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Hello Hanoi! First impressions

For all the sadness at leaving Korea, I can’t tell you how how happy I am to be out of the cold weather!! Although Hanoi at this time of year (Feb) isn’t entirely shorts and t-shirt weather, it is soooo much warmer than Bundang. When I arrived, the hotel owner was bundled up in jackets and scarves, complaining how cold it was, while I was feeling overdressed in jeans and a fleece. I’m always the first to complain about the cold, so that made a really refreshing change…

So, safely ensconced in a hotel in the old quarter of town; my new home for the next few weeks or so, I set out to explore…

The first thing that hits you (and you have to be careful to make that a non-literal expression) is the traffic . There are just so many people all out and about on the street at the same time. The roads are packed to bursting with motorcycles, bicyles, cyclos, taxis, cars, people. They truly seem to be the life and soul of Hanoi, everything happens on the street… Ground floor houses for the most part are converted into cafes, shop fronts and businesses. A short walk down the road will involve stepping in and out of the road as you try to dodge the mass of parked motorcycles, and the groups of people sociably gathered to talk, eat, or work on the pavements. Crossing the street takes a bit of nerve at first, but when in Rome… do as the Hanoians do and put your best foot forward. There seems to be a kind of give and take on both sides… if you hold your nerve and calmly keep walking, making it clear which direction you’re going in, the traffic accommodates you and neatly manages to swerve around you at the last moment. It helps that there are less cars than motorbikes, as swerving a car out of a pedestrian’s way is going to cause no end of trouble.

You definitely need to develop some kind of 360 degree owl rotating swivel neck to keep an eye on the road…

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 21st, 2008 at 9:53 am and is filed under Pre Course, Hanoi, Blogroll. You can leave a response to this entry.

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