it was really worth only $1) from a sales lady who seems quite bored by the whole transaction. Having expected to be hassled and harangued into buying an array of goods to keep the local families alive, we are pleasantly surprised at being ignored. This is followed by a walk down to Hoan Kiem lake and the viewing of a preserved 2 metre long, 200 kilo turtle - yes it looks as freakish as it sounds especially as its tiny tiny head is smiling at me. In order to complete the day in tacky touristy style we head to the Water Puppet Theatre to see this traditional art form. I suspect The Doctor is cursing our decision to purchase the $4 seats instead of the $6...the cheap seats are so close to each other his knees are touching his chin. For an hour we ooh and ahh at random scenes of strange puppets bobbing up and down in water with a commentary all in Vietnamese ensuring we have no idea what it all means. I finish the day with a dinner of bread and Sprite (promise still to be kept) and we are up early the next day for a tour of Halong Bay.
