There are only a few places open today so I'm sitting in a coffee house called "Highlands" with ALL of the other tourists in Hanoi. People need to eat!
Yesterday was also a quiet day in the streets with only foreigners wandering about. However last night the celebrations began in the city with stages of singers and dancers and a fireworks display at midnight on Hoan Kiem Lake (the lake in the middle of Hanoi.) One thing is for sure, no matter where you live, fireworks bring out the people in droves.
Tonight I will meet up with Anna, a woman from Gernany, who I met on my day trip to the Perfume Pagoda and her friend, who arrives today from Germany, for New Year's dinner. Hopefully there will another place open or we'll end up back here!
So far the trip has been good. It's hard to believe that I've been gone for three weeks already. Was up in Halong Bay for 3 days and 2 nights. It was absolutely stunning. The landscape is mystic, something right out of a movie. We explored some caves, trekked up a mountain (an hour and a half climb straight up!), slept on a Junk boat over night (well, sleeping is an exaggeration because I stayed up all night preparing to defend myself against the rats in the walls...It's hard to sleep when all you hear is the pitter patter of rats running in the walls!), one night in a bungalow on a private beach, kayaking around the floating villages (like the real-life Water World!) and a bonfire on the beach. I was with a great group of people from all over the world. So lots of great conversation about home-life, work (or lack of) and traveling. I may cross paths with some of them again.
I've been in Hanoi for almost two weeks now. I kind of got stuck here in because all of the Vietnamese travel during this time and with my intentional lack of planning, there was not a plane, train, or automobile that could get me to my next stop. While I would would have chosen to be somewhere else for an extended stay, it's been great not moving around every other day. And I've really got to know the streets of Hanoi - even ran errands the other day like a local - haha... a little grocery shopping, the post office, laundry etc. It was kind of fun.
Hanoi is crazy busy - people and cars everywhere on a typical day - day and night. The pollution is intense. The government makes some serious steps to clean up the city and calm the dust for Tet (Chinese New Year). Cleaning up the streets, putting a fresh coat of paint on, etc., it seems like the entire city is in on it. The garbage pick up occurs daily and consists of one person pushing a huge metal bin on wheels ringing a bell to let the shop owners know that they are in front of their store.
The Vietnamese people are very kind and helpful, although most people you ask on the street have no idea how to read a map and/or know any English and are constantly pointing you in the wrong direction! You can ask three different people on the same block for directions and they will all point you in a different direction! Best to ask someone in a travel agency or hotel! Needless to say, my map-reading skills are improving at a rapid pace.
I feel super safe here traveling on my own. Like I said, the people are really friendly. There are a lot of people who approach you to buy things or take a cylco ride or offer their taxi service. It's almost as bad as Thailand but you smile politely, say no thank-you and keep walking. You learn very quickly that if you stop you'll be there for a while.
Off for dinner!
More soon....
xo
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