Travel Diary

A new year begins! We toasted as the countdown hit zero and welcomed 2011. But it was late and we had a very early morning. Even the alcohol consumption was extremely low--probably the lowest ever for a NYE event. But hangovers and plane flights don't mix. One doesn't even want a slightly queasy stomach for even a 2-hour flight in a small jet.

Getting up at 4:30am isn't terribly easy when you go to bed at 1am, but sometimes it just has to be done. Our driver would be by at 5am to take us to the airport. One weird occurrence was the failure of the iPhone alarm to go off--probably just another small bug on Apple's part. But the alarms on my iPhone and Terry's failed to go off at the selected time. Turns out that it's a small bug where the alarm won't ring unless it's set to the same day of the week--a major change from before. No biggie. Internal clocks served well and we both happened to arise in time. I imagine a frustrated call from the car service would have happened if the former had not.

We checked in around 5:30am and then waited. Finding internet access was tough, but doable. Sometimes, you just have to sit near a fancy first-class lounge and sponge off of the WIFI signal. That's a nice bonus about WIFI--it doesn't follow walls.

To be better prepared, we exchanged the Taiwan dollar for the Vietnamese Dong. I'm not sure of the exact rate, but 100,000 Dong is equal to about $5USD. We were instantly millionaires! And yet, we were flying economy and not in private jets. Odd, I know. I simply must speak to my professional administrative assistant about that (Secret: that means a secretary)

(Another secret: I don't have one)

We boarded at 7am and found our seats at the very back of the plane. Needless to say, reclining wasn't really possible. I would say perhaps two inches was the max. The plane involved no in-flight entertainment, but it was too short a flight to be necessary. Some food was served and we were lucky to have no one occupying the third seat. This allowed for some extra space. My backpack happily occupied the seat.

09:40 -- Hanoi, Vietnam

Goooooood morning, Vietnam!!!

Wow. My first venture into a communistic country. I had no idea what to expect. Given that, I wasn't too concerned either since I wasn't knowingly doing anything wrong and most countries don't like to hinder tourism when they see it as a boon for increased future revenues.

Getting a visa took a few minutes because we had the paperwork taken care of ahead of time, but a wait and fee were still necessary. It wasn't much though, and we were through customs and into the city!

Well, into the transportation area at least. Turns out I wasn't exactly sure which driving service was supposed to take us, and I couldn't find anyone with a sign bearing our names. In time, we noticed someone carrying a sign saying Hanoi Hotel and that he said he was waiting for us.

Turns out that he wasn't exactly correct.

We agreed since the price was the same as what was discussed ahead of time via email, and plus, I thought we were staying at that hotel. If that last item had been correct, all would have been fine.

However, I thought it was that hotel only because it was the first one I had looked at online. I had actually selected a different one. Oops. I didn't even have the tour agency name to query the man about. If he couldn't answer that, then he didn't represent the agency. Still, I couldn't ask since I didn't have the name. My bad. Note to self: Make a note to self later about not doing that again.

We got to the hotel after a long drive in crazy traffic. Driving there is anarchy, plain and simple. You just try to avoid hitting people and to avoid being hit. It's that easy! Nothing more to buy ever!

At the hotel, we paid the driver and checked in...

Okay, tried to check in.

It's easier to do so when you're at the hotel your reservation is at.

Yeah, it wasn't the right place. They didn't have our names. I did think to check my iPhone messages and find the old archived email. Finally, we located the right establishment. We thanked the concierge and headed back into another taxi, and after another crazy, heart-pounding, anxiety-inducing drive, we arrived, safe and somewhat sound.

Thus, lesson learned: always know the hotel name and the tour company. It wasn't terribly bad though. The mistake only cost us an extra $5 and the saving grace was that we didn't tip the mischievous gentleman (word loosely used) who directed us to the wrong hotel.  

So it's sort of a scam. I mean he was holding up a sign to the hotel promised. If that had actually been our hotel, everything would have been fine. Yet experience is all part of the game.

The hotel we checked in at was called the Hanoi View.  It was a good price ($60USD) and well-equipped. The place was clean and contained a TV, fridge, safe, chairs, and guest computer. The location was also optimum as it was inside the Old Quarter.

We used the internet a bit and immediately discovered that Vietnam didn't allow Facebook. Yup, the site was blocked. That didn't please me as I was counting on it for making updates on my travels. Oh well. I could live without it for a few days--at least I hoped I could. Ever tried it? Easier said than done.

