Hazy Hype of Hanoi

I'm on an overnight bus from Hanoi, Vietnam to Phong Nha National Park. We should be there in about 10 hours. While the term “sleeper bus” indicates the potential to actually sleep at some point, it's not as easy as it sounds. The “bed” is just a tad wider than my bum. My feet are cramped in the cubby below the nearly horizontal “bed” of the Dutch lady in front of me while my knees bend to accommodate the day pack between my open legs. Vietnamese tourism advertises, “Save money on accommodation! Sleep on overnight bus!!” I'm not convinced.

The 20-something year old British girl at the front of the bus just whipped out a packet of pills from her rucksack. Probably Valium. It's become the norm here for tourists to sedate themselves on the long bus rides. I haven't hopped on the bandwagon...yet. But, I do have a travel-sized bottle of Baileys that I brought all the way from Wisconsin for a special occasion! Now seems a good a time as any.

Salute!

Despite my mild discomfort, this does give me some time to reflect on my first few days of international travel. I'm just so thankful they let me on the airplane! I received my visa approval letter via email as I approached the check-in desk at the San Francisco airport...talk about leaving things to the very last minute! But, after 24 hours of flying and layover-ing, I arrived in Hanoi and successfully made it past customs. Hallelujah!

My car waited for me upon arrival. I know that sounds fancy (and I had a fleeting celebrity moment when I saw my name written on a piece of paper with my very own driver to whisk me away to my six bed dorm room at the Central Hanoi Backpackers Hostel). Only $15 to avoid negotiating with potentially corrupt taxi drivers who wait like piranhas to overcharge jet-lagged foreigners.

I sat in the mini-van, wide eyed and wide earred, to the sights and sounds of this new city. The traffic alone is a feast for the senses. Horns blare and beep every second – not out of anger, but purely to say, “Hi there! I'm here! I'm coming up behind you! WATCH IT BUDDY!!” And, the scooters! A school of thousands swim the narrow streets. They weave and zoom between cars and people and buses – the traffic rules seem obsolete. It's nothing short of astonishing to see all the goods the Vietnamese balance on their scooters – enormous stacks of fresh eggs; dead pigs; baskets of produce; young children – often SEVERAL young children. The list goes on and on. When a young Vietnamese fellow offered to lend me his motorbike (he had two) so I could drive around the city for a few hours, I politely declined. I'd much prefer to live, thank you very much.

On my first full day in Hanoi, I resigned myself to navigating the sea of motorbikes and people on foot, intent on getting my bearings and shaking off my own jet-lag. I have an entire month in this country – no need to rush things. I visited the Temple of Literature and captured the cool stone creatures on the wall. While walking the streets I was forced to eat a “free” doughnut from a friendly, beaming Vietnamese woman only to receive a major pouty face when I refused to buy the doughnut filled plastic bag that she hung on my pinky finger. While the Hanoi is certainly exciting and vibrant, it's also loud, brash, and overwhelming. And, my heart and head yearned for quieter, more natural surroundings.