Good Morning Vietnam! (sorry, had to)
After what was maybe one of the scariest flights of ALL time, we have landed in Hanoi.
Vietnam is know to be one of the countries in this region that make it a bit harder to visit for Americans, in terms of Visas. So after much research I opted to pay a little extra for an expedited service at the airport. Much to our surprise and delight, upon stepping off the plane a man held a sign with our names, and escorted us through the visa process with little to no wait time. Finally- something easy.
Once we exited the airport we made our way to our hotel. Nestled in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, our hotel upgraded us to a top floor suite and we have an amazing balcony that looks on the city Here there are hundreds of options for lodging, shopping, eating, drinking- its packed with everything. From stores that sell only door handles to chickens literally crossing the streets all around you- it's impossible to take a bad picture, and its very easy to almost get run over by a motorbike (I soon found out) we arrived around 5pm, so we rested a bit and set out to find some food.
What awaited us outside was chaos. Utter, disorganization and madness. Motorbikes, cars, chickens, Vietnamese people on tiny chairs, and tons of western tourists... It was as if the last 3 weeks were a silent organized step by step dance, and now as if someone threw that in a blender. Needless to say I was, and still am, utterly overloaded. My senses are confronted with so many new smells, and sounds and truly you must constantly be aware of not being hit by a motorbike- they zoom and honk about like packs of angry bees.
All that aside, Its quite spectacular. I've never felt such energy. It's alive and electric in every way.
That night we found a dark and by all rights dirty, alley shop, selling Pho. My lord baby Jesus. Remember ramen? I don't- I just found Pho. It's lighter, clear broth is less salty and more mild. The rice noodles are soft and not to long. The beef is juicy and not fatty, roasted to perfection before added to the soup. At the last minute before serving, they throw in fresh herbs; Mint, cilantro, green onion, I think some other magical green sprigs, and that's it. Perfection in its simplicity, and I'm all set for this month. We walked back to the hotel, around a very lively lake area, with kids and families and travelers all in the square playing a version of hacky sack, jump rope, street music and you name it.
The next morning we walked down to an old prison, now a museum, that is nicknamed the Hanoi Hilton after holding POW's in the Vietnam war. The pilots kept here during that time, including one John McCain, were by all accounts treated pretty well, judging buy the pictures and artifacts in the newer section of this museum. The grizzly history being a bit father back in the 1940's, when the revolution agains the French saw its peak. Here jailing the political prisoners of that uprising and sharing the deplorable conditions of how there were treated is the main tale this prison has to tell. The History of Vietnam was not something I knew much about, but I know feel it my duty and a visitor to understand the struggle this country has faced.
What is apparent at first glance is the French influence. Walking around is an eery mimic of French architecture, left to nature for 100 years. It shares that with New Orleans in a very obvious parallel. It's buildings with large windows, double shutters, open to the small streets that, hold one after another of open air "cafe's". In Paris you may see them at round bistro tables, smoking cigarets and drinking wine. Here they are tiny plastic chairs (kids size) playing cards, eating Pho, and well also smoking tons of cigarettes. There is some so Parisian about the whole thing if you really see it. Anyway this is just Hanoi, I look forward to seeing how the influences shift as we travel more.
We wandered more, got more lost, and came across some lunch. This time being a bit more fancy, we paid maybe $5 TOTAL for a HUGE lunch in a lovely little cafe. We had, along with a soup, green papaya salad and spring rolls, what is called a Bun Cha. Pork served 2 ways, Grilled slices, and sausage wrapped in banana leaves, served with rice noodles, and a dipping sauce, with herbs, lettuce and bean sprouts galore. It was marvelous.
We walked slower after our meal, and came across a beautiful Buddhist Temple. They are scattered about here and worth seeking out. My favorite thing about temples in this part of the world, by far, is the smell that greets you. There is always bunches and bunches of incense that are burned at each alter, creating a cloud of enlightened essence, and It's so nice to step out of the blender for a moment and have a second of peace and quiet.
We stopped at a street cafe for some beers and watch the rush hour of the old quarter zoom by on motorbikes. Then somehow being hungry again, we found another Pho spot, but in this one everyone was having it in a different style. I'm still trying to figure out what it's called (as we just pointed at the guy next to us and said 2) But it was essentially just pho without the broth, all pan fried. It was incredible, and just when I though Pho couldn't get any better. Also have I mentioned this is $1.50
Well, thats our first day in Hanoi. I'm learning how to cross the street without fear, and how to slurp noodles the right way. I can only imagine trying to use a fork again after the next few months, and feeling pretty good about Vietnam so far. Stay tuned xoxo