Hello from another bustling, noisy, frenetic Asian city; Hanoi in northern Vietnam. I'm staying in the Old Quarter at the Gia Thinh Hotel http://www.sunshinehotel.com.vn/ and again I have managed to find a great "backpacker deal" but in a nice new boutique hotel where I have a rather lovely room with all the trimmings including in room internet using computers they supply.
It's a lot cooler here and I'm enjoying the respite from the heat.
I'm about two blocks back from the pretty Hoan Kiem Lake. The Old Quarter is a rabbit warren of tiny streets and alleys. In the 13th Century Hanoi had 13 guilds and each one established themselves in a different street. So there were whole streets making and selling things like headstones, another for silversmiths, scales, pipes, copper, herbal medicines etc.
Today some of that remains but tourist outlets seem to dominate with souvenir and art shops; food sellers, tour promoters etc. It's a visual feast and I love strolling and peeking into all the wee shops.
Today I happened across a street with shop after shop selling shoes, another carving and selling headstones. The other day I went along a whole street of vendors selling sweets, all laid out in baskets like the old supermarket "pick and mix" displays before we got all sanitised and put them behind plastic cages with handy pull down dispensers. But there's something I don't understand. All these sweet sellers appear to me to be displaying exactly the same goods, without product differentiation, how would a buyer decide who to buy from in a street of about two dozen sellers?
As I write this, I'm sitting in a small classy (read great service, huge shiny wine glasses) restaurant called Five watching the world go by as I sup a red wine and wait for the chef to cook my wild mushroom risotto.
This is theatre at its best; street theatre. I'm fascinated by the passing parade of cyclos (push bikes with a seat for passengers in front and covered by a wide umbrella). I'm especially interested in the body language of the cyclo passengers. Some people sit back and relax, others browse maps, perhaps following their journey. Some sit with their legs out straight and taut as if to brace themselves against an impending disaster. Others have knees together, ankles wide - kind of unsure whether to relax or not? I wonder what I do?
Of course, I've been ripped off by the cyclo drivers. It's a given really. It was my first ride and I was new in Hanoi. The streets in this area are extremely confusing. As usual, I was trying to go to a particular cafe in the hope of getting a good coffee (I didn't find one and haven't yet!). A cyclo driver saw me stop to review my map and after some discussion we agreed on a price for him to take me. I have no idea what I was thinking to agree to such a big fee, especially when I was sure my intended destination was close, but I did. We seemed to be travelling a long way and I began to feel much relief that I'd agreed to use his services. We twisted and turned and then pulled up outside my cafe. After my coffee, I wandered and after a couple of streets (no more), surprise, surprise I recognised the street - it was my hotel street and only about 4 minutes separated the two! I smiled. At least the guy had the decency to do a little work and show me a little of the old town of Hanoi for his fee.
It's a lot cooler here and I'm enjoying the respite from the heat.
I'm about two blocks back from the pretty Hoan Kiem Lake. The Old Quarter is a rabbit warren of tiny streets and alleys. In the 13th Century Hanoi had 13 guilds and each one established themselves in a different street. So there were whole streets making and selling things like headstones, another for silversmiths, scales, pipes, copper, herbal medicines etc.
Today some of that remains but tourist outlets seem to dominate with souvenir and art shops; food sellers, tour promoters etc. It's a visual feast and I love strolling and peeking into all the wee shops.
Today I happened across a street with shop after shop selling shoes, another carving and selling headstones. The other day I went along a whole street of vendors selling sweets, all laid out in baskets like the old supermarket "pick and mix" displays before we got all sanitised and put them behind plastic cages with handy pull down dispensers. But there's something I don't understand. All these sweet sellers appear to me to be displaying exactly the same goods, without product differentiation, how would a buyer decide who to buy from in a street of about two dozen sellers?
As I write this, I'm sitting in a small classy (read great service, huge shiny wine glasses) restaurant called Five watching the world go by as I sup a red wine and wait for the chef to cook my wild mushroom risotto.
This is theatre at its best; street theatre. I'm fascinated by the passing parade of cyclos (push bikes with a seat for passengers in front and covered by a wide umbrella). I'm especially interested in the body language of the cyclo passengers. Some people sit back and relax, others browse maps, perhaps following their journey. Some sit with their legs out straight and taut as if to brace themselves against an impending disaster. Others have knees together, ankles wide - kind of unsure whether to relax or not? I wonder what I do?
Of course, I've been ripped off by the cyclo drivers. It's a given really. It was my first ride and I was new in Hanoi. The streets in this area are extremely confusing. As usual, I was trying to go to a particular cafe in the hope of getting a good coffee (I didn't find one and haven't yet!). A cyclo driver saw me stop to review my map and after some discussion we agreed on a price for him to take me. I have no idea what I was thinking to agree to such a big fee, especially when I was sure my intended destination was close, but I did. We seemed to be travelling a long way and I began to feel much relief that I'd agreed to use his services. We twisted and turned and then pulled up outside my cafe. After my coffee, I wandered and after a couple of streets (no more), surprise, surprise I recognised the street - it was my hotel street and only about 4 minutes separated the two! I smiled. At least the guy had the decency to do a little work and show me a little of the old town of Hanoi for his fee.
You can't win with taxi drivers either. My guide book says to use the meter. The other day I was meeting a new friend and my hotel gave me an indication of price which I paid but as the distance seemed so short I felt the agreed price was too high. So the next time I went the same route I declined the set fee and instead went via meter. The drive seemed to take much longer and the price was double. So now I've decided to just bargain the first fee they mention and at least I know the price and I will get there more quickly otherwise they will find a way to get their money anyway! Oh dear....do I sound cynical?
I went to see the Water Puppets the other day which is about a 45 minute show and most interesting. This type of theatre originated in the 13th Century.
By the way I highly recommend Five - the food, service and location was great.
On Tuesday I'm off to Sapa which is a ten hour overnight train ride up into the mountains and close to the Chinese border.
Internet services and the brain willing, I'll send an update from there.
In the meantime, thanks for all the feedback, I really appreciate it. It's great to know who's reading Travelespresso and what you think about it.
By the way I highly recommend Five - the food, service and location was great.
On Tuesday I'm off to Sapa which is a ten hour overnight train ride up into the mountains and close to the Chinese border.
Internet services and the brain willing, I'll send an update from there.
In the meantime, thanks for all the feedback, I really appreciate it. It's great to know who's reading Travelespresso and what you think about it.
I'm loving.......the thrill of anticipating going to a new place. I get all excited as I'm about to head off to somewhere new.
I'm surprised.......at how noisy Hanoi is. I hate to think how high the decibels are.
My favourite coffee.......are you kidding? I have tried several and its awful. That surpises me because they grow a lot of coffee here but I guess they haven't yet learned how to make the kind of coffee I enjoy. They have their own style and I don't like it at all.
Traveler's love........TripAdviser. It's a website where travelers like me write comments on the hotels they've stayed at. I love it because travelers are so objective and I have found the comments most useful. They help me to short list a hotel and to cross off others I had on my "hit list". If you are not familiar with it check it out http://www.tripadviser.com/. I used it to choose my Sapa hotel which is Sapa Rooms Boutique Hotel. To help other travelers, last week I added some of my own comments about various places I've stayed.
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1 comment:
Hi Joy,
I enjoyed your description of old Hanoi, especially the bit about cyclo passengers which was very well observed - and very funny that your driver took you the long way round to justify the fee!
Great photos on your blog as well.
Cheers
Neil
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