VIETNAM JOURNALS
Part I
Hanoi
Hue
Ha Long Bay
Cat Ba Island
Ninh Binh
Vietnam is one of the most interesting places that I ever been to. A country filled with diverse people…young people who came from a hugely troubled history who have endured 1,000 years of Chinese rule.
However Vietnam has maintained and retained its strong
individualistic characteristics mixed in with the regimented culture that has pervaded
throughout time... I loved the easy going and friendly folk in the smaller
towns, and business-like approach in the cities.
I have divided this Journal into 6 parts, as listed
above…Each part will be interspersed with pictures.
As you are aware I am 5 hours older than you are mathematically//...I
am 5 mathematical hours older than all of you back home.
The customs and immigration of the airport had much to
do to make sure that all travellers had their visas
stamped together with the required fees. The Hall was filled to capacity…some
tourists were wearing masks, but these were primarily for the pollution that
Hanoi experiences. It is quite ironic that the majority of Vietnamese were
wearing masks for many years and a few weeks later the monster virus enveloped
much of the planet.
I finally got my visa after standing in a queue for
almost one hour…Another queue awaited me to get outside the airport.
Unfortunately the taxi driver who took me
to the hotel could speak no English, but we got along fine…I managed to get him
to tell me about his two children and his beautiful wife…this was done with
lots of hand signals and pidgin English.
The trip to ‘The Golden Sun Hotel’ took one
hour from the airport using shortcuts and many backyard scenes and businesses
still operating.
Daisy, the concierge of the hotel, was so
sweet and had a few ideas as to where I should go…Linda and I had been to
Vietnam some years before so I knew my way around relatively well.
of the hotel - Golden Sun
outside my room
The next morning, after a breakfast of
mangled eggs, fruit and a coffee that could only be described as awful, I set
off for Lake Hoan Kiem,(Lake of the Returned Sword), a stretch of water that is
positioned in the middle of the city…Trees are planted all along the cobbled
walkways with their weepy branches almost touching the waters, middle aged
people exercising their limbs and groups of orange robed monks sitting
cross-legged and chanting in hallowed tones… The Lake has an air of classic romance about it
and scenic walks where no one bothers you…all basically in the centre of the
city.
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| Limbering up for that swim across the lake |
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| The peace within |
I wanted to walk instead of taking cabs so
that I could prove to myself that I could do it…For a number of years I have had
some respiratory issues that eventually ended up in me taking a daily dose of
medication that resulted in me being able to function normally again.
I came across a group of 20 Vietnamese 5
year old’s, dressed up and looking so cute…Their hair done in different styles
and pig-tails and bob cuts and always smiling. The variant in the number of
colours that my camera picked was quite wondrous…They posed for a picture that
their teacher shot. I was fortunate enough to have them pose for me too…
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| Watch out for the third one from the right |
Walking further into the centre of the
city...weather overcast...misty or polluted...maniac drivers keeping their
right thumb constantly on the hooter...pedestrians...just walk and do not hesitate,
do not stop, just walk and say ‘Hallelujah’ when you get to the other side.
I came across another smaller group also
having photografix-sessions…I took several pictures here…Everybody was so
charming and inquisitive.
As I gazed across the lake breathing in the
sweet air my eyes rested on a building standing on a small islet, called
Tortoise/Turtle Tower which was built around 250 years ago. There were very
large turtles in the lake, some weighing as much as 200 Kilograms and spanning
1.9 metres in length…The last turtle spotted was in 2016 was dead when they
found it…Some believe that there is still one of these turtles left like the
Loch Ness Monster’s fable.
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| 250 year old Turtle Tower on Lake Hoan Kiem |
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| Perch of the Morning Sunlight |
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| Love in the Shadows |
ALDOS, a huge building, overlooking the edge of Hoan Kiem Lake…Aldos is a clothing emporium that occupies a large part of this building…Within this large building was my favourite haunt, ‘The Legend Pub’…They serve the Legend beer amongst many other brews that comes in 500ml glasses, unlike the stingy 330 ml that the rest of Vietnam sell.
A Legend beer and a Springroll (Goi cuon) on the 5th floor overlooking the lake and the traffic…
I can watch the traffic from up there…a
huge circle with various lanes leading from it... A maze and a monkey puzzle
below…people walking freely across the circle. Cars, bicycles and motorbikes competing
with people walking freely across the circle and vendors holding up bundles of Various
balloons on sticks…what a sight to behold
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| 'The Legend Beer Pub' - The Watch Tower of Lake Hoan Kiem |
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| Down below and from here |
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| two buckets |
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| A cyclist exiting the mural |
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| Two young ladies showing off |
Hanoi is relatively clean, with very little
dog excrement on the pavements...eating canine creatures used to be the norm
but during recent times the delicacy thereof has lessened considerably....(I
saw a stand selling roasted dog meat...looked absolutely awful and reminded me
of the oven roasted brown skinned pigs...disgusting...I was expecting the head
of a Vietnamese peasant on a skewer next).
Whilst strolling along the narrow streets, a few ladies approached me with an over friendly hello...walk on...mind you, would I have said anything if something happened? (that would have been my deep dark secret)
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| The picture that rests within us |
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| The Great Escape |
Whilst strolling along the narrow streets, a few ladies approached me with an over friendly hello...walk on...mind you, would I have said anything if something happened? (that would have been my deep dark secret)
The rich and the famous
I came across, quite by chance a fine
Indian restaurant called ‘Namaste’, where I had been several years prior with Ed,
my brother in-law and life-long friend, his Thai wife Tuk and Linda)…It had
moved from its previous position to a quieter section of the city…It was on the
1st floor of this very ordinary building and the dining area was
large.
I was ushered to a small table where I
could observe what was happening. The owner, Mr Gopi, was a little older now
but still had the same characteristics and charm from all those years ago.
He came across to my table and we chatted
for a few minutes until he moved to the next table, welcoming the new guests.
I had as a starter a Gobi with lots of
chilli and heavenly pickles followed by my favourite dish, Prawn Vindaloo, a
three star hot dish…not meant for the faint hearted…What a delicious experience.
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| Gobi and a sliver of lime and sambals |
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| Auf wiedersehen, Hanoi |
This was to be my last evening in Hanoi and I was quite happy to walk back to my hotel feeling tired but contented.
The next morning I was to leave Hanoi, jump
into a plane and fly to da Nang, where I would wait for a bus and head for Hoi
An. Now sitting in the bus terminal of da Nang where I have been waiting and
waiting.
I was asked by many of my friends back home
to spin a few stories and take some pictures with my mobile on a daily basis.
It is a difficult task especially when I am used to a Nikon slung around my
neck and now I must also use the mobile…the scenes go by so quickly.
The usual boring scenes from your seat,
observing the mensch in all his splendour...the bus would take me directly to
the hotel...see you later in the city of Hoi-An...