Exiting the hotel, we stepped out into town. I was wary about the wild traffic. I mean sidewalks barely existed. Traffic lights were extremely rare and crosswalks meant almost nothing. No, to traverse this town, you had to be bold. But you watched countless others doing it. They simply wait for a decent moment and carefully cross the streets. The cars are the only real issue. The mopeds simply go around the people. We saw old women and children alike do it. If they could...so could we.

Of all things, this was probably the biggest change for me so far. I knew it had to be done, but didn't relish the idea of having to walk in traffic everywhere we went. In short, I was fairly anxious about such a repeated risky activity.

It was difficult the first few times, but one grows bolder with experience and soon, we were veteran jaywalkers. As someone would later term it: it was like playing a game of Frogger, except you don't go backwards. It's either walking or pausing. No sudden movements either. The mopeds will find a way to avoid you. The scooters have to avoid the cars too. In short, they get the short end of the stick.

Along the streets, there were many shops selling wares and food. They seemed to cater to mostly locals, but tourists as well, which is a plus. Shops that mainly serve tourists tend to overinflate prices. Catering to locals means they need to charge what locals can afford. And that can save you (well, me) a lot of money.

We made our way north to pay the remainder of the boat cruise fee. A heart-dropping shock was that the place was closed and locked. Argh! I was quickly searching for a phone number to call, but then someone finally came to the door and opened up. Perhaps it was just lunch time. We settled the fee and went back into the streets. Heading southeast, we came across a small lake with gardens, trees, and paths surrounding it. Out on the lake was a serene, tranquil pagoda which was the target of many photos. We also noticed many couples having their wedding shots taken in front of the lake. It looked like a lot of fun, despite the waning sunlight.

Going back to the north of the lake, we found a building with several stories of shops.

Getting there was tough as it was across the street of a major roadway. This traffic had no pauses and was quite fast. Yet, there was no other way. Again, locals (and other tourists) were doing it. When in Rome. Again, this was still new for us, but after making that cross a couple times, things had changed. Walking in heavy traffic will never again seem so daunting.

We survived since I'm not writing this from a hospital room or anything.

The top level had a restaurant with a fantastic view of the lake. We headed up and ordered some coffee since this was a place that had its coffee recommended and it was one of the best cups that I had ever tried. This left quite an impression on us. Their prices were also amazingly cheap. I almost wanted to scream out akin to the credit card commercial motif, "People! You can raise your prices! It's just too cheap!"

Afterwards, it was more touring of the city. It was now dark, but we found a cool church for some good photos since it was lit up well. About that time, the Canon battery died. Oops! Forgot to bring a spare, and I had bought two extra for the trip. No, that's not irony; that's just stupidity. We headed back to the tall plaza building for more coffee and a little food.

But first, we opted for a massage. On the second floor, we had found a massage place that wanted $20USD for an hour long massage. What? That's crazy talk! But we had tried another floor up, and they offered a one-hour massage for about $8 (Lesson learned: always walk up another flight of stairs). It was a price better than Taipei so we signed up. The Vietnamese massage was also a more gentle massage and there were less knuckles and elbows being dug into the flesh. I enjoyed it. It's the way a massage should be. If I wanted elbows being burrowed into my sides, I'd fly on American airlines more often.

We then had some food on the top level, where we observed a little circus act going on in the street below, amassing a great crowd. A small stage had been set up with a large audience gathered around. The main performer worked with a very small bear that seemed well trained at times, and, other times, not so much.

The bear would walk on rolling balls, walk on his front legs, and catch balls thrown at him. He seemed to do fairly well, but also fell down a lot. It was a little sad to watch, though I imagine they're very tough, resilient animals and completely unharmed in the process. As well, I don't think they have the same embarrassment problems as humans when acts aren't going according to plan. And, if I'm not mistaken, the bear also appeared to bite the hand of the trainer that fed him (literally and perhaps figuratively as well). All that said, it was still incredibly entertaining and a wonder to see.

Given that our boat ride pickup was at 8am, we walked back to the hotel. Around the corner was a small late-night store so we got snacks for the trip. I stocked up on some vodka, figuring the drinks on board would be steep.

We then crashed. Went to sleep, that is. With all this talk about chaotic traffic, I suppose it doesn't hurt to clarify.