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| OUCH! That was my initial reaction to arriving in Hanoi. The city is hot, noisy and crowded, and within minutes, my head was banging. Overall, I had been travelling close to twelve hours when I finally dumped my bag in the lobby of the Little Hanoi Hotel.
The capital of this exciting country retains a definitive essence from the French colonial days. It is reflected in the architecture, as well as countless al fresco cafés and the smell of freshly made baguettes. The city is dotted with lakes and parks, but the narrow tree-lined streets today are, lets be honest here, manic. The traffic, consisting almost entirely of the two-wheeled type, is relentless and fast becoming a tourist attraction in its own right. Wherever you go, it is hard to avoid the noise. |
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| Journal - |
| November 30 th, 2006 > cheap beer/waking up with a pretty woman |
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| Entering Vietnam by land through friendship pass was mostly uneventful, but time-consuming. The almost deserted border post was dealing with only a couple of bus loads of Chinese when I rolled up, and despite subjecting my passport to an extra long scrutiny, accompanied by a dubious face, I got stamped in. Doing the border is a long day because in China you have to find transport for the 20km or so from the train station to the actual border. You then negotiate Chinese officialdom, walk near one kilometre through no-mans land, then face Vietnamese rubber stampers. After that, another dash, using local transport for the 20km to Lang Son, the nearest place to organise travel to Hanoi. I shared the experience, and the cost, with a nice couple from Sweden, whom I had met on the train from China. |
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| So what does it cost in Vietnam? |
| The Vietnamese currency is the delightfully named Dong (VND) USD 1 - VND 16,065 NZD 1 - VND 11,011 GBP 1 - VND 31,624 The largest note I have seen, and one nobody wants to change, is the 500,000 note. The smallest is the daintly little 200. Use the latter to blow your nose. Vietnamese love the US dollar, though by law they are supposed to only accept Dong. But you can use dollar anywhere, especially with the authorities! Accommodation varies wildy - from 30,000 to 160,000 budget beer - 2,000 to 25,000 water 3,000 meal in local place 20,000 to 60,000 internet use 3,000 p/hr I am doing very well thank you very much, on US$ 15/day, with ease. |
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The old quarter has been doing brisk trade for eight hundred years, and still today, it bustles with vendors of every description. Traditionally, street names literally described the type of trade that would take place on that street, and though there is no modern “DVD Street” or “Karaoke street”, there are many relevant ones. As with most of Asia, business people who sell one type of object tend to all do it together in the same place, which though makes little sense from a business point of view, life is easy for the customer. Many street names begin with “Hang”, meaning “merchandise”, and are then followed with the meaning, such as Gai (silk), Giay (paper or shoes), Huong (incense) and Tre (bamboo) to name just a few.
There is not an awful lot to do in Hanoi (personal opinion), in terms of actual sights and activities. For me, that is a great excuse to spend a few days eating, drinking, and walking, without having to write much for this journal. I have now clocked up the three big “Negatives”, in that I did not pay a visit to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum. In each respective city, locals have always asked if I have visited their mummified former leaders; Stalin in Moscow, Mao in Beijing, and now Ho Chi Minh. They have always been somewhat disappointed when I reply that it is not really my thing. The truth is, I just could never quite summon the motivation to stand in line for ages to view a dead body, however famous it may be. As it happens, Uncle Ho was away on his annual holiday in Moscow, where he goes each year for a touch up. (Jesus, he’s getting touched up more than I am, and he’s dead)! |
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| I spent a pleasant few days walking the old quarter, haggling for things I did not really need and enjoying the exceptional Vietnamese cuisine. One of Hanoi’s specialities is Pho (rice noodles), and combined with veg and/or meat cooked in front of you, it is a cheap (VND 15,000) and tasty meal when ordered in a small local restaurant. There are endless choices for dining, to suit all budgets. In almost all, you will find regional Vietnamese dishes and Chinese food. A universally available favourite of mine is the Nem, a spring roll stuffed with minced pork or crab, various vegetables, and wrapped in rice paper. See my breakdown of costs at left for average prices.
