'A city is a place where there is no need to wait for next week to get the answer to a question, to taste the food of any country, to find new voices to listen to and familiar ones to listen to again.'
Margaret Mead
I get the feeling my mother wonders why I am still in Asia. She hopes I'm happy, even though, I say I am, I'm sure she wonders 'WHY?'.
Yes, the streets are dirty, there's noise, pollution and definitely more traffic than your city. More aggravation, it’s more difficult to move about and harder to communicate.
But I found after 14 months that massive, disarranged picture has settled into the shape of ordinary life...
So what happens when you start to understand the language, see meaning in seemingly meaningless actions, when traffic, pollution and people aren't strange, annoying or confusing anymore?
Life happens...learning happens...acceptance happens...and it makes room for contentment.
Apart from the lifestyle that comes with having a good salary. I am simply in love with this city.
It's beautiful. And has an intangible quality that is hard to place. A Parisian woman recently described as a 'city of hearts' if that means anything.
And...every so often I have a random encounter that makes me smile...and sometimes frown.
So I stay...learn. I'm content now...finally...happy.
Hope that helps mum... ;)
To begin with in Hanoi, you'll probably want to stay around the Ho Hoan Kiem area..this is where you'll do most of your shopping, see the most of Hanoi city life and get harassed the most by local touts and sellers of bananas and pineapples!
I haven't stayed in many hostels or backpackers but I have friends who have and these places below seem like the best picks for many budgets and many levels of comfort...
Hanoi Youth Hotel
It's located on a very busy road, but it's smack bang in the middle of the district! My good friend Cedric works there and it's slowly becoming a real funky place to be with a pool room, lounge and pretty good food downstairs.. bargain, because you'll definitely get a better deal...
33 Luong Van Can St
Hoan Kiem District.
T: (04) 3828 5822, (0167) 274 2493
Hanoi Backpackers
It's really, really clean and has dorms. A pretty damn typical tourist place without a trace of originality, privacy or love...but cheap and in a really good location. It's tucked in a corner near St Joe's cathedral..but is pretty easy to find!
48 Ngo Huyen
Hoan Kiem District.
T: (04) 3828 5372
The Drift..um, yeah..again..soulless..but it's clean
42 Truong Han Sieu St
Hoan Kiem District.
T: (04) 3944 8415
If you can afford to pay a little more, I would recommend Vinaway Hotel. It's called the 'Freaky Hotel' but some of our more gregarious couchsurfers. Vinaway is a pretty bizarre hotel and has great, great, great staff who will help you with anything. Plus, it's down the road from Chris' place..so you can drop in for a tea of meditation! See his CS profile here" target="_blank"
52 Le Van Huu Street, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi.
Tel: (84-4) 39433845 - Fax: (84-4) 39448409
Email: vinaway.hotel@gmail.com
I stepped out to see a sunset like never before!
From my balcony I could see a massive glow covering the sky like wings of a gigantic butterfly.. The entire horizon was a brilliant red and it seemed to last forever. I saw an indescribable shade of pink I've never seen before.
I stood on my balcony with a huge smile on my face...magical.
Sure it has something to do with pollution... but beautiful no less...
It should go without saying that 90% of taxis in Hanoi are cheats..and yet, why do I still get cheated?
It seems some taxis drive you around the block, others blatantly 'forget' to use the meter and others have simply tampered with it.
Ok, so how to get around being ripped off completely. My suggestion is to get a bike..but here, who knows how you'll go. The next best option (the only option really) is to use a reputable taxi company (like the ones listed below).
1. Don't go with the tiny green taxis you see zipping around
2. Ensure the meter has a clear, unbroken box around it
3. Watch the streets on your map
4. Ask the driver approximately how much before you get in
Here's a list of good taxi companies in Hanoi, hope it keeps you out of trouble!
MaiLinh Taxi - 04 3822 2666
Hanoi Taxi - 04 353 5353
Taxi CP- 04 3262626
Hanoi Tourist Taxi -04 3565656
Fred is a wolf woman. The first time I met her was on couchsurfing, she tripped me out a little and has continued to do so for the remainder of our friendship. Fred is astonishing. A fully fledged feminist, anarchist, human soul eater, she has the ability to remain female/male and a true child of the universe.
Fred amazes me continually because I have never met someone so in touch with themselves, ego never presents an issue for her. She is chasing the tail of humanitarianism with a hunger I've never before seen. She's living proof you don't need money to survive, you don't need to be coy to be sexy, and you can wholly give your life over to the universe in servitude with the fullness of your heart...
