Hanoi in rush hour is insane; 7.30 at the train station and the city is in full swing, dodgy taxi drivers compete to take us to our hotel with exorbitantly inflated flat rate fares, no one wants to put the meter on.... they're a breed all of their own... the same throughout the world. ... we ain't having none of it though.
Our hotel is situated in the old quarter which is full of character, a never ending sea of tooting hooting motorcycles and street life that sells everything from the usual old tourist tat, shop after shop of shoes, plimsolls and training shoes to food sellers squatting in the gutters to entice you with a plethora of dishes to be eaten on the pavement. I like it. There's something about it...not sure what it is but I have a good feeling.
After a quick orientation tour of our surrounding areas and booking a five day tour of the North East - quite expensive but should be worth it as it takes in some fantastic scenery, waterfalls and ethnic minority villages – and a further two day hiking trip, we is ravenously hungry. It's funny, it always seems that when your belly is rumbling, one can never see a decent place to eat, so we just plum for one of the local places. A young lad comes to serve us, after which he nicks our lighter skulks into the corner and takes a great big draw from a massive bamboo bong....I'm not quite sure what he was puffing but his eyeballs roll around the back of his head.... he returns when we ask for the bill sweating like a fat man running for a bus, with a face whiter than an Irishman's arse... I suspect it was more than tobacco in that bong!!
Being a rampant socialist, no visit to Vietnam would be complete for me without taking in some of the revolution sights. The Museum of the Revolution documents the struggle of the Vietnamese people to free themselves from one after another of foreign invaders. Surprisingly the exhibits are all pretty factual and unlike the museums you have in Cuba seem devoid of any real communist propaganda....it's probably not necessary, the facts all speak for themselves. The next morning we head off to pay our respects at the mausoleum of Uncle Ho Chi Minh. There are thousands of people queueing up to slowly file past Uncle Ho's body that has been preserved and laying in a vacuum sealed glass sarcophagus since 1975. The queue moves at a steady pace and its not long before we are inside the huge edifice that houses the body of the architect of communist Vietnam. Unlike Mao Zedong, who lays in a similar state in Beijing who somehow doesn't look quite real ...a bit plasticy..Uncle Ho looks very peaceful and very natural. The experience is quite emotional especially as you witness the enormous deference and respect that the mostly Vietnamese visitors show as we all file past.
Hanoi is definitely not a city to relax in, the constant traffic which is amusing to begin with can grate on you after a couple of days, however this is a city that is bursting with life, good food and a certain joie de vivre that overrides any of the downsides....I've really enjoyed it but am looking forward to getting out into the countryside tomorrow.
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