The past two days in Hanoi have continued to be complete pandamonium, it seems the celebration in the city is unrelenting. I was shown around the city by a lovely Vientamese girl I met selling perfume at a deparment store. We went to a traditional pho restaurant near her university for a quick meal, then grabbed a taxi to Diem Bien Phu Avenue, which, much like the French air base 50 years ago, was completely under siege. Only this time minus the mortar shells and trench warfare, instead replaced by an onslaught of giddy tourists. The mood in the city is nothing short of estatic. I was literally handed about four babies during the course of the night for posed photographs, everyone is smiling and the decibal level is unheralded. I was at the base of Huan Kiem Lake the other night for the start of the fireworks show, and the horde of people rushing the lake nearly toppled the front of the crowd face first into the water!
My guide was wonderful in spite of her limited grasp of spoken English, and both of us were wise enough to bring a pad and piece of paper on the date to ensure that we could at least write notes or resort to drawing pictures if absolutely necessary. I listened patiently as she carefully explained the legend of the tortoise in Huan Kiem Lake, and we watched the fireworks and a nice parade in front of Ho Chi Minh Masoleum.
The following morning I departed for Ha Long Bay. I knew in advance what this tour would be, as it of course is impossible to see the massive karst formations without the use of a boat, so save for those that can charter or sail a yacht, I knew joining a large tour group would be unavoidable. I have so far on this holiday been able to avoid any group larger than four people, but there was simply no choice in the matter. I paid a little extra money for a "deluxe" package to ensure that the group would be relatively small, the food would be good and the boat would be nice. It was worth the extra expense. My tour group was about 18, and the boat was very comfortable. We were herded like sheep through a cave that would have been more impressive if it weren't for the flood of tourists being ferried in and out. All of the tour guides were telling the same jokes to their respective groups, the enormous cave was completely staired and paved and "mood lighting" took away from any semblance of natural beauty which surely existed at some point. From there we were put back on the boat and sent out onto kayaks, more than half of the group obviously had never been in one before and the scene that was unfolding in the water was comic. We spent about an hour exploring the various rock formations, and I was fortunate enough to pair up with someone that knew how to maneuver a kayak, others were virtually "lost at sea." We went back to the boat for dinner and then the conversation got colorful as the bar bills continued to rise steadily. Somehow a kareoke machine was discovered on the boat and renditions of "Piano Man" and "Sweet Home Alabama" were duly butchered as they were howled through the bay.I was the lone passenger to wake at 5:00 for the sunset, I sat on the rainy deck and took some photos before retiring back to my cabin for a quick snooze before breakfast. We got back into town at 5 and I met a friend for dinner before the rains came and spoiled the festive atmosphere in the city.
I'll have one more day in the city before heading to Sa Pa for a two day trip and family homestay in the village. This time I'll avoid the tourist trap by finding a local guide to take me out alone and I'll likey stay with a family in his village before heading back to Hanoi for one last day of shopping and saying goodbye to friends. I'm rushing the end of this because I'm being kicked out of the internet cafe. More stories when I return from Sa Pa! Enjoy the photos!
-Christopher-
