Hanoi Pictures

First, the traffic. If you recall my previous description, you'll remember that it bears more than a passing resemblance to slightly organised chaos. Much like meal times at D&S's?

This first picture shows the density quite well. This is a street not far from the hotel.



And this was the view from a coffee shop where we stopped to escape some of the heat. You can see an elderly gentleman walking across the road. He's the one right in front of an oncoming car, and who looks like the bike has just narrowly missed him... In the front of the picture are the ladies selling cut pineapple, bananas, etc.


The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. This is taken looking across an enormous grassed area, with guards all around who blow their whistles if anyone tries to walk across (a few tourists attempted to cross and were loudly discouraged from continuing).



A sign at the HCM Mausoleum. Please remember to check in your guns and bombs, and then pick them up again when you leave.



A picture of the One-Pillar Pagoda that is next to the HCM Mausoleum. Not quite sure why it is meant to be so special, as it's really just a concrete pillar with a box on top.


The Opera House in the middle of the city. There are lots of buildings in the same style - this is just one of the most well-looked-after.

On a cold Sunday in HK

Well the temperature has taken a dive again. I started out this morning, wearing my t-shirt and thinking that this would be fine. Yesterday was quite warm, to the point that walking home from the gym at 830 last night I was still warm. But this morning it is much cooler. Maybe the breeze is bringing a wind-chill factor into play?

Well, not long until we head to the states. We still need to work out what to pack to cover up through Arkansas, Colorado Springs, Edmonton, and Tokyo. Sonia thinks we need pocket hand-warmers. Never heard of them? They are little sachets that you put in your pockets. The head up and keep your hands warm - toxic chemicals, probably. First came across them in Tokyo, in the land of useless inventions.

Leaving Hanoi

Well, I am at the gate waiting for Air Asia to get it's act into hear jong enough to get up boarded. This seems to be a fairly major challenge. Right now there are 5 staff behind the counter, none of whom are doing anything. All up passengers are lined up waiting to get on (and have been for about 15 minutes!), but this may be in vain... Sonia's plane left about 30minutes ago, and we will (hopefully) meet up in Bangkok in a couple of hours.

Hanoi 3

Out and about this morning, it is a little cooler than on the weekend. While checking email this morning, I noticed that people in Tokyo are complaining about a heat wave (mid twenties when it should be around ten), so maybe Hanoi has also copped some of the hot weather as well?

Hanoi again

What to say about Hanoi?

Well, there are little motorbikes everywhere - the kind that are about 125cc. They own the roads, which mostly lack centre line markings. Mostly, the traffic sticks to the correct side of the road (for left-hand drive cars). But only most of the time - it is far from a hard and fast rule. To cross the road as a pedestrian, you need to hold your breath and confidently set out across the road, in the face of the oncoming traffic. Maintain a steady pace, keeping an eye on the bikes. DO NOT under any circumstances alter your pace to take the bikes into account. They are not used to anyone doing this, and you will confuse them, leading (probably) to an accident. DO continue walking, relying on the bikers to adjust their course around you. This works... except when you see a car, truck, or bus. They are bigger than you are, and therefore it is necessary for you to make way for them. Size matters when determining right-of-way.

We are staying at the Sofitel Metropole, which proudly toutes it's heritage from establishment in 1901. The hotel has two wings, and we are in the old wing. This has wonderful old wooden floors, long corridors with quaint lamps, and a huge chandelier in the lobby. The French influence is everywhere, from the architecture (think of the building styles in Paris) to the language on the hotel facilities and documents (Vietnamese, French, and English). Interestingly I have heard a few of the guests speaking French, so I guess this is a comfortable place for them to visit. The bread also reflects the heritage - crusty and fresh.

We've taken some pictures over the weekend, and I will download them to the PC shortly.

Hanoi is a city of lakes - there are at least three large lakes in the centre of the city. We spent some time on the weekend walking around a couple of them, enjoying the gentle breeze and avoiding the sweat that comes with walking through the streets - it is hot here.

Sonia found a nice silk jacket on Saturday, which will be saved for the wedding. The prices at the silk shop are not bad, although still expensive when you consider the surroundings. A taxi costs around VND 15,000 - 40,000 for a 15 minute ride through the centre. VND 16,000 = USD 1. Coffee costs VND 10,000 if you go local (squat on plastic stools), VND 25,000 if you go to a "cafe", and VND 50,000 if you go to a Starbucks-equivalent (which are not really up to Starbucks in terms of decor/surroundings). Vietnam likes coffee sweet - preferrably with sweetened condensed milk - often a lot. The coffee beans themselves have tended to be sweeter than we are accustomed to in NZ. Paul would be horrified. Having said all that, apparently Vietnam is one of the bigger coffee-producing nations, so I guess they probably have one style for domestic consumption, and others for export.

First impressions

Just landed at Hanoi, and got into a taxi. Well not really a taxi, more like an airport car. It's a brand new Hyundai, SUV-style. Outside is dark, partly because it is 845 at night, partly because the windows are tinted. The airport is a bit like Manila: worn out and in need of some modernisation. But at this time of night I got through immigration and customs in about two minutes - total from the airplane to the arrivals area took about 5 minutes. This is better than I can do in HK even with using the automatic fingerprint readers and my HK Id card (remember in HK you are just a number on an Id card).

From what I can see it is a bit smoggy outside. Maybe the pollution from the motorbikes?

Apparently the drive to Sonia's hotel takes about 45 minutes, some of which is being taken up with tapping out this missive on the phone (remembering always to keep an eye on the spelling).

Time for an update

Well I realised that it has been a while since my last update, so here goes...

Sonia flew out this afternoon, back to Hanoi. I will join her there on Friday, the Vietnamese consulate willing. I have to in to apply for my tourist visa first thing tomorrow morning. Then on the following Tuesday we will both fly to Bangkok. I stay in Bangkok for only a couple of nights before coming back here. Things do seem to ad warming up in the job market, so I want to make the most of the time before we in to the wedding. Sonia flies back to Hong Kong the night before we fly out to the US.

Enough about the travel arrangements. What else? Well this epistle comes to you from the gym again... I am sure Daryl is making the most of the last couple of weeks to try and get his weight down below me (71.5kg)!

We went back to one of our favorite restaurants last night - Harlan's. I suspect that it has changed hands from the original guy - something felt different about the place this time. I will have to do some digging to see if it is true or not. On Friday I went to the NZ consul-general's house for a Waitangi-day bbq. Along with about another 80 members of the NZ society of HK. And yes the house is that big. Right at the top of the Peak with amazing views over HK. Met a few interesting people - it seems like most kiwis in HK are here as teachers. Met someone who knows Alison and the Stevenson clan. And the Liddles. Kiwis are an incestuous lot.

I got the Mac back on Wednesday. It had started randomly freezing or rebooting, and I could not figure out what the problem was. It turned out to be a problem with the main logic board, which they replaced (still under warranty). Now I can get back to working on prototypes of systems - something to keep me busy in between interviews.

Thanks to Jonathan for the photos of the ankle-biters.