if i were a travel writer... i'd write of places near or far... of places i've arrived to by plane, bus, train or car... and along the way, i'll take some photos... and so, here my story goes...

Vietnam is probably the most uniquely beautiful place I will ever see. We arrived yesteday evening at one of the quietest and efficientairports I have ever been in. Much different from our experience in the UAE, or even in Bangkok. We even purchased paper tickets to our next destination, which had to change a bit due to flight schedules. So we are set to leave Hanoi for Siem Reap (Cambodia) on Thursday. Our plan is then to fly to Pakse (Laos) and take the boat ride down the Mekong River into Cambodia... and then fly back from Siem Reap to Bangkok for New Years Eve. But plans are always subject to change, especially here. So back to Vietnam. We call our hostel (that we booked when we were waiting in the Bangkok airport) and they apologize for not being able to pick us up and tell us they will pay for the taxi ride once we arrive there. The trip takes awhile and once we get into the Old Quarter, we see what appears to be rush hour. But it's unlike anything I have ever seen. There are about 3 million motorbikes (well, that's the total amount in the capital city) riding towards us in every direction. If pedestrians own the streets in NYC, motorbikes own the streets of Vietnam. Honking is not only encouraged, it is a must to communicate with others that you are about to crash into. You can imagine the whole experience of driving, riding or walking through the streets is stressful, but the Viet people seem anything but stressed. We finally arrive to our hostel on a really tiny side street and are welcomed by an entire family. They offer us bananas and tea and sit us down to talk to us about our trip. This place comes free with breakfast, Internet, bananas, tea and coffee (my favorite, with sweet condensed milk!). Our room is really clean and the bathroom doubles as a shower, the second time I've seen this setup in my life (the first was in Amsterdam, remember Angela?) It was nice to know, arriving in Vietnam, that it was the first time since leaving on Friday that we didn't have to worry about waking up to go to the airport or take a flight the next day. It was the first time we actually saw daylight, except from the plane, since we left JFK Friday night. So, we took to the narrow, motor-bike filled streets to find an authentic traditional meal - something authentic, but not pigeon or dog or duck embryo. Walking on these streets is a skill. If there are stop signs or traffic light, nobody obeys them. If there's a crosswalk, you're better off not using it. As a pedestrian, you won't make it by running across the street. You just have to go slowly step by step, feeling like you are playing a game of chicken with the bicycles, motor bikes and vans in the street. The streets of the Old Quarter make China Town look like nothing. Each street is a row of stores - the handbag aisle, the candy aisle, the footwear aisle, the backpack aisle, the clothes aisle, the jacket aisle. It's neverending. Outside stores, families eat on these tiny benches and chairs. I'm not quite sure what they're eating but we are planning on eating at one of those "tables" tonight so I'll be sure to report back. We ended up eating at a restaurant with a balcony much like something you'd see in New Orleans. We actually all agreed last night that Hanoi, at least the Old Quarter, felt like a movie set. The homes are narrow and tall and everything that is happeneing on the streets, happens with a certain energy and vibrance. It's really something that I'm not even sure can be captured in photos. It's something you just feel walking side by side with the motorbikes on the streets, smelling the smells of food cooking and listening to the somewhat organized chaos around you. Today we took our first day trip to the Perfume Pagoda, about a 2 hour bus ride from Hanoi. There are several pagodas in Vietnam, and this is one of the more popular. A pagoda is really a place of worship, which I think stems from Buddhism, although many Vietnamese are Christian... there is one annual trip that many Vietnamese take to the Perfume Pagoda, regardless of what their religion is. You pray for love or happiness or Mother Nature or luck, whatever you are in need of that particular year. To get there, we took an hour long row boat ride down the Red River and then an hour hike up a mountain, then back down, lunch, back on the boat and back on the van. As we took the ride back to Hanoi, it was amazing to see the sun set over the mountains that surrounded where we just were as well as the flat lands that the women, with their cone shaped hats, work on. Cows and dogs roam the roads and markets selling meat and fruit were still open as we drove past on our way back to the capital. Tonight we are heading to a water puppet show, something unique to Hanoi... and tomorrow, to Halong Bay which I hear is absolutely amazing. I don't doubt it. Tell me, have we missed the first snowfall or is it still fall over there? Until next time, Deanna