A birthday in Hanoi

I’ve made my way to Vietnam in time for their New Year celebrations (Têt). Outside the incessant tooting of scooter horns, piano music is drifting upstairs to my room, but after sitting on a plane for half a day the bustle of Hanoi is not bothering me. Especially after a helter-skelter van ride to central Hanoi from the airport, during which we witnessed a truck and taxi smash.

A six course meal awaited me at my accomodation, and then a meet up with an old friend. We talked for hours. By three am (on the clock my body was still running on, not Hanoi time), the scooter horns still tooting I fell into bed. I just remember as a drift off, today is my forty fourth birthday. I already don’t know what day it is, usually it’s around the third day of a trip that days start to blend into each other. This isn’t a good start.

I’m woken by a crowing rooster, from the fifth storey apartments opposite. After breakfasting on a unique mix of east and west, baked beans with a croissant and a side of fish soup, I head off on the long drive to Hallong Bay. My guide is eager to show me preparation for Têt, walking in and around traffic to meet fruit trees sellers along the road.

If you’ve been to Halong you’ll know that there are a couple of tourist traps along the way, and your guide won’t be persuaded to skip these. The upside the toilets are pretty good at these stops. Anyhoo, after pearl farming, jewellery and souvenirs and we finally made it to the Halong Bay port. The many surrounding buildings are new and vacant and in a strange contrast to everywhere else in the country, no shops yet.

My accomodation on the bay is The Emeraude, previously stayed on by Senator John McCain, is a very beautiful affair.  The rooms and bathrooms decked out in a old world style, and emerald tiles from floor to ceiling, I was not expecting the rooms to big so big. I end up being one of only eighteen passengers on a boat designed for around one hundred, so the staff were very attentive.

Out on the bay for the day, night and next day. Sailed to Bon Ho Island to see Surprise Cave, touted as the most magnificent cave in the Bay, it is ginormous but it worn, dirty and brown. The are no stand out delicate features (there probably once was, but millions of tourists trekking through have left their mark), and there are no signs within the cave to tell you if any particular part has a name or is significant.

My view of course, being tainted by Australia’s pristine and sparkling caves. I now know why they don’t let you touch the stone in Aussie caves, because Surprise Cave was a brown mess. But if you haven’t been to a cave before, Surprise Cave will be magnificent for you.

Later I kayaked around a small part of the bay. This was a beautiful and calm experience, gigantic fish swam around me and in shallow places I could see red coral like sponges. (I’m not a marine biologist obviously). I was the only person to take up the offer of kayaking, the rest of the boat patrons shopped for yet more pearls. So glad I decided to give that a go.

In the morning, still on the bay, we breakfasted and then hiked up Ti Top island, four hundred steps up and the same down. My step counter in my phone said twenty two floors climbed.  The top of the island island was crowded and the view misty and not too dissimilar to what we saw from the beach, maybe in July this would be much different when I’m told the mist clears. Speaking of weather, I haven’t mentioned how humid it is, I’ve already had a shirt laundered for me.

After brunch back on the boat we head back to port to drive back to Hanoi. On the way the guide stops in a market garden and then a rice paddy, tells us about his clan and shows us the burial sites of the clan elder.

While we are doing this our driver had been called away to help another driver a few kilometres down the road, he was picked up on a scooter without us knowing, and was not able to return back to us in time. But we had his van and his keys. After much debate (aka listening to the guide shout at the driver on his mobile) we decided to drive to him, because waiting for him to get to us in Hanoi traffic was going to be at least an hour. Guess who the only person in the group that could drive the van was? Or drive stick as they would say in the states. It was the most hair raising driving experience of my life; driving through Hanoi. With thousands or maybe even millions of scooters on the road, being a large van on the road was like being a shark amongst a school of fish. They surge past you carrying at least two passengers each, or a large tree in a pot.   

We eventually got to old town Hanoi, and went for an egg coffee, if you ever get a chance to try it, do so it’s really good. Then I headed through the food market streets. Did the tourist thing and saw the water puppet show, which I recommend seeing with some beers on board.
     

Visited the Confucius school and then the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum. It was a long but swiftly moving queue to see him. No bags, no water bottles, no bare shoulders or knees, no talking, no smiling, no cameras allowed and definitely don’t put your hands in your pockets. I saw a soldier yank a few peoples hands out of their pockets. The embalmed corpse of Ho Chi Minh didn’t look very real to me, almost as if he was made of wax, but there was no shine to him so maybe not.  On leaving the tomb a military man approached me, directing my companions and I to stop and smile at a tree in blossom, while he took our picture. So, now I can say I’ve been featured in a communist publication.

   

Next came lunch at the KOTO restaurant opposite the Temple Of Literature (which is on the 100,000 dong note), the food was wonderful! The restaurant was founded by a Vietnamese/Australian, and trains up street kids into the hospitality industry.  Off to the airport to go to Hoi An. Tet begins tomorrow evening, so the airport is super crowded.  See you at the other end.        .C.