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Hanoi is a place we warmed too slowly. After a month in leisurely Laos moving to the faster pace of Vietnam took some adjusting too. We thought we would be easing in by entering via Dien Bien and Sapa but Hanoi still arrived with a bit of a bang. We'd become proficient jaywalkers in India so didn't think we'd be fazed by the traffic here. What we hadn't allowed for were the number of times the blocked pavements and parked mopeds necessitated walking in the gutter or middle of the road. "Decide and go" definitely became our motto. Trying not to walk out in front of the big metal four-wheeled things on the basis that they would inflict the greatest damage everything else became fair game. Mopeds, cyclists, cycle rickshaws, and chickens were all forced to deviate. The problem with traffic is it creates polluting fumes so for much of the time we were greeted with overcast gloomy days, accompanied by humid stickiness. Not the best recipe for keeping me jolly, or producing good photos but hey ho. On the day we arrived, we walked from the bus drop to our hotel. The map indicated we would be walking through areas where we could stop to rest en route. Halfway into our trek we spotted KFC, and have never been so pleased to go in. Aircon and iced Coke is a real treat when you're dripping with sweat. One of the things we learned during our walk was the Hanoi trick of renaming streets at the end of pretty much each block in some areas, so it is helpful to know all the streets alter egos when trying to navigate.
Eventually, we located our hotel. Dripping with sweat but pleased that we had saved ourselves the taxi fare and possible overcharging. First impressions were of a chaotic city, with many tall but very narrow residential buildings. At home houses like this occur where adjacent ones have been demolished but here they are just built like this in isolation. The width of the house is often just wide enough to fit a French door. No adjacent buildings seem to be of the same design giving the impression of an absence of planning. The heights of buildings are different, and many have features reminiscent of French architecture. Outside the buildings in the old city, most pavements were awash with parked motorbikes, moods or cars. Where there were free spaces enterprising citizens would set up pitches to offer food, often Pho - a noodle soup eaten for breakfast and lunch by the Vietnamese. A collection of low plastic stools would identify these street cafes, The absence of brand names in the old quarter was noticeable, apart from when selling fake copies, although there are apparently some large malls, mainly on the outskirts, which we didn't see.
For our first day in Hanoi, we'd decided to try and visit the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum. Aware that the mausoleum closes at 11.30 am we were keen to make this the first stop of the day. When we arrived the queue was horrendous. We followed all the signage, and with each corner breathed another sigh of despair as the queue disappeared into the distance. Eventually, we decided that spending the morning standing in line with no guarantee we would make the cut to get in wasn't going to be fun, and we found ourselves heading to the Temple Of Literature instead. We later found out from Lily that our stay in Hanoi coincided with a public holiday. We were really pleased to be able to meet up with Lily, one of be students we hosted through HostUK whilst she was studying in the UK. She took time out of her busy schedule to take us to some of the sights of Hanoi, as well as to introduce us to eating noodles whilst balancing on one of the small plastic stools referred to earlier.
Much time in Hanoi is spent drinking coffee - strong and chocolatey is the only way I can describe their black coffee. Whilst there is a fetish with 3 in1 instant coffees in the cheaper establishments the proper coffee shops serve the genuine beans. In fact, there are so many variations that it's difficult to choose what you want to drink when you go in. Last night coincided with the arrival in Hanoi of Anne Melville, one of the American ladies we met in Laos, so we made a plan to meet up for dinner at the Indian restaurant. We spent the time eating, catching up and meeting her sister Linda, and a couple of other friends. It made for a great last night in Hanoi. Well, we made it onto the train, taking us from Hanoi to our next stop Ninh Binh. The Japanese businessman on his phone actually used the words "Hai Karate". Images from 1970s deodorant ads came flooding back. Those of you born before the sixties will know what I'm talking about. The journey was relatively short by our usual standards - about two and a half hours through the outskirts, and then green paddy fields surrounding the city. The soft seats we had booked proved to be very comfortable for the journey, and with the addition of snacks from the mobile trolley, we were both pleased to be returning to train travel again.
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