The City That Grew On Us

Reporting from Hanoi!  Yep, still here!  Danni and I had to wait 5 business days for our India visa to process...so the group has gone ahead and stared going south while we stay nestled in Hanoi.  At first we were kind of bummed to be "stuck" in one city for so long but it has turned out to be just fine and dandy.

From my last post you can see the weather has not been the best.  We did not get to experience the beautiful Sapa and we were mostly soggy backpackers in this city up until yesterday.  But since I am not the wicked witch of the west I have not melted...and have had some great moments, met wonderful people, tried new food, explored this city backwards, forwards and inside out...and have found lots of little things to appreciate about Hanoi...

-Have you ever heard of the game Frogger????  Well we are the Frogs every time we cross the street. No stop lights, stop signs or any kind of controlled traffic.  I feel like I need a helmet just walking. Motor bikes everywhere....carrying everything from families, to bags of produce, I even saw one with 4 pigs. It was not pretty folks.  The sidewalks are the parking lots....and it has been constant honking of horns since we got here....I am actually confused and get nervous if I don't hear horns.....

-Picture this. A big, huge pile of shit. But its white. Well...it is one of the best things I have put in my mouth since I have been here! Danni and I were brave last night and finally bought one.  They really look like fresh poo from a large animal staying warm and toasty in big steamers.....they are sticky buns with "pork" and spices stuffed in along with an egg....it was mouth watering!  I bet we get at least one more before we leave.

-I strapped on my walking tennis and went for a 3 hour walk...which really means I got so turned around I was lost for hours. I had a map. I felt safe. BIG CITY. Small streets....soooo many things to see and keep me interested. I found the second location of the hostel we were staying at and they laughed at me and pointed me in the direction home. It was a rainy day so I had to stand in a hot shower for a while to defrost...but it was worth it.

-I keep saying each street or section of this city is like a section of target. We stumble upon shops and shops of all the same thing for a few blocks. Children’s toys, shoes, clothes, food, spices, bikes.....and they are not really shops they remind me more of just garage sales cause all the shops are 1/2 inside 1/2 outside....

-We got hour foot massages last night

-We found a soccer bar with peanuts and draft beer playing American tunes.....We tricked ourselves for about an hour into thinking we were in Chicago

-We made friends with the staff of our hostel. We go out with them in the evenings and hang with them on the rainy days playing cards or reading books

-Dance parties in my "laundry day clothes" in night clubs....like running shoes, stretch pants and my rain jacket

-Playing pool with pool sharks....like really well dressed...and really good pool players...male and female....I wish I had a video of me and my little English boys(only a year or two older then my brother.....they were actually calling me their older sister) trying to play these people in pool. It was sad. I could feel their eyes laughing at my frizzy hair and horrible shots.....but it was still fun and I am sure the looks on all of our faces were priceless when all of our balls were still on the table and they were shooting the black ball in!

-Walking though history museums and an old prison.  The Hoa Lo Prison, my friends, where John McCain was.  We saw his flight suit and and parachute he was wearing when his plane got shot down....the prison had translations....some of the other places did not. So I was left to be the "tour guide" aka "storyteller"....you may as well sign me up for Second City with the shit I was coming up with......(*second city...improve group based in Chi town...my future place of employment. )

-Note to all future travelers...BRING AMERICAN CASH WITH YOU...at least in this country.  WE needed 80 USD for our India Visas....we went through hell and back to try to get it...doors slammed in our face, people yelling at us to get out of their shops, banks saying they don't understand...we finally got it but it was from some shady people....who had the bills rolled up and hidden upstairs and they made it a very fast transaction...making it clear they were doing us a favor and we neded to scram casue they would be in trouble if the police happend to stumble in....not one of the best moments....

-What else, what else......thats all I got for now..today we are going to buy an open bus ticket and head south tomorrow to try to meet up with the other ladies. Hoping for some more dry weather, maybe go back to our little pub tonight

-We did switch out of dorm style beds last night and opted for our own room in a different part of the city...just for kicks and giggles. You win you some you loose some. We gained or own room so we could keep our stuff out and not locked in lockers, we got a flat screen TV with HBO and Star movies to put us to sleep, and a shower with a door!!!! All of our past showers were right over the toilet...but it was OK because the back of the toilet is a perfect place for shampoo and body wash...IT is a pretty clean room.....but it is very cold...and damp?? And we have to heat the hot water for about 45 min before we shower...details, details....

-Oh and the noodle soup cooked right on the street.....is called pho. We sit at child size plastic chairs and tables eating this noodle soup...sometimes with chicken...sometimes veggies...we docter it up with whatever is on the table...its like a finger print...not one bowl of pho is ever the same.....