Leaving the Republic of China was
stressful, but what did I expect? The plane’s wheels lifting off the ground was
a moment I won’t forget soon, I was almost giddy! Coming back to Vietnam, I was
anticipating the caffeine hit and big hugs from Dad. Customs was slow but soon
enough I was lying back in a plush 4WD on my way into Hanoi. It was a swift
ride and thanks to the freezing aircon I was shivering, but it was nice compared
to the sweaty heat that sizzles outside.
On arrival at the hotel, I discovered it
was the wrong hotel, and I jumped in a cab to get to the magnificent Melia
hotel, locally known as ‘big hotel’. Up to catch up with Dad for an hour before
unanimously we turned out the lights. Luckily the next day we had nothing to
do, so we wandered around the old quarter for an hour or so, sweating and
dodging motorcycles and scooters. That night we ate at a very fancy restaurant,
all really very good, but a little sticky, sitting outside with small fans not
quite moving the stiff air.
Day two and we rose early to another buffet
breakfast lacking the delicious coffee I hunger for. We headed out in the 4WD
with driver and guide to see the sights around Hanoi. Minutes after exiting the
car to stare at Ho Chi minh’s tomb and the rather boring area around there,
tropical rain drops in, with the feel of an advancing storm, possibly even the
typhoon that has been playing around the gulf.
Wet but content after eating lunch at
another terrifically lush restaurant, we return to the hotel to relax. Too many
mundane tourist attractions make me yawn. Once again on our way to one of the touristic treasures of Hanoi, the drive down the road turned into a
flashback from Splash Mountain. As we watched, branches blew by, rain poured
down in droves, trees snapped like matchsticks by wind tearing up the city.
Meanwhile people were still on the streets and motorbikes still zoomed along,
raincoats pasted themselves to the heads of the blind drivers. We slowly dodged
debris on our way to see the water puppet attraction of traditional Viet ethnic
entertainment.
It was a bit unsettling but interesting how
the puppeteers stand in water and propel their wooden puppets around with long
sticks from behind a curtain. The music is typical Vietnamese, so slightly
painful. The weather was calm on the way home, and we wandered along the road
to take in the destruction caused by fallen trees on our way to get a bite for
dins.
Our trip to Halong bay was cancelled thanks
to typhoon Kai Tak, so we drove to the coast in the afternoon, hoping for the
weather to improve for a trip on the water the next day. Our evening was rather
boring in the hotel, but we had a really nice spread for dinner. In the morning
we were able to get onto our massive and private boat to cruise around the
murky waters of Halong Bay’s famous karst peak island attractions.
Many photos were taken, and a delightful lunch eaten on board, before we
jumped back into the 4WD to drive back to Hanoi. We have a flight to catch to
Hue, where more adventures will be had I’m sure, at 11am. What were the highlights of
Hanoi? At dinner this eve at a Mexican fusion place, Dad and I laughed about
our fun, squished in a seat pushed by a poor guy on a bike behind us. A very
hilariously uncomfortable experience, glad we had a ride but not keen to do it again.
For me, traveling is so much about food, so I have really enjoyed not paying for the great food we have had so far (hehe) thanks Dad! The excitement of the typhoons damage was sobering, but on another note, the cocktail I had with dinner 'Hanoi Hurricane' was aptly named and had quite the tang, as does Hanoi.
