I have already seen so many interesting things! After going to immigration and customs I went to the visitor desk and asked if the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum would be open (the government closes it Sept through December to re-preserve his body) and the representative tried to sell me a cab ride to downtown Hanoi for $30, which I knew was way over priced (should cost $17). My guard was up immediately.
Driving to Hanoi was an out of body experience. I started to see the things I thought I may see like a woman in a rice field, people on bicycles carrying food, and a variety of other unique things. I saw a man in a scooter with a small wired cage on the back, about 2 x 2 feet, with three fat pigs squirming inside. I had to do a double take to realize they were live pigs, and just as I realized it, one of the pigs started to pee! It streamed rapidly out the cage onto the highway...I laughed out loud and the cab driver joined me in the moment.
When I arrived to the hotel the front desk manager automatically knew who I was. He welcomed me by name and gave me my key. Luckily my room was air conditioned as I was already dripping sweat from the heat and humidity. What do people like me do in Asia and the heat? This is something I need to figure out ASAP. I relaxed for a bit in my room (three single beds, no shower curtain, small balcony overlooking the street) and then decided to walk around the Old quarter, a bustling neighborhood in Hanoi.
Trying to navigate the streets with a map was incredibly difficult. I eventually just decided to accept the fact I was a tourist and stop on each corner to consult my map ensuring I was on the right track. Once I found Hoan Kiem Lake I was ecstatic! It was only about a 15 minute walk, but when you can’t read any signs you feel accomplished when you’ve made it where you want to go. I walked around the perimeter of the lake to visit my first temple, Ngoc Son and from there got lost in the hustle of the streets. So many markets! So many people! So many scooters and lots of honking! Think New York City but smaller streets and motorbikes instead of cars.
On my way to a local market I was stopped by a young woman wearing a conical hat and carrying an over-the-shoulder shop, a large beam made of wood with two large hanging bowls that carry fruit, eggs, green vegetables or herbs of sorts. She stopped me and said, “you want a picture?” I didn’t have time to react before she put her conical hat on me and gave me her portable shop. She took my picture with my camera and then persuaded me to buy some pineapple. That was the first trick I fell for.
The market was nothing but incredible. I’ve never seen so many colors and varieties of food. They had everything! I think the most interesting thing I saw was a woman taking headless frogs from a bucket and shopping off the body from the legs with a large knife. I also saw pigs feet, chicken heads, sparrows, large cuts of beef, dried fish, whole crabs, squid, and everything else you can imagine. They had beautiful red chillies, fruit I’d never seen before, multi-colored eggs, beans and nuts of all sorts, ginger, and more. I’m not sure how everyone squats all day like they do, no chairs and very awkward pose. I wondered around for a bit and then parked myself at a restaurant to get a Bia Hoi (Vietnamese beer) and some food. I sat there for probably an hour and a half under a fan before walking back and falling asleep.
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