Walking along the waterfront in Cadiz, Spain in 2008 there
was an old man and a dog relaxing in the shade of a large, old banyan tree with
huge roots splayed out. We stopped and petted the dog and talked with him a
bit. He pointed out in the water and exclaimed:
“Do you know what happened out there? The fantastic battle
of Trafalgar! A huge naval battle with Britain”. I looked out and tried to
imagine it, but let’s face it, it was 1805 and things were much different back
then, not much of anything is left today but the water and some descriptions
from old men on a sunny day.
Viet Nam and Hanoi are much different because that war
happened during my lifetime and I know many people who fought there in both the
US and Vietnamese military. I remember seeing nightly reports on TV. I work
with people from all over the world; and have heard many incredible first-hand
accounts of people who escaped SE Asia during war years and soon after as “boat
people”. One woman told me her story; people with hatchets chased her family
across a field killing them as they ran screaming, she jumped in a river to
save her life, her young six year old niece jumped on her back, they are all
that is left from their family. They were killed not because they had worked
with the US during the war but because they were ethnic Chinese living in Viet
Nam after the war had concluded in 1975. When people tell you these many
stories their eyes become unfocused and drifting as they remember times they
thought they would not survive, and they speak in a way of incredulity and
gratitude that says yes they somehow came through the other side.
So I have always wanted to go see and experience this area
of the world for myself, as a special present.
Something I had read stated Hanoi is comparable to Washington
DC as a “historic city” and Saigon is more like Las Vegas as a party town. So I
chose history.
The visa process is a little more complicated than some
places but not a big deal. I think it was something like $50 to get in. You can
send off your passport in the mail and get pre-approved, you can go to a
website and do some legwork there or just go naked. I went the website route
and got an “approval letter” which I handed over on arrival in Hanoi Airport, I
also brought a couple extra 2”x2” photos.
I normally contact my hotel before arrival and ask them to
pick me up at the airport, this has worked out well for me. I stayed at the
Hanoi Imperial http://www.hanoiimperialhotel.com/
, it is a medium quality hotel I suppose. I look for a hotel where I can walk
to things, I find this really helps. I wanted to be in the “Old Quarter” of
Hanoi; http://thingsasian.com/stories-photos/1445
, where vendors are concentrated on different streets
according to their occupation, this goes back to royal times. So bamboo is sold
on one street and sunglasses on another street etc... This hotel’s location was
great for that endeavor.
In a hotel I look for:
Price- Location- free internet- room safe- air conditioning-
website- free breakfast
If there is no website and online photos to check out, that
is a bit of a red flag for me. I think of a good hotel as a “home base”. I
might leave town for an excursion or rent a car and explore. I leave my
passport and extra cash in the room safe, I take some good color scans of my
passport to carry on me. I also like to work with the hotel for excursions and
advice. If I can develop a rapport with a good concierge it really helps.
This Hotel the Hanoi Imperial was a good choice, the room
was great, nice and large and quiet, although really no view. The hotel
restaurant was on the top floor with a 360 degree view but the elevator stopped
two floors below, so you take the elevator to the 6th floor and walk
up to the eighth. The food was buffet style and it was quite a varied spread,
this fortified me for a good start to the day and saved me some cash!
Many renowned sites like the Hanoi Hilton, the Lake where
John McCain crashed, the B52 Lake and Ho Chi Minh’s tomb were within walking
distance. In addition to this I booked excursions to the Perfume River, Halong
Bay and Sapa, all through the hotel before I left the states.
I bought a few travel books on Viet Nam and then took a
razor blade and cut out the parts I wanted and made a new book just on the
northern parts of Viet Nam I was going to have time to visit, putting it back
together with duct tape.
Perfume
River Excursion: This was hot and kinda uncomfortable, the boat
seats are low and steel, so bring a small pillow of some kind. The picturesque
rowing gets old quick there is not much to look at in the river itself. Be
ready for boats with colorful pilgrims for photos. The temples, shops and hike
up above are well worth the trip. I tried to talk our group into taking a fast
boat back, the other group behind us did with their rowboat sitting crosswise
on the larger boat, as the shot past us they laughed and pointed! Rats! The
thing I found frustratingly is we asked the bus to stop a couple times for
photos on the way down and they refused, the rice harvest was in progress.
