First Impressions of Hanoi: Frogger, but in Real Life

Xin chào!

If you can imagine, there's a constant bit of comical, quizzical, (sometimes insightful), banter that goes on between me and Melissa.  Without a tour guide, we generate our own narrative.  Mel nailed it yesterday when she looked at me and simply stated, "We ain't in Kansas anymore."

The city of Hanoi overwhelmed me in a way that was both provoking and humbling.  I experienced true culture shock.  My senses were on their highest alert.  For the first few hours in the city, the sounds, smells, and intense heat were almost unbearable for me.  I could feel my heart beating.  The nerd in me (and Melissa) knows this to be the body's sympathetic response system - another narrator would call it the fight or flight response.  For the record, the hours leading up to my first impression of Hanoi need to be documented as the momentum that created this surreal experience. 

First, there was the Thai Border Patrol.  The stamps in my passport prove that I've been through dozens of border controls. It's customary in the States to fill out a declarations form while on the returning plane then hand it in at the customs checkpoint.  On the flight into Thailand, we filled out a sheet of arrival and departure information including basic personal info, place of stay in Thailand, point of entry and next destination. Last Saturday, I didn't think twice about it.  Never have I been asked to reproduce this piece of paper after leaving the airport.  Do you see where this is going?  We needed to go through customs to leave Thailand and enter Vietnam.  The very intimidating military Thai guard was not going to be receptive to any excuses for me not having that tiny slip of paper.  Thankfully, I found it at the last possible moment nested somewhere in the bottom of my purse.  Cue: first shock wave through my body.  I nearly did not exit the country that day. 

Then, there was the the big red flashing "FINAL CALL" that appeared on the airport screen. This meant running through the airport. In sandals. Cue: increased heartbeat.

Next, there was the very tiny Crazy Plane Lady.  That is her official name. She weighed maybe 75 pounds on a good day, but for what she lacked in size she made it up with attitude.  Crazy Plane Lady was at the window. Melissa was in the middle. I was in the aisle.  She persistently asked questions in a foreign tongue we couldn't understand.  At one point her feet were on the wall and her head was crossing the armrest into Melissa's lap.  The stewardess yelled at her, and we promptly moved into other seats as soon as the plane was in the air.  At the end of the flight, Crazy Plane Lady proceeded to slide her way between me and the seat in front then will herself through the mass of people standing in the aisle to try to push her way to the exit.  Talk about invading personal space!

After landing in Vietnam, we needed to finalize our visa application. Prior to the trip, we applied and paid $20 for a "Vietnam Visa on Arrival" letter. At border patrol, there was limited instructions except that we handed over our passports and the random letter and waited.  People watching was at its finest, as you could tell many travelers had not read how the process worked.  I will proudly say that Mel and I looked like pros.  Our extra passport pictures were ready and we had the additional $45 USD in cash required to enter.  One more thing - in line, I noticed a young guy wearing the Red and Blue "P," and we quickly started swapping travel stories with a group of 2015 Penn grads! Talk about a small world.  I told you this was an emotional roller coaster!

Next came the airport taxi drivers.  These two Curly Girls were not going to be price gouged nor were the 2015 Penn grads we just met.  Several drivers were quoting us a fixed rate far above what guidebooks and the Internet recommend. We went from cab to cab but some of the drivers were yelling back and forth, all offering the same unrealistic price.  The last cabbie in the queue was an absolute gem for us - he was more than nice and very welcoming.  He even moved the front seats forward to create more space, like a private limo.  Persistence in this case went a long way!  

Now... Finally to Hanoi.  Moving through the streets of Hanoi is essentially the real life version of the game Frogger.  There are thousands of motorbikes and cars zooming around the streets.  Motorbikes outnumber cars by at least 10 to 1. The red, yellow, and green of stop lights are optional. Texting and driving is common, even on motorbikes.   Traffic circles are absolutely insane.  There is no dedicated clockwise or counter clockwise direction that motorists follow. In fact, there is no -wise direction!  It was my turn to navigate the city, and the map of the city just about put me over the edge - bless her heart, Melissa insisted on being "map-girl" on the way back to the hotel.  

Our introduction to Vietnamese food was stellar.  Here is the list of everything we consumed from our first night through breakfast at the hotel (including some of quizzical banter that is yet to be answered).

Dinner-

Fried tofu

Morning glory (it was a green stem - isn't it supposed to be a flower?)

Papaya salad with peanuts

     Reminder that lime and cilantro makes everything better!

Noodles with beef (A's first meat dish of the trip)

Bia hoi- beer brewed daily in Vietnam ($1.00 for 16 oz)

Tiger beer - a south Vietnamese specialty

Vietnamese "pancake" (huge chartreuse-colored thin pancake stuffed with egg, herbs and sprouts. Cut with scissors into triangles. Wrapped up with lettuce and basil leaves in rice paper. Dipped in sweet chili sauce. Life-changing taste.)

Breakfast at Hostel

Coffee with condensed milk - a Vietnamese specialty

Banana pancake (amazing)

Yogurt

Muesli

Fried eggs swimming in butter

Sautéed onions and tomatoes 

Toast

Watermelon and pineapple 

Mango juice

New friends from Portland - we didn't eat them, but it is so fun to meet people when traveling.  

Following breakfast, we were promptly picked up by our Boat Cruise's shuttle service for a four-hour jaunt from the city of Hanoi to Ha Long Bay.  The vehicle far exceeded my expectations, with plush leather and great air conditioning. Mel and I both couldn't take our eyes away from the street views.  Besides the crazy traffic, the streets are filled with every type of vendor you can imagine, selling from eggs and fish to fans and blow up pools. The ride was topped off with a woman in the shuttle who didn't have headphones but that didn't stop her music from blasting aloud....Thanks to her, I'll be serenading Melissa with Titanic's, "my heart will go on" for the next 10 days.  At least that will stop me from saying "tuk tuk tuk tuk tuk tuk GOOSE."

Last but not least... On our journey to Ha Long Bay, the shuttle made a stop at a silk weaving factory that was simply incredible.  The colors filled the room like the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul.  There were dozens of women working intricately on artwork that ranged from 6 square inches to 20 square feet, and I am beyond thrilled to have found my Vietnamese Owl Treasure.  

As you may remember from our last blog, I collect an owl in each country that I visit. This piece of artwork will have a prized place in my collection. I know for a fact that the price I paid does not begin to cover the talented labor hours that went into this piece of silk embroidery.  When speaking with the workers, we learned that it takes more than 25 days of work to create these beautiful pieces, and I can only imagine that the typical workday is more than our 8 hour day.  This art piece - and my first 24 hours in Vietnam - will stay with me for a very long time.

Love,

Alysa and Melissa