Morning My two favourite things about Hanoi both come in the form of liquid. In the morning, it is the coffee, simply the finest I have ever tasted. It is brewed at your table, with a cute little dipper that fits over your glass. The locals like it strong enough to strip the enamel off your teeth. On my first day, two cups left me wired and positively bouncing off the walls. I have since found my perfect compromise, with a little condensed milk added, and taken with ice. It has an earthy, nutty taste, and my day has not truly begun until I have one in my hand. Regarded as the country’s finest, Chon is made of beans fed to a certain species of Weasel, which are later collected from the other end. There must be a lot of sore arsed insomniac Weasels out there, somewhere. |
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| Afternoon
For any time after ten in the morning, I arrive at the most important discovery made to date. Beer. But not just any beer, I am talking cheap, tasty beer. Enter Bia Hoi, a Vietnamese institution that has its headquarters right here in Hanoi. The words mean “fresh beer”, and that is just what it is. Introduced by the Czechs, it is a light-bodied Pilsner that is made in microbreweries all over the county, and delivered fresh with no preservatives every day. All over town, tiny establishments serve the stuff straight from a tapped barrel. They are not bars as such; moreover, simply a street corner with a collection of plastic stools that creep steadily out into the road as it gets busier. Just one or two people operate the barrel, and eye contact followed by a few fingers to indicate how many, is all that is needed to have a freshly filled glass winging its way to you. It is the perfect place to watch or meet people, right there on the street, with a mix of locals and travellers from all corners of the globe. A favourite spot I frequented with various people I met (during my all too long-a stay in Hanoi), occupied a cross roads with one bia hoi place on each corner. The crazy traffic continues at your feet, and every once in a while a passing police truck with loud-hailer blaring sends people and stools scuttling for the sidewalk, as technically the street must be kept clear (a laughable notion, considering the traffic). As soon as they pass, the plastic stool invasion resumes. However, this is not all that is good about bia hoi – oh no, there is much more! A large glass of the amber nectar will cost you just VND 2,000! To put that into your language – ten NZ$ will get you fifty-five glasses. Ten US$ - 80 glasses! Ten British pounds – 155 and one very sore head in the morning! |
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| HALONG BAY
I finally managed to drag myself away from the bia hoi, and booked onto a two night, three-day boat trip around Halong Bay, to dry out, so to speak. I am not, as you well know, normally given to package trips of any kind, but it seemed the cheapest and most convenient way to go. Halong City, a three to four hour bus ride directly east, is the gateway to World Heritage Site Halong Bay, a group of 3000 limestone islands covering an area of 2,500 sq km. Rising abruptly out of emerald waters, a friend travelling ahead of me described Halong simply as “Yangshuo in the sea” (see last China journal). I could not have put it more perfectly myself. However, before I could get a look at any of that, I had to negotiate a scrum of tourists at the harbour, all trying to find their respective boats. There were perhaps fifty vessels in the little port, mostly identical Junks that have been converted to pamper to western sensibilities. I was pleasantly surprised to find that indeed, as the tour agent had promised (cynic that I am, didn’t really believe him), there was only ten people on the boat, plus crew and my good self. This meant plenty of space, and roomy accommodation. Things looked good. |
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| The boats were all crowded around one long wharf, bustling with activity as tourists arrived and departed and boats took on supplies. If you have ever watched any kind of vessel docking at home, you will have noticed it is quite a delicate affair. The skipper teases the controls and he brings her alongside, slowly, carefully. Ropes are thrown, neat little cleats made to secure her, and perhaps a gangway lowered. Not so here. Boats, fighting for space, simply force their way in. A gap of just a few metres is all they need, they ram the vessel in front, and power into the gap, forcing the boats to port and starboard apart into an ever-tighter pack. The sort of creaking sound that wood makes when under stress, would have most boat owners panicking, or at least checking to see what they are hitting, but here it is all normal. Most vessels had parts missing from the elaborate superstructure that made up the cabins and dining area, just old wounds where once there was some wood trim that has been broken off.
