CarrieBaldwin: Hanoi, Vietnam

1.09.10 - Although the visa situation was a bit sketchy and I had to go to a separate room once I got to the Vietnam airport - I got into the country OK. I did also see that other people were buying visas on arrival (like the woman said I couldn't do) for cheaper than I got mine. So I guess I was ripped off... guess I just didn't see it coming from a Vietnam Airlines worker in the international airport, silly me.

The ride I arranged from the hostel was there to pick me up and I had an hour taxi ride into Hanoi. The crazy traffic and way these people drive is seriously insane... but the part of the ride that was the funniest to me was the Vietnamese younger man driving me and going through the radio stations finding something to listen to. He decides to stop on Christmas music in English (no versions I have ever heard before, but all the old favorites). This wasn't too surprising because there are still Christmas decorations everywhere and people still wish me a Happy New Year even though it's well beyond the new year - but I thought maybe he stopped on the music for me. So we're crazily speeding every which way in and out of traffic, honking absolutely everywhere and more mopeds than I've ever seen before, passing on the other side with incoming traffic like it's nothing - and in the background is a slow quiet version of "Silent Night." Maybe you had to be there but it was funny to me. Then the best part was Rocking Around the Christmas Tree (not the good version from Home Alone but still same song) came on and he got a huge smile across his face, turned it up, and started to bop his head and tap his fingers on the steering wheel and whistled to the music. Clearly the music wasn't for me after all :)

Within 3 minutes of arriving to the popular, bustling hostel in Hanoi I already had met a group of about 10 people from all over the world, all very friendly and up for some road food and a night out. After getting some local food from a lady on the street we went to a bar on the 3rd story overlooking this crazy intersection... I have never seen so many mopeds, so many people on one moped (all wearing masks) and crazy driving in my life. The intersection had 6 streets all coming into this one huge area - and with no round abouts or traffic lights, somehow everyone makes it through unscathed. Sure there's lots of veering and lots of honking, but it's just a normal intersection for them. It was really crazy. We had to cross this area too and there's no way to do it you just walk through and the mopeds just don't hit you... it was a really interesting sight. Then we went to this well-known beer place where everyone sits outside on the sidewalk in plastic chairs (most places in Vietnam actually has you sit in tiny itty bitty little plastic stools where the sitting area is about size of a novel book and about 3-4 inches from the ground), drinking Bia Ha Noi which is apparently the world's cheapest beer. It was really crowded but fun atmosphere and very cheap beer.

drinking our Bia Ha Noi Beer outside

As I was sitting on my stool drinking my beer in the street I see a group of guys walk buy and one of them looks strangely familiar and he looks at me with the same recognition - as he gets closer I see it's one of the guys I met in Lao in the group of people I met bowling. It was so random but I guess if you hit all the main backpacker/touristy things maybe you're bound to see people again who you've met before without planning it? Anyways it was a random thing anyway and our group and his group went out to some of the bars and had a good time. Apparently bars in Vietnam have to close at 12, but they all stay open and if a cop is coming near they have some way of letting each other know. So we're standing in the bar and all of a sudden they turn off the music, bring the chairs inside and close the front metal garage door type door, they wait about 5 minutes, then they open back up. And apparently even if they are caught they just pay them off anyway so no big deal.

1.10.10 - Walked around and toured Hanoi with two New Zealanders and one English guy. Saw some of the main sights including the Museum of Ethnology which had a nice exhibit on the culture and history of countries surrounding the Mekkong River, then visited the Hoan Kiem Lake then sat down at one of the local food shops for lunch. Although they tried ripping us off in the beginning we ended up getting a great meal for very cheap. Made it back to the hostel for the free beer at 3pm on the roof. Met more people staying at the hostel and free beer turned into happy hour then we had a delish BBQ upstairs.

they seriously fit this much stuff on their motor bikes

Exhibit at Museum of Ethnology

Hoan Kiem Lake

Ngoc Son Temple

walking around Hanoi

Hanoi

Vietnamese lunch in Hanoi

lots of women walking around like this

Then me and about 14 other people got ready to go to the snake village. Apparently a snake's blood and bile was believed to be good for healing and an aphrodisiac, respectively, so that is how the ritual of sacrificing and eating a snake started. So 3 lucky people (only had 3 snakes to sacrifice) cut into the snake then pulled the heart out of the animal and quickly ate it, so they could still feel it beating as it went down their throat. Then the bile and blood was squeezed out for us to take shots of, and meat was used for our huge meal. Most was just the meat either marinated in herbs and such, others were wrapped in seaweed or deep fried or something, one dish was ground up and marinated snake bones, one dish had the skin which was disgusting. But we had a really fun group and all the beer and snake liquor/wine we could drink so we had a really fun lively night and headed out to some of the other fun Hanoi bars before calling it a night.