A Few Words About...

Singapore Airlines
Forever and a day Pingle's been bragging about Singapore Airlines. I finally got to judge for myself - we flew them round-trip from Singapore to Hanoi. I don't want to admit it, but I'm impressed. It was a short-haul flight, just 3.5 hrs, but we were still offered a nice meal. Sorry, correction, we were offered choice of meal - and this was in coach. Each seat has a video screen with hundreds of movies to choose from. Need to fill in your Hanoi arrival form but forgot your pen? Just ask a friendly steward or stewardess and they'll hand over theirs no problem. Pingle demonstrated this just to make this point. She had done the same thing while on Air France and the stewardess said "I don't have one." Then, when pressed, the stewardess suggested we ask around to our fellow passengers. Air France - a lame company from a lamer country. How I loathe the idea of returning there....

Tell Me Something...

How Is It Possible?
Which is the 3rd World? Hanoi or Paris? I really am wondering - here's my simple reasoning: in Hanoi, I can get ice in my drink - even if you are sitting at a street stall. In Paris, forget it. Ice? It's like you're asking for a hand grenade. How is it possible that I can get ice in Hanoi but not in Paris? How?

While I'm on the topic, the same goes for air conditioning. All the stores in Hanoi have it. You shop in Paris till you drop - literally. There is rarely AC in Paris. Which is the 3rd World? Which?

All Types of Ways

To Get Around and Get Things Around
The modes of transport of both people and things are decidedly skewed towards the two wheel variety in Vietnam. You've got the food sellers who user their bikes to move their goods.

Sea Kayaking Anyone?

Hailing from SG, No. 27........
I was absolutely sure I wasn't going to go sea kayaking. Let's face it, I'm a big chicken when it comes to water. I pictured Pingle acting silly, tipping it a lot and teasing me. So, when we got to the floating city I stepped out towards the sea kayak dock just to act macho. I wasn't going to do it. I looked dumbly at Pingle as she pointed to the life vest. I didn't move. Maybe if I just stand here and don't move she'll leave me alone....

We all know how this turns out, right? I put the life vest on and faster than I liked, some Vietnamese kid was ushering me to the side of the dock, he used his left foot to hold the kayak still. Pingle got in first. The kid handed me both oars and then pointed at the back seat. I took an uneasy step in and it felt like I stepped onto butter. The kayak slid away from me slightly - enough for me to drop the oars and steady myself. They clanged onto the pier and announced to everyone "hey look, the guy is a panicky loser!" I sat down into the wet seat and pushed away from the pier with one oar. I'd locked my camera onto the top latch of my life vest and shortly after we left the pier, I laid my oar across the kayak to fetch it. Pingle was still rowing, taking us further and further into the still bay.

I was again reminded why it's good to date a younger, strong, Chinese girl - she can paddle you around a sea kayak as you lay back and take photos and video. Thanks for the ride Pingle!!

The Caves

at Halong Bay
We docked along one of the larger islands and I peered up to see the mouth of the cave about 500 feet up. We had a long walk up stairs to reach the entrance.

Once inside, the temp dropped significantly but it seemed all the more humid. The cave was enormous and cleverly lit with different colored lighting that made the photos come out nicely.

On the way out of the cave, the mother shot - from high up on the side of the mountain.....

I couldn't help but to take shots from different angles....

On The Move...

About 100 Miles Eastwards...

For the longest times, I've been seeing pictures of this amazing place in Asia, a seascape with all these small moutain islands jutting up through the mist towards the sky. I always wanted to go there - it defined Asia in my mind. I never knew where it was exactly, I just knew it was in SE Asia somewhere. Fast forward to Wednesday - we were walking around Hanoi and passed a tourism office. There was the picture of this magical place - it is called Halong Bay and it was only three hrs away!

Paying Respects

Ho Chi Minh Must Be Spinning in His Grave...
Like good tourists, we made our way to Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. I was hoping he was laid out like Lenin, kept lifelike inside a glass box, hands folded on chest, beard groomed onto his green uniform.

But it was not to be. You could walk to within 20 feet and stare at the guards that watched the front door, but that was it.

Luckily the grounds behind the mausoleum were interesting in their own right. First, the presidential palace, which was originally built by the French in colonial times. It was beautifully maintained.

This is where Ho Chi Minh lived for 5 years. It is now a museum, like a 1950's time capsule. You can look in to see Mr. Minh's living room, dining room and study - pictures of Lenin and Marx hung on the wall above his desk.

We walked down a small street named "Mango walk", at the end of which is a pergola where Mr. Minh welcomed guests. It is a beautifully lush and tranquil place.

There is a small lake on the grounds that is stocked with fish.

We walked around it slowly. I felt my pulse slow with each step - it was really relaxing.

Stands of pomelo trees, bursting with fruit line one side of the lake.

Some tree roots poked up through the lake's edge.

Upon exiting, we noticed a small group of soldiers being drilled. If you click on the photo, perhaps you can see them - they blend in well with the surroundings.

A few hrs later, back towards the old town, I saw this billboard. Mr. Minh must be in his mausoleum, spinning around and around. A Dove billboard? Capitalism everywhere here in Nam.

The grocery store even had a flat screen tv, imploring shoppers to buy more.

