Every year around mid-February, the city participates in what they call Tet…The Lunar New Year celebrated in Vietnam. Unlike the Western New Years, this celebration lasts for an entire week instead of our only one sad-drunken night. Expecting to be mesmerized by lanterns, fireworks and moon-cake as I’ve heard from others, I was sadly disappointed only to realize that this was a holiday that meant a stop on all business activity. Restaurants, bars, grocery stores, and even massage parlors (yes, only the legitimate ones) were all closed! What was even more depressing was that it was so damn cold! Underdressed in flip-flops and board shorts while walking through nine degree weather meant that I was back in a Toronto winter hanging around Spandina St. with abrupt whiffs of nasty creeping up my nose! Amongst some major attractions like the Hoan Kiem Lake, the Water Puppet Shows, and the Old Quarter District, there is a vague but shimmering glow to the city. Night time is best as the city lights and lanterns camouflage the over-congested scooter filled sidewalks and garbage filled streets. As you walk by the streets at night, you’ll notice the many entrepreneur chefs sandwiched between the parked vehicles. Locals both chill and swarm as they sit on kiddie plastic chairs and tables eating Pho (Raw beef soup) while sipping hot Vietnamese Tea. Sadly, as Asian as I claim to be (see definition of term CBC or loosely referred term to banana – Chinese Born Canadian that is white on the inside and yellow on the outside), I still haven’t been able to muster enough strength to eat at one of these stalls. Where these people claim to get their “clean” water to wash the used chop-sticks and bowls creeps my already sensitive bowels from the last encounter of my 3rd world country adventures…
One thing I will never forget is what our tour guide mentioned about the city that you should all know. As he coined it to be the newest “extreme sport” for tourists…I like to refer to it as, kamikaze cross-walking. This city is busy! Scooters and cars are everywhere and in every direction. With no room on sidewalks to walk on, this means you’re walking on the roads dodging vehicles of all shapes and sizes. On rare occasions, you may be lucky enough to come across a proper intersection with working traffic lights, however more usually tourists will find themselves waiting…and waiting…and waiting… for the “right” time to cross the ever so busy intersection without cross walk signs. The best strategy to handle a situation like this (as followed by the locals), is to walk steadily into oncoming traffic. That’s right - walk into the direction of oncoming transports, cars, and motorbikes. Much like the hesitation of a seat-belt and a drunk driver, any hesitation here will turn into fast regret and bad times. If it wasn’t for the 85 or so year old women to follow behind (and use as a human shield to soften the impact) as I crossed a busy chaos for the first time, I wouldn’t have believed it with my own eyes. Like river water flowing smoothly around a pebble, it actually worked amazingly and without a scratch on me!
Contemplating the continued travels of my snowbird vacation vs. an underdressed adventure through this cold and miserable country, an executive decision was made to speed up the travels through this country. Sappa, Hoi An, and Nha Trang, all places that have high recommendations by others were cut out to make room for more sunkist vitamin D weather. However, coming this far into the country, my friend Cailey and I still decided to partake in the Halong Bay experience. A 3.5hr bus ride east and you will encounter the most majestic and beautiful islands. Like scenes from the movie Avatar or Pirates of the Caribbean, jagged rocks with lightly decorated greens sporadically shot out of the water to form islands in every direction. Some more travel advice if you are in opting for this excursion…stick with the 2 nights and 3 day tours. It takes so long to get to the bay; you want to enjoy it as much as you can. Also, with so many tourist agents offering competitive packages in town, it’s hard to get a grasp on who’s actually offering the best packaged deal for the best value. Usually for this type of deal, you do get what you pay for. For around $100CAD, this will get you transportation there and back, all meals, cave fees, kayak rentals, and even “enthusiastic” tour guides (as the brochure highlights) for the entire trip. Anything materially cheaper or for much more and you should definitely question. Talking to fellow travelers about their experience should shed some meaningful light for the proper experience as well. Smaller boats (of 16 people or less) should be more sought out for vs. the congested “party” boats of crammed 36 people or more. For a more relaxing experience, you can probably bank on the fact that a more mature crowd (mid 20’s and up) will opt to pay more for better accommodations and company in avoidance of a college frat party. With great food, great people and awesome scenery this has been one of the most memorable experiences for sure! Local Water Puppet Show in Hanoi:
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