Goodbye Hanoi, hello night train.

Appologies for the lack of posts for the last few days, this was not due to a busy travel schedule but rather that when we sat down to relax I got sucked down a Wikipedia rat hole.

I started writing this post and realised that we had done more than I had thought so I will start with a speed round then dig in with a few more details:

Water Puppet show (amazing)

Temple of Literature (pretty but too busy, and hot)

Lenin Park (quiet, tidy, shady, pleasant)

Enthographic Museum of Vietnam (interesting, detailed)

Night train to Hue (comfortable enough)

Our last few days in Hanoi were mainly spent wandering Hanoi's tiny lanes, and watching life on the street. Like many places in Asia a lot of local life in Hanoi happens out on the streets and in public places. This makes it a great place to pull up a plastic chair, order a coffee and take in what is going on around you (it doesn't hurt that the coffee is about 50p a glass). We found a great spot, that we went back to a few times, where we could watch the cyclo (reverse bicycle rickshaw) tours come past. The range of expressions on the other tourists faces went from terrified to sleepy via highly amused. The effect was hightened by the group tours which would snake past us, sometimes ten to twelve bikes longand block the whole road for several minutes. I was rather glad not to be pedalling the cyclo myself as the sweat would be pouring off the drivers. 

We also had a ride on a cyclo ourselves after walking a bit too far to Lenin Park via a detour in a housing area of tiny alley ways. It was a hugely enjoyable (if guilt inducing) way to travel across the city. As you have likely heard there are no real road rules in Hanoi and at first sight the traffic is nothing short of unfathomable. But then, a strange logic filters in where all of the road users share the space and watch out for what they are doing. I have no hard and fast evidence for this but it seems as if by keeping moving slowly everyone gets to where they are going faster. Anyway back to the cyclo, we were able to witness all of this crazy vehicular dance up close from the front seat whilst our driver squeezed us through improbable gaps and accompanied by his manic laughter (which I put down to the fact that our hotel was slightly up hill from Lenin Park). 

At the other end of the adrenaline scale was the wonderful Water Puppet Show. I can not recommend this show enough, yes the dialogue was in Vietnamese but the music and puppetry effects were unique and told a humorous story. Some of the movements of the puppets (specifically the fish) created a very life like effect.

In a similar Vietnamese culture veign the Ethnographic museum had some really interesting and original displays and was well explained in English (possibly too wordy but I like facts so it was great for me). The museum covers in some detail the different cultures that live around Vietnam and gives illustrations of the different ways of life. The most unusual of the exhibits, for me, was the architecture garden when there are at last ten full size structures to really show how the different groups have (and in many cases still do) lived. 

That just leaves us with the night train. As night train's go, not too bad. Quiet, cleanish, on timeish, slightly hard bed. I enjoy the experience of sleeper trains, I'm not totally sure why, I know they are not for everyone. I find getting rocked to sleep and the idea of getting on in one city and off the next day in another fun. Try it once, possibly on Amtrac in the USA, it is a bit more romantic.

A ramble around Hanoi

This morning's breakfast deserves a mention if only for the tasty (fly and ant free) fruit, but the noodle soup was even better.

We spent the morning wandering around the French Quarter, enjoying the wider pavements and grander buildings. Several foreign embassies have set up camp in the area and are helping to keep the older buildings from falling into total disrepair, but the South East Asian climate is still taking its toll.

We hit a big maze-like market building after a coffee break and came across the unusual site of an indoor fountain complete with koi carp. This water feature seems to be something of a local meeting spot as there were groups of all ages slouched on sacks or boxes of goods enjoying a rest and a chat, there was even a drinks seller offering refreshments.

The air in the market was a little stuffy, probably due the glass roof and towers of fabrics, so we left in search of fresher air. The market is nestled amongst the twisted lanes of Hanoi's Old Quarter so our attention was often drawn away from an on coming motor bike by a store full specialising in unusual metalwork, dried plants or circular saw blades. There was even a store filled entirely with counterfeit Lego.

About time to stop for another coffee.

We lost track of the afternoon wandering around the very communist parks and gardens just past the old quarter and ended up sat under a tree by a large lake wondering where the day had gone.

Hung Khoi and Anh

We arrived in Hanoi today. The last time I came here was on a rather abortive visit more than ten years ago...

Don't you just love the vagueries of the internet, you sit and type out a blog post full of humour, wit, and insight (and lacking spelling mistakes), then you try to upload it and poof, it's gone.

After that kind of disaster it is hard to regain your train of thought.

Rather than the three days that I spent using Vietnam as a transit route when I was here last (long story that I did type out but the internet ate, maybe I will try again later in the week if I get enough requests), Aimee and I are going to take a more sensible pace and stop in just a few locations for several days.

Although today has been wet and overcast Hanoi has still managed to show through. It is old, and crumbly, but still beautiful. The are tree lined streets and small pieces of interesting building poking out from behind neon billboards. It is weirdly European.

The traffic is as mad as everyone told us but crossing the street is easier than Bangkok.

If I can get the photos up then there might be a post about South East Asian power distribution tomorrow, but for now We are off to sleep, we didn't get a single coffee stop today.

Hof Art Now

The Bangkok traffic hasn't got any better. This taxi managed to block the five lane road outside the hotel for five minutes with a very ill timed U-turn. 

We spent yesterday with local boy Jim so we took in a few more unusual sights. Including a detor through this Japanese shopping mall. 

Then a stop off at a small coffee shop that serves Soya milk. 

We spent most of the afternoon checking out an indie Art gallery called Hof Art Now.

We got chatting to one of the curators of the gallery, for anyone who does a bit of art and goes to indie galleries in far off lands this is a surprisingly normal occurrence. After checking out some of the interesting bits in the gallery and the artsy area around the gallery we headed off for a chill out by the pool.

We didn't actually go in the pool due to the weather, see rain clouds behind by very wooden pose in the photo underneath. We chatted to some of Jim's friends, including C who it was great to meet again. As usual C cooked us some amazing food.

 For all of our relatives concerned re: Jim's health hopefully this picture demonstrates his good heath and cheer. Also not the steak promotion behind his head, £2 for a steak dinner!

We have just spent another pleasant day today with Jim checking out the Thailand happiness festival, very happy, and drinking more coffee.

Tomorrow Vietnam.

Back, seems like it's been for EVA

Back in Bangkok, so very humid, was it this humid before?

I was feeling a little grim when we boarded the plane yesterday, I think it was the common bug endoftermfluenza, so wasn't looking forward to 12 hours in a Pringles tube. I think the airline fairy's were smiling on us though as we were given emergancy exit seats, we had so much leg room I could have had a nap on the floor. We had the pleasure of flying with EVA Air the Taiwanese airline. The plane was very clean and well maintained, and the flight staff were very smartly dressed and attentive, the food however was very close to inedible. Interestingly EVA are the consumer arm of Evergreen container shipping.

After the Taiwanese efficiency we were very surprised that getting across the Thai boarder was equally as efficient. We were at our hotel in central Bangkok about an hour after getting off the plane.

So far we have raised three different sets of eyebrows with our very minimal luggage. For our four week trip we are only carrying small backpacks each, so small that both could fit into the box the airlines use to check the size of airline carry on bags. The lady who checked us onto the plane gave an audible noise of surprise when she realised just how little luggage we were carrying. Time will tell if we have over done the packing light.

We have just finished our first ice coffee, after a very sweaty walk around Lumpini Park. Now we are off to meet up with my brother who is going to take us to a new, aircon'ed, art gallery. It really is very humid.