It takes a couple of hours, the oversized junk only powered by undersized diesel engine, to reach the archipelago, and so we sat down to eat lunch; all meals are included in the price of the package. As the only solo traveller aboard, I had to invite myself to a table. The European couples, from Sweden, Finland and Belgium, were quiet and conversation was hard to come by. I think I may have made a terrible mistake. |
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| The reason to visit Halong
Thankfully, whatever negative thoughts I was having about being stuck on a boat with boring people, the real reason for coming here was as perfect. In every direction, crazy limestone cliffs tower vertically out of the sea, all densely covered in Jurassic-like vegetation. As we slice through the calm waters, the scene constantly evolves. Each gap between outcrops reveals another secret lagoon, and I only have one thought in my head right now; I wish I wasn’t on this boat, but on a sea-kayak. That would be heaven. The day was filled with stops at various points of little interest, our guide, nice as he was, had a grasp of English so minimal as to be almost useless. It became apparent that all tour companies, all boats, follow an identical itinerary, for we sailed in procession like formation from one point to another. But still, laying on the foredeck with my feet dangling overboard, reading a great book but constantly distracted by the awesome views, I was perfectly happy. |
| At night, my fellow sailors loosened up enough to play a game after dinner, but nothing too radical. The air was warm, so I slept on deck. At five o’clock in the morning, I awoke above a beautiful Vietnamese woman. “Egsuse me… you buy sumthin from me”? She sat in a tiny rowing boat, surrounding in stacks of goodies, and had manoeuvred her craft directly underneath the bow, from where my head hung overboard. (well, what did you think I was going to say)?
The Vietnamese are business people, they are traders through and through, and a tourist out on the high seas is not going to stop them selling stuff. These boat people live on makeshift raft homes, dotted around the bay. To me, the basic homes look comfortable, almost idyllic, with potted plants and pet dogs that maybe have never cocked their leg on a tree or lamppost before. Many have fish farms alongside, and they make extra income by selling goods to the tourist boats. They are onto a good thing, for all commodities on the boats are ridiculously overpriced. So long as you avoid the scowling crew on board, you can buy beers or snacks from the boat women for much cheaper. This saleswoman had the definite advantage of being quite easy on the eye, and being a man after all, my resolve crumbled and I purchased a packet of biscuits. Whoa… easy tiger! If you have ever rowed a boat before, you will know that it is definitely a skill that takes practise. This delicate little woman in her silk shirt and conical hat, manoeuvred her boat with ease, using her feet on the oars! As my boat shifted around on its anchor, she held a perfect position during our transaction, and made it all look so very easy. |
| On day two, every tour deposits you on Cat Ba Island for a hike through the national park. Nice as it was, there is little to see but bush, nothing different from any other area of forest you can see in Asia. Call me an old misery, but I came here to marvel at the islands, on a boat, from the sea. After the hike, you are checked into a hotel where you would spend your second and final night. I was having none of it. I see the inside of more than enough hotels on my journey, the very reason I did this is because I enjoy being on the water. Thankfully, my guide, though somewhat perplexed at my request, agreed to arrange for me to sleep on the boat. As it turned out, I was half-successful. I was put onto another boat that was beginning its first tour night, thus I visited the exact same locations as on day one. The people were more interesting though, and generally, I was happy with my choice. I chatted late into the night with a couple from Quebec, and became palls with Mark from Cornwall. He works in construction, and the nature of his job enables him to work hard for six months, and then travel the other six. Immediately after Christmas, he is taking part in a crazy fund-raising event, driving an old car from Plymouth to Banjul. The event, a poor mans Paris to Dakar, aims to sell the vehicles at the end and raise money for local charities there. And along the way, they have a lot of fun with it!
Halong Bay certainly is a beautiful area. With more time and perhaps foresight, I would like to have organised my own trip. My ideal would be to base myself on one of the islands, from which to explore by sea kayak. Most islands are sheer cliffs rising out of the sea, so camping as you go is not much of an option, unless you happen to be a good climber too. The area is a vast labyrinth of outcrops, thus, a guide would be essential; tropical storms are frequent and it would be easy to get lost. The tour company, one of many, did what it said on the label, I guess. It was not particularly professional, the food was high in quality but low on quantity, and onboard extras such as drinks were overpriced, way beyond what is the norm for this country. All in all, my view of organised tours remains the same; uninteresting, unexciting, overpriced. |
| So back to bia hoi, sorry, Hanoi, where I would meet up with Dan, an energetic American chap I met in China some weeks ago. Over the next two days, we would plot and hatch a plan, for the most hair-brained, ridiculous, foolhardy adventure I have ever yet come up with.
I have now moved south well and truly into the sticky tropics, where I have locked myself in my hotel room (alone, to avoid distraction), to write up what turned out to be the most exciting trip of my life. I have not written a single word yet, but I am already excited about it… so stay tuned, coming soon, some amazing stories and evocative images from Vietnam. |
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