One of my first thoughts was, I can't believe that my country was at WAR with this country not so long ago. I can't describe it really, but you can almost feel the history in the streets of Hanoi- and certainly picture it 40 years ago. As my Thai family had told me why they are afraid to come to visit Vietnam, "There are a lot of ghosts in this country." I thought about my parents a lot- what I'd heard from them about the war growing up, and the stigma that I had in my head about this country that I now resided in! I held my bags tightly, almost as if there might be someone who would "pop out" at me or something. It was a strange, mix of emotions my first day. I didn't really know what to expect. I also thought about everything that I learned in school about the Vietnam War (which, by the way, is called "The American War" here in Vietnam).
After our cab driver tried to pull a common scam on us by dropping us off at his buddy's hotel instead of the one we had asked to go to, Katie and I finally made it to our delightful hostel in the Old Quarter called "The Little Hanoi Hostel." It had free bananas, watermelon, and pineapples throughout the day, along with free breakfast. I was sold! The room we shared the first night was beautiful- and very French! (French influence- in architecture, food, presentation... can be felt in Hanoi. It is very cool, and feels very different than any other place I have visited in Southeast Asia). I decided to wander out of the hotel for a little walk, and I must have only walked 100 meters when I was approached by a smiley man on a motorbike, who handed me a flyer that said "Motorbike Tours." Having just arrived, I politely said no thank you. He was a good salesman though, and showed me on his flyer the nearby sites he could drive me to, and his price of $7/ hour. I thought...Why not! It might be fun to see the city from the back of a motorbike! Being flexible, and living spontaneously, are two things that I am much better at after this past year in Thailand :) Impressively, my motorbike driver, named "Stone," stopped at a nearby vendor to buy me a helmet. I thought that this was a very good sign :)
Stone and I had a magical hour and a half drive all around the city. Seeing Hanoi from the back of his motorbike, and talking with him at stoplights (when I asked about the political situation in Vietnam he described it as "freedom in a box"...very interesting description) was a more than perfect introduction to this new, foreign city. The photos that follow are from my first day in Hanoi, Vietnam.
My first glimpse of Vietnam on the drive from the airport to
the Old Quarter in Hanoi. Hearing about Vietnam and the war since
a young age, I was almost surprised to see regular cars, street lanes,
and other normal "everyday" things that I have in my country, too!
My room on the first night :)
Right across the street from the hostel, a man cleans
his bird's cage (this reminded me a lot of Hong Kong)
On the back of Stone's motorbike :)
All helmeted up!
I still don't know what this is, but it is so French and beautiful!
A war memorial park (from the French, that is!)
Memorial Statue
Truc Bach Lake
The lake where John McCain's plane went down, and
the Vietnamese fished him out of the water. He would
then be a Prisoner of War in Vietnam for over 5 years.
Tran Quoc Pagoda
Hanoi is such an interesting mix of cultures:
Chinese, French... VIETNAMESE!
This girl asked to take a picture with me hehe
A happy reminder that I am still in Asia :)
In this photo she posed giving me a kiss on the
cheek...so cheeky! (Would not happen in Thailand)
Water and palm trees. Like Florida or California...but not at all.
West Lake
(opposite Truc Bach Lake)
West Lake now is a recreational lake. You can
rent swan paddle boats there. Almost unbelievable
to think about what was happening here 40 years ago.
I don't know what this is, but it was Chinese and beautiful!
The President's Palace
(French architecture to the extreme!!!)
Can you see the huge load on the motorbike in front of us?!
Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum
Unfortunately, it's closed for repair until November,
so this was the only glimpse of it that I got.
Motorbikes! Motorbikes! Motorbikes!
Women selling helmets on the side of the road.
More motorbike helmets
A peek into the Temple of Literature
The Entrance to the Temple of Literature
Hanoi is filled with the sounds of honking motorbikes.
However, it is not an aggressive honk, it's more of an
"I'm here! I'm here!" honk :)
The gorgeous leafy green tree-lined streets of Hanoi, Vietnam
The Flag Tower
A World Cultural Heritage Site
Me in front of the flag tower!
Houses
Women selling cucumbers and mangoes on bicycles in
the streets of Hanoi, wearing traditional conical palm hats.
On the back of Stone's motorbike, I was just one of them ;)
French architecture
Tree-lined streets (I love the hanging vines!)
Right outside Hoan Kiem Lake
(The red banners are to celebrate Vietnam's "Victory Day"
from the French...October 10, 1954 - Ocotber 10, 2012)
St. Joseph's Cathedral
Quick peek inside
Right outside the cathedral
Wait, am I in Paris or Vietnam right now?
More tree-lined streets
The famous Opera House
Me on the steps of it!
(Built in traditional French architectural style, of course)
Stone at the opera house!
Leaving the Old Quarter...
A bit more urban here
Beautiful French doors with hanging green vines
The Long Bien Bridge (I think!)
Banana trees, men fishing in the river, women selling
GIANT fish on the highway...Wow!
Special lane for motorbikes :)
An old area
The beautiful city mural, the bridge in the
background, and a skinny Parisian-style building.
We passed this again! And I took another picture :)
A closer look at the French War Memorial
The park
A hair cutter and his "shop" set up.
Waiting for a customer.
Another busy hairdresser on the street!
Hairdressers like this can be found throughout Hanoi.
I loved seeing it everytime :)
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