She's a lifelong volunteer, a servant of humankind, a creatress and a goddess..and I'm proud to call her sister.
She plans to create festivals, fix the Food Not Bombs org in Paris and volunteers, volunteers, volunteers....with many organisations!! What a lad!
Lan Anh is a cat with claws, a vagrant pixie carrying fresh fruit and pencils..ready to poke you with one for the hell of it. She's a lyrical, anarchistic, slippery shadow with a penchant for the strange and alternative answers to unasked questions.
In short, she's weird, and lovable all in one.
If you've ever had one of those moments where you put something down and then looked to find it missing, it kind of explains the way Lan Anh makes you feel. A little bewildered...and curious.
She's always poking her nubbly nose into something on the curve, something seen from far away but difficult to distinguish at the present moment, for sure her ability to see comes from her desire to be very far away and close up at the same time. For a child of the universe, she sure is doing her part to be a scattered bit of a star.
Check out her website http://lanimal.weebly.com
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/video/video.php?v=583748068222&ref=mf
Chris is the only man I know who tries to be love all the time. Remaining connected to the continuous beat of this universe one breath at a time. Always conscious of movement, speech and consequence, he moves through his life like a careful caterpillar taking many steps in one movement.
His home gave me sanctuary in Hanoi, a quiet, peaceful space exudes care and attention. And he himself is like his space. Calm, quiet, orderly, neat, with a peaceful vibe and a certain fragility.
Chris writes stories, gives gifts, massages, energy, feeds people, helps, plays music and cleans - all naturally and softly with great care. He has a house in the treetops overlooking a busy street of Hanoi. When I step in, it's like entering another world. A world where plastic is a disease. not to be touched or brought home, mess is sacrilegious, music is joy and Love is God.
And art and human expression - is welcome. Find him on couchsurfing Chris
But give him plenty of time if you want to stay, he's a busy boy! He's always always welcoming musicians, artists and alternative souls...so even if you can only drop in for a cup of tea, a quick meditation session or a chat...get in touch!!
The many couchsurfers that grace his doors, also grace his walls, here is some of their art..
Vietnamese culture can be a little confronting to the untrained foreign eye.
The shouting, spitting, yelling and lack of concern over personal possessions and personal space have been discussed at length by travellers and expats alike. It seems some Westerners have a fairly dim view of Vietnamese attitude and manners.
But I have watched people interact, and tried to incorporate myself into the culture for over a year now and I have a theory. Everyday life is like living in one enormous Asian family. And coming from an Asian family...yes, there are similarities.
Exhibit A:
1.Yelling, screaming and shouting. People yelling at each other during normal conversation in an Asian household is quite normal among people that like each other. My aunty and mother will have a conversation in Hokkien which can sound as though they are about to begin World War III, when they are talking about shopping.
2. Slapping or physical abuse. People slapping you when they talk, or pulling your arms to get your attention, or hitting to wake you up on a bus. Asian families are tactile and like physical contact. I have been slapped a lot.
3. The Nosy Grandmother syndrome. Random old ladies entering your house, without knocking, to pick up and look at your possessions, or to instructing you on the ways you should wear your clothing on the street is well known and accepted in Asian families.
4. The Greedy Sister syndrome. People (including strangers) grabbing food off your plate while you are eating.. this greedy sister' syndrome..is also quite common (ahem, especially in our house)
5. The Concerned Uncle attitude. Our landlord while delivering our phone bill once, with a swift motion whipped my cigarette out of my fingers, and put it out in my beer!!! I'm still getting over that one.
6. Toilet Manner. People not closing the door while in the toilet in Asian families it's quite normal when you are comfortable with your family. My mother used to yell instructions from the toilet, in fact to this day I still see this as a superior position in the house.
7. Nodding and saying Yes. People saying 'yes' even if they don't understand or agree. An attitude typical in families as a defense against ill will by disagreeing or saying no... even if it means you end up lost in the middle of the night because your taxi driver actually didn't know where he was going.
8. People feeding you. An ancient lady spoon fed me the other day..it's true I could have stepped back/closed my mouth/pushed her spoon away, but there was something bizarrely natural about it, so I ate and backed away slowly mumbling how delicious it was.
You can't say the same things about Australians, Germans or Americans. With our distant colorless, odorless, faceless, impersonal brand of societal living, you could hardly saw we we one big family..
Here, they are. A loud, tactile, slightly money obsessed family, but one that works together, eats together and sleeps together no less.
'A city is a place where there is no need to wait for next week to get the answer to a question, to taste the food of any country, to find new voices to listen to and familiar ones to listen to again.'
