Good Morning Vietnam!

Just when I thought I had SE Asian travel pegged, I arrived in Hanoi. Phew, what a city! I thought the streets of Bangkok were chaotic--forget it! Hanoi is a sea of motorbikes. If you don't know how to swim, you learn quick. Crossing the street reminds me of round-penning a horse. Use body language to state your decisive intentions to cross and just start walking. You can read the motorbike's direction by the slightest angle of their front tire and sometimes even the body language of the driver. Just go with the flow, always forwards. Don't stop (I almost caused a few accidents by trying to get out of someone's way), except for large trucks. They are rare, but get the right of way when they do show up.

I found the old quarter a bit overwhelming. Tourist agencies, guest houses, cafes, street vendors, markets...prices for a train to Sapa varied by about $10 depending on where in town I asked. Wound up buying a map after getting lost 6 times my first night. Used this fabulous tool to navigate myself around Hanoi by rented bicycle my second day. Totally the way to see this city once you figure out how the traffic works. I booked my train ticket directly from the station, registered myself with the American consulate (where I believe I lost my train ticket...), saw student art galleries, the Temple of Literature where Confusious taught in the 11th Century, several impressive statues, a beautiful botanical garden...many things off the beaten track and quite frankly more real than you find in the Old Quarter.

There is a different energy in this country. I felt it even crossing the boarder. It is way more developed than Laos (that's true of all of SE Asia, though), but they still have huge agrarian areas. Terraced rice paddies, corn fields reminescent of America's heartland, and household gardens line the road in many areas. Deforestation is rampant.