Hanoi, Vietnam

June 27^th, 2018

I haven’t written much lately. I’ve been trying to just experience things. To live in the moment. I have felt more connected to my moment, and to Ron, and to myself. But very distant from everyone and everything else.

The pollution is bad today in Hanoi, and I wore myself out yesterday. I found a website that talks about the air pollution here, and it’s been good so far, until today. Today the level is at the point that people shouldn’t even eat at an outside restaurant. We already ran to a coffee shop. Plenty of people outside in that bad air. Me, I want to rest. 

Yesterday was another epic day. Arriving in Hanoi, in Vietnam was epic. Life is so epic in Southeast Asia.

We were separated on the last day of Cambodia. The flight wasn’t until later in the evening. Ron spent the day on a motorbike tour, and I just relaxed at the hotel. I’m good at relaxing. I’m good with staying out of the heat for a while. He went out and had a great adventure complete with sunburn. Then we took a tuktuk back to the airport, where we watched the sun set as we waited to board the plane. I counted it out to be flight number 10 or 11 so far this year, when we left Costa Rica on April 19^th. The flight was delightfully uneventful, except for seeing some lightening, which is always cool. The environment in the plane is so controlled, and so cold. Stepping off the plane after the hour and a half flight was a strange sensation, just like when we arrived in Cambodia. Going from the air conditioning into the heavy humidity can feel intense. At least we had someone waiting for us to get to the hotel. The night drive was wild, and I knew we were in a very different kind of place. The 40 minute drive was like watching a movie go by. The strangest thing was the people out by the side of the road on tiny plastic stools. In the U.S. those stools would be for toddlers to reach the sink in the bathroom.

Once again we arrived at a hotel on a small and narrow road that doesn’t look like much. But the hotel is super nice compared to what you see when you walk out the entrance. We are in the Old Quarter. The streets actually have sidewalks, but half the time you can’t walk on them because people have parked their mopeds or are out there doing things like preparing food, selling something, or what have you. The streets here are crazy too. There are few traffic lights and the ones that you see don’t seem to mean much. A guy told us there are 5 million motorbikes/mopeds/electric scooters in Hanoi. You should see them any time, but especially during rush hour. They go on the sidewalks, and go in any direction they want. It’s insane to watch. The guy also said they are going to eliminate them all by 2030. They are causing too much pollution, and too many accidents. This is the timeframe the government is giving for building a public transport system. No more people with 5 per moped, like I saw yesterday. One man with 4 little girls.

Today I have a goal, to show what it takes to cross the street here. I want to film Ron, using the slow motion setting. Even when there is a traffic light and the light is in your favor you have to watch both ways at all times. It’s a new kind of awful, and I have to literally take it all in stride. Every time I have to cross the road I have to brace myself. Then I make it, and I feel like throwing my fists up in the air.

So Day 1 was about the ride here, and the views that flashed by kept my eyes busy. And the relief that the room was decent.

Day 2 was our first full day. It was all about learning how to cross the streets. The first advice was to just walk out there and keep at a steady pace so the traffic can determine how to go around you. This advice was the friend who said that Hanoi was a good choice for a visit to Vietnam, he’s been here before. The next piece of advice was to not look the drivers in the eye, so they know they have to watch out for you, because you aren’t watching out for them (uh, I have faith in God, but not enough faith in humans). This advice was from someone who’s been here for 3 weeks and plans to stay longer. The latest piece of advice was from a tour guide who said to be sure to look the drivers in the eye, to kind of stay in communication with them.

Day 3, 4, 5, 6 all a blur of staring at buildings and people and trying to cross the street. All about the crazy adventure of getting our bearings and walking down the street and finding some food.

Day 7 was the all day tour:

Pick up at 8am, big brown bus with comfy seats and we get a good seat. It’s a 2.5 hour bus ride to get to the first stop. A fascinating ride with a great view of Vietnam. My eyes didn’t even know how to take in some of it. Starting with how our big bus got through the narrow streets of the Old Quarter. How to process what I was seeing with the houses and buildings? It’s so different here. No yards, no driveways, no big or wide houses. Lots of beautiful narrow ones, along with small and beat up ones. The countryside was beautiful, full of rice fields and flocks of big white ducks. On the way back all the watery rice fields were very reflective in the late afternoon light. It was like big fields of mirrors. The rice fields had workers in them, all wearing the big bamboo hats. The whole day was like stepping into a picture. One picture after another from all the Vietnam pictures or programs I’ve ever watched. At first it was very flat. Then on one side the small, multiple limestone hills started to appear. We drove into a section of them to our first destination. It was where the capital of Vietnam was 1,100 years ago. Not much was left of it, but we explored one part with an old temple.

The temple grounds were ancient looking and beautiful. There were 3 arches to cross through to get to the inner part with old ponds full of big koi fish. The path there was lined with big colorful flags. The outer edge of the square flags were jagged, to represent flames. The small temple was made of beautiful dark red wood. It was wonderful to explore a little, but man it was hot. Such a common theme in the last 2 months, but so intense that it affects a person. It was a vivid part of the experience. If it’s hot enough to make sweat run down my back, I consider it noteworthy. All the temples here are that kind of noteworthy. Every last one of them. I’m trying to get Ron to make the last part of our trip in the mountains somewhere.

The next stop is a “row trip”, which I keep hearing the guide say “road trip”. My brain has to translate it every time he says it. We got into a tiny bamboo rowboat, with 3 rows of seats. The back row for the rower, then Ron, then me in the front. I look over the edge and see weeds in the water that hide the bottom. The top edge of the boat is only a few inches from the water. On the way back I couldn’t resist anymore, and I dipped my hand in. The water looked green, and it was not much cooler than the air temperature. I looked around and saw a rower doing the rowing with his legs. I said to Ron: Look, that guy is rowing with his feet on the oars! Then I looked again, and saw a woman doing the same thing. Then I turned around very carefully (you have to keep your balance in these things!) and saw our lady rower doing the same thing. They all were. Very comical. They had a small back rest to support them as they sat and rowed.

It was all kinds of magical and surreal and mind blowingly scenic. After the first few minutes everyone else was ahead of us, and it was just us. This place was so remote! A small quiet river lined with paddy rice paddy fields and shored up with the layers of small rocky hills.
I will show you some pictures. I don't know how to describe the feeling. It was pure peace.
I have more to say, but here's some pictures.
Oh, and after the row trip we took a bike ride through some countryside.


This is the courtyard to the bathrooms at the temple. Just amazing views everywhere!

In a boat, looking at a graveyard. Apparently goats in the graveyard is not all that uncommon. I saw it more than once. Maybe I should have titled this post "Goats in the graveyard". Catchy, eh?

There were few signs of civilization along the river, this was one of maybe 3 places that shows humans are around.

                                                          Green looking water. So tranquil.

                                  Going into a low cave. It was all adventure at it's finest.

                      Best view ever, it was like this all along the way. Took my breath away.

           A brief sign of humans. What an amazing cascade of pink flowers. Such a splash of color.

They had bungalows near the beginning of the trip for the first 2 minutes of an hour and a half boat ride, before the whole world disappeared into the wilderness. This tree was really cool, so I took the shot.

This is me on the bike ride. It was so hot! The trail was so narrow and rocky, staying upright on a very old bike took a lot of concentration. I could rarely look up. But it was so epic! Look at me! I'm riding a bike in Vietnam. What? This whole trip was one day $55 per person. All kinds of amazing.