Hanoi, Part 2: These Sidewalks Aren't Meant for Walking!

Brian and I came to Vietnam with my parents, siblings and their spouses in 1999.  It was Brian's first trip to Asia, and it got off to an inauspicious start - one of our first street crossings ended with Brian getting hit (yes, hit! hard!!) by a moped. It left a pretty impressive bruise, and an indelible memory that Hanoi drivers make Boston drivers look like wusses.  We learned then that traffic, streets, and sidewalks in Hanoi (and much of Vietnam) are nothing like the streets of San Mateo.  Traffic lights mean nothing. Nor do intersections. No one ever has the right of way - it is all about avoiding the others. Honking is more of a way to let someone know you are there - not just to say "get out of my way", except when it does mean that. We can't tell the difference between the two. There are no such things as one-way streets - even when it says it is, and all of the motorcycles are coming one way - ALWAYS look the other way because someone is going to fly down the street (Brian's big mistake).

We arrived into Hanoi at night, having prepped the kids extensively on the trick to crossing the street there - just go. Don't wait for the cars, bikes, mopeds, carts, cyclos, people, etc to stop and let you cross - it will never happen. Just form a line across, walk slowly, and expect that the bigger vehicle (everyone but us) will swerve around us. For the most part, this held true.

One issue that makes walking around Hanoi tough for the uninitiated is that you just can't walk on the sidewalks, so you have to navigate the crazy streets on the street.The sidewalks are wide enough for 3-4 people to walk shoulder to shoulder, but all of Hanoi life takes place there! Here are some of the things we saw that DO happen on Hanoi sidewalks:

• All meals. Tiny chairs and tables are in front of every storefront (most live above their stores), and families sit down in these all day to enjoy meals with family and friends
• Dishwashing. Everyone does their dishes on the sidewalk as they finish their meal. There is water everywhere.
• Inventory storage. Can't fit your stuff in your store? Leave it in boxes in front of your store.
• Scooter/Bike parking. 
• Food selling. Older women selling fruit or desserts will often just sit on the corners and call to you as you walk by. 
• Exercises. Ok, this happens mostly in the early morning hours, but there is lots of Tai Chi around the sidewalks near the lake early in the morning.
• Menu posting. Pretty much every restaurant posts their menu outside so you can determine if you want to eat there - very handy for us. Turns out, almost every restaurant offers pretty much the same food anyways.
• Garbage Dropping. Everyone puts their garbage in a pile in front of their store. Street cleaners (people with brooms and dustpans) 
• come occasionally and pick it up. Interesting idea, but also means lots of garbage everywhere.

Despite the craziness that is Hanoi, we really enjoyed living there off-and-on for almost 2 weeks.  There aren't a lot of great sites to see in Hanoi (see the kids' posts to learn about visiting Uncle Ho), but the city life and bustling nature of the city give it a great vibe. And Brian escaped unscathed this time, so that was just an added bonus!

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Hanoi, Part 1: Good for the Wallet, Bad for the Waistline

Vietnam in general, and Hanoi in particular, are incredibly easy on the wallet. After a month in China where prices certainly are manageable (ok, take Hong Kong off that list!), we have been thrilled to find the cost of living so low in Hanoi and the rest of Vietnam.  From the hotels to the food to the activities, everything is below reasonable. A nice dinner out for a family of 5, including beers for the adults, milkshakes for the kids, entrees for all and an appetizer or two comes to about $35. And the food is fantastic - healthy, fresh, full of flavor, spicy enough but not too spicy - even our pickiest eaters have had no problem finding food in Vietnam!

I expected that pho would be our saving grace - that the kids would refuse to eat food off the menu - but surprisingly I only had pho once or twice during our week-plus there.  Other favorites included (no idea how to spell these!): Fresh Shrimp Spring Rolls, Beef Luc Luk, Chicken or Pork with Cashew Nuts, Banh Xieo (vietnamese pancakes), Beef wrapped in Coconut Leaves, and even Brian's frog legs! Last (but certainly not least!) the Bia Hoi (locally brewed beer) has been a highlight - and at about $1/bottle, it is the best deal in town!

Jacob eating his Banh Xieo

Spring Rolls - usually got them fresh, but fried wasn't bad either!

Maggie eating some Beef Luc Luk

Pho + Beer = perfect lunch

Stunning Halong Bay, Vietnam

Thanksgiving came 10 weeks into our trip, so to avoid homesickness in all of us for family, food, and football, we decided to splurge a little with a trip on a Vietnamese "junk" for 2 nights in Halong Bay.

There are some places that are so stunning, pictures can't do them justice.  I tried from every angle to take pictures that would capture the beauty of Halong Bay, but nothing came out the way it really appeared to me.  Halong Bay is known for its stunning limestone karst topography that seems to go on forever. There are almost 2000 islands, most of which are uninhabited. Unfortunately, we didn't get glorious sunshine, but even in the cloud (and occasional rain), the beauty of the place was visible from every angle of the boat.

Day 1 had us picked up from our hotel in Hanoi and put in a van with 2 other couples for a long, bumpy 4 hour drive to Hanoi.  Driving in Hanoi (or anywhere in Vietnam) is worthy of a whole other blog post - lets just say we are happy to be alive each time we emerge unscathed from a vehicle.

We had booked this trip somewhat last minute (like most of our trip) and without really knowing what we were getting - but we ended up completely overwhelmed by what we signed up for. Our "junk" (such a misnomer - it was lovely) was called the White Dolphin and had about 8-10 cabins.

The White Dolphin

The Dining Room - home to TOO MUCH food

The other two couples on the White Dolphin had the cabins on the top floor, so we had the bottom deck all to ourselves - which meant Maggie had her own room and her own bathroom - thrilling.  After a huge lunch (this became a theme), we went kayaking around a small water village where families live in tiny 1-room huts built on water, partially connected to the other houses and a tiny school that only goes up to 6th grade or so - when most of the kids stop going to school so they can help their parents.

Houses in the Fishing Village

                   
That night, we ate a huge dinner, drank some beers, and had a great time talking to the two other couples on the boat (one American-ish couple, one Brazilian couple) and our Vietnamese guide who taught us about Vietnamese life - including how difficult it is to buy property (no mortgages - pay in full only!) and how even public school costs money (making it unattainable for many families).

Our next day (Thanksgiving Day) was spent on the "Little White Dolphin" - a smaller version of our junk. We spent the morning on a beach playing soccer and hiking up a hill to take in the views, and the afternoon kayaking through the many caves in the Bay.  Kids both loved and hated (brrrr- cold water) jumping off the junk  into the Bay below.

While we didn't have the traditional Thanksgiving Feast, we certainly feasted on just as many dishes as if we were home, which made us feel a little less homesick for turkey, stuffing and pie!

The last morning was spent in "the most beautiful caves in Halong Bay." We have seen many caves on our adventures thus far, so while these in fact were quite stunning, they weren't our favorites - although it could have been the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds making their way through the caves with us.

Look! We aren't bickering!

All in all, a delightful 3 days spent in Halong Bay, and a Thankgsiving we aren't likely to forget anytime soon.