Frenetic Hanoi

Here's the latest wanderings from Hanoi. I'd quite forgotten just how frenetic the traffic is here in Hanoi. Going out onto the street, one is assailed by the "sounds" of this city - horns honking, motor scooters revving and construction!

The city seems to be in a rebuilding phase with workers crawling over building sites all over the city. Even the Old Quarter has been spruced up since my last visit here. I'll write about the Old Quarter in a separate article.

The scooters continue to amaze me. There are so many and they are often overloaded with people, and goods being delivered. Heck, I even saw a massive flat screen television being transported on the back of a scooter and it wasn't tied on. How they manage to weave through the congested traffic to safely deliver it is completely beyond me.

I'm loving......the vibrant city.

I'm missing....morning breakfast television. Oh and of course good coffee. It was excellent in Singapore but here I haven't found a really good one yet.

I'm reading....nothing at the moment. I'm too busy sightseeing!

It's Vietnam Time!

My last message said that I was on the move again and heading for Malaysia. Yet just two months after that - I am on the move yet again!

I had planned a one year stay in Malaysia but that wasn't to be. As I write this, I am in Singapore but I leave here for Vietnam tomorrow.

The experience in Malaysia was good but not what was promised so that's why I'm on the road again.

I have a three month contract to teach in Haiphong which is 100kms north of Hanoi. I haven't been to this city before but its on the doorstep of amazing Halong Bay which I visited last time I was in Vietnam. During the next month I'll try to secure a one year contract somewhere.

Kuala Lumpur was an interesting mix. In the area where I stayed, the locals used the street as one big rubbish tip. It was disgusting. I used to walk on the road because the footpath was littered with dropped rubbish or plastic bags of rubbish piled up. The photo of the rubbish is taken just outside of the condo. It didn't look any different any day of the week.

I stayed in a lovely condo with a really nice pool (photo) and I swam every day, sometimes twice. It was lovely to cool off in the evening before I went to bed.

The shopping malls were amazing and there are many of them. The Suria Mall, just below the Petronas Towers is glitzy and nice for browsing and shopping.

I'm missing...........coffee. I just couldn't find any good coffee aside from Starbucks and Gloria Jeans and you all know my snobbish reaction to these chains. However, I frequented them when I could!

I'm loving...........being in Singapore at the moment. This is one cool city!

I'm reading.........A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. Actually I read it a few years ago. I love the detail and descriptive narrative. A fine work - excuse the pun.

I've enjoyed.......the swimming pool at my condo. I also enjoyed the Wednesday night markets. Its reputed to be the longest market in Malaysia. Great food and bargains to be had - but you take your chances!

Next time.....I'll write from Vietnam