Quenching Our Thirsts

Juice - Vietnamese Style
Thank goodness I am travelling with my adventurous girlfriend. This trip is much better for sure with her jumping in and trying things. Today after breakfast she noticed a small shop that was selling juice. The mom and daughter looked very friendly and the juice looked good. Pingle pointed at a juice and they invited her in to sit on one of the small blue seats against the wall.

Of course, she was pointing at a juice for me. Then she pointed for another for herself. We sat up close and watched it in the making. Some water, some ice, a couple of scoops of mystery elixir and boom, we had two ice cold juices.

According to Pingle, it had a jasmine flower flavor and those berries on the bottom were lotus seeds. Apparently, you have to boil them for some time before they become soft. They reminded me of lychee in composition, but not in flavor.

What an enjoyable experience. We sat, drank our juices and watched the street traffic. As you can see, mom and daughter looked just alike, each with a beautiful smile.

Crossing the Street

The First Step is a Doozy
One other place that I am reminded of - Bombay. Why? The traffic - it flows like water - never a break. To cross the street is a task of mind over matter. You simply have to step out into it and let it flow around you. You're actually better off not looking, to be honest. Sounds counterintuitive but it makes sense - if you look too much you tend to stop walking and this is not a good move. The bikers anticipate that you'll keep moving and plan their paths accordingly. How long would it take you to step out?

Breakfast of Champions

Doing it Like The Locals (Kinda)
Today we got off to a late start, we slumbered until about 9:30am and then made our way out for some grub. We went to a westernized cafe where I ordered some Pho, which is what many Vietnamese eat for breakfast. It's a beef noodle soup.

You can jazz it up with some of these lovelies. I opted for the chili sauce at the bottom.

It was ok, not spectacular - but then again, Pho is pretty much just ok in all versions I've had. I was expecting it to be different here in Hanoi but it wasn't.

Beengueeno got a Banh My sandwich and first bite in she looked up and said "I miss Hanco's" which is a Vietnamese sandwich shop in Brooklyn. I knew that was not a good sign. I took a bite and agreed. I prefer Hanco too. However, not sure if this was just a bad version or how they taste here in Hanoi. The bread was way too crusty and hard and the bacon inside was tough, very tough.

Of course, I felt better once she got on her Crackberry. Some things never change. Hey, missus, you're on vacation, remember?

The view from the front window was interesting - the traffic symphony was in full voice. I enjoyed watching folks cross the street - I think I could watch that forever.

Pingle took this interesting shot of an old lady as she crossed in front of our window.

Hanoi - First Impressions

From Hot to Hotter
I sure am glad I warmed up with Singapore before coming here, at least the heat didn't totally overwhelm me. On our flight in the captain told us the weather in Hanoi was "sunny, humid and 96." That is quite a sentence to hear. On the ride from the airport there were endless rice fields, with a corn patch right in the middle of them from time to time. The humidity and haze combined to magnify the brightness of a sun that was somewhere up there, not to be pinpointed. The airport was about 27 kilometers from the city, so we slowly made our way from countryside to the dense, crawling metropolis. There were people riding motorbikes everywhere, each with various face masks to hide from the sun, pollution and grit. Remarkably, upon reaching the city, things seemes to become greener and shadier, if that makes any sense. We checked into our hotel in the old section of town. Here's a shot from our hotel window.

We unpacked and then hit the streets. The streetscapes here remind me of a mix of Bombay and Bermuda. Bombay because of the busy, honking, endless scooter and human traffic. Bermuda for the lushness of the vegetation and architecture.

Everything is busy here, even the trees look to be doing overtime.

The telephone wires looked like they've been layered on over the decades, more and more.

As you may have guessed, the bicycle is pretty big here in daily life, you see a lot of vendors using them to transport their wares. I don't think they actually ride them more than transport goods with them.

A block away is St. Josephs Cathedral - a vestige of French colonial rule. Another example we noted was the cafe where we had lunch - it used to be a convent. See it here.

After lunch we made our way to Hoan Kiem Lake, the center of the old city. It is deep green and sports a necklace of parkland where many sit to enjoy slightly cooler temperatures. We sat down for an iced coffee in a cafe on top of a nearby building. This is truly a cafe society - they are everywhere.

After coffee we walked along the lake. This bridge joins to an island temple in the middle of the lake. As I took this photo and enterprising young saleslady commented on my photo skills to try to make a guidebook sale. I said thanks and moved on. Where was my girlfriend to shoo her away? Hiding 50 feet back. I teased her "hey, if you are with me they won't bother me since you look Vietnamese." She didn't seem to find that funny. She doesn't think she looks Vietnamese....

At certain corners of the lake, without cover from the shade trees, the sun was overpowering. I cannot imagine who would sit in these seats in the middle of the afternoon.

Another small temple in the lake, this one inaccesible. Thousands of Vietnamese, with a few tourists mixed in, sat lakeside under the trees, fanning themselves and sipping on various drinks. After our hour walk we headed back towards the hotel. We found a nice refuge - a massage spot that was air conditioned and shaded. When we walked in, the proprietor spoke to Puffin, but his accent must have been too strong for her to understand. Then a few of the ladies looked up from their feet massages to try. Still, we couldn't understand. Finally, one of them spoke in English. "Sorry, sorry, it's just that you look so Vietnamese that we thought to speak to you in Vietnamese." She looked over at me sheepishly. That was the best, there is no doubting it now. In Thailand, she gets spoken to in Thai, here in Vietnamese. Maybe we should try Cambodia one day.