Halong
Bay: Once again well worth doing. The boat was fun interacting
with the people aboard, they had great food, a huge spread, we stopped at a
little fishing village, and a great cave system on one of the limestone karst
islands, a long day but a fun trip. The photos you see all over will not
prepare you for all the tourist boats, a flotilla! But that’s life.
Sapa
Trekking: This was really an experience and deserves its’ own write up
here-- http://425traveler.blogspot.com/2013/06/mr.html
I wasn’t prepared for the huge line of people at Ho Chi Minh’s tomb. There is no one in
American history that would demand even a fraction of this kind of veneration.
A huge line around four blocks outside the compound before you even get in. It
took me a while and a lot of walking just to find the end of the line! JFK on
the day of his funeral had a grand exit but to see this every day, years and
years after his passing, the Viet people must truly have a mind-blowing
patriotism! I finally gave up and never got in, if you do go make sure you are
there first thing in the morning.
The Long Bien Bridge
was fun I walked out to the middle of the Red River then down to the island in
the middle, worth doing. The traffic watching is hilarious. The market at the
foot of the bridge is a little sketchy watch yourself in there. When you walk
into a place like that and no one smiles and they stare at you like you are
food, it is a sign.
The “water puppet theatre” is something you can miss, I did
it and it was just OK. Old women in front of me had to hold up their cells and
video THE ENTIRE THING!
I got a good massage close to the hotel, less than a block
away and I found it by going to a site like Trip advisor and reading reviews. The
most amazing part here is the woman could walk on my soapy back (while I was
lying on a raised massage table), without falling off! The narrow little dark
hallway and three story walk-up was a little off putting, but I am glad I went.
The B52 Lake;
where a plane crashed during the war and some wreckage is still left was very
hard to find. I walked and walked and finally gave up, and started talking to
some motorbike guys on a corner. They didn’t really speak English so I ended up
pantomiming a plane flying over, people shooting at it, and then it crashing
into a lake. Voila! Then they all laughed and knew exactly what I wanted. I got
a guy to give me a ride over on the back of his motorbike (what I should have
done from the start).
Speaking of motorbikes; yes I realize I am rambling but this
is important, make sure you stow your gear, and have some glasses to protect
your eyes from dust, hang on securely, and take the extra few moments to find a
guy/gal that provides you with a helmet. Then relax and enjoy, it was a blast.
If you are going to someplace like Snaketown, which is farther away then take a taxi. Yeah I did that
gig where you go and pick out a cobra, they kill it and give you a drink with
the heart sill beating floating in the drink, then prepare a meal with the
cobra cooked eleven different ways or something like that. They pointed to the
price on the menu like they felt I might not be good for it. I think the dinner
was 1.2 million dong, which is a little over $50. I showed them I had the cash
and asked if they wanted me to pay up front but they motioned no, no one in
this area seemed to speak even broken English. We also had a bit of confusion
when I explained I don’t drink alcohol. I transferred the cobra heart to a
glass of water and then my retinue of waiters were happy and all clapped with
enthusiasm. I got the name of this place and the taxi all set up through my concierge.
I am sure he got a cut and that’s fine. It makes things easier and safer for
everybody.
In closing two things, firstly get up early and hit it and
about noon when you are hot and dusty go back to your room (if close enough),
and take a cool shower, change clothes and take a nap with the air con. Then go
back out all refreshed for an evening run.
Secondly, I need to say one of the coolest places I ran into
was by accident (like always). I was trying to find a particular street which
was on a walking tour map. It kept taking me into a dead end brick wall, like
some kind of Harry potter movie. But the street on the way there, a little back
alley kind of street, was just full of life. All kinds of vendors and activity,
completely authentic and non-touristy, it was wonderful. (see above)...
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