I finally arrived in Hanoi with a bad case of jet lag after a very loooong flight and even longer layover in L.A. I had pre-arranged an airport pickup through the hostel that I booked online
- a good thing since I was already encountering sensory overload. The ride to the hostel was bizarre and comical - even the driver had to laugh at some of our near-misses. Here the horn rules the road; everybody moves on through a 4-way stop tooting their horn, sometimes it ends in a jam in the center, but eventually it works itself out and people go on their way. One thing that is very apparent here is the lack of rage behind the honking.
The Old Quarter (where most travellers stay)is pulsing with life - here the past meets the future and the mundane becomes exotic, a kaleidoscope of humanity and activity.
