Hue Tombs and Pagodas

Today, we went to see some of the many tombs and pagodas that lie outside the old imperial city of Hue. We took a cab and thus did not have a tour guide, and I think this played a large role in the success of the outing. The kids didn’t have to listen to long explanations – we could move at our own pace.

We started at the tomb of Khai Dinh, the penultimate emperor of Vietnam who was seen as a puppet of France. His tomb is unusual in that it combines Vietnamese and French influences. 

 Leading up to the tomb are a series of courtyards covered in blackened concrete. 

 including a lineup of supplicants. 

 The tomb, pictured at the top of the post, is ornately carved on the outside 

 and covered inside with a riot of ceramic tiles in relief. 

 The tomb itself is equally ornate and topped with a gold statue of the king. 

 

We then took a short drive to the tomb of Minh Mang, emperor in the early 19th century. His tomb is set in a more natural setting and exhibits more classical Vietnamese architecture. From the Honor Courtyard, the Stele Pavilion rises, 

 behind which three levels of courtyards lead to the Sung An Temple, dedicated to Minh Mang and his wife. 

 Behind that, three bridges cross the Lake of Impeccable Clarity to the Pavilion of Light. 

Lastly, behind this pavilion are more bridges leading across the Lake of the New Moon to the underground and buried tomb of the emperor. 

 

Our third destination of the trip was the Thien Mu Pagoda, along the Perfume River a few kilometers from the citadel. Its 21 meter high octagonal tower, Thap Phuoc Duyen, is an icon of Vietnam and the scene of ocassional political protest (not today). 

 Nearby are several small pavilions, one with a stele from 1715 on the back of a marble turtle 

 and another with an enormous 4,500 pound bell that can supposedly be heard 10 km away. (Check out the feet!)

 

Today’s trip was both interesting and fun, but best of all it was short. We were back at our favorite restaurant in time for lunch, and back at the hotel by 2 for some reading, school work, and movie time. Tomorrow is another travel day. We are leaving in the afternoon for Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.

The Hue Citadel

Hue was the capital of Vietnam for most of the 19th century, the reign of the Nguyen dynasty. They built the citadel, a walled city on the banks of the Perfume River, and buried their emperors in marvelous tombs upstream. Though they continued to live in Hue, the Nguyens lost real power in 1885 when the French raided the citadel and took or burned everything of value. 

Hue next came to fame during what they call in Vietnam the “American war,” when the Vietnam Cong seized the citadel during the Tet Offensive. When the US retook Hue, they destroyed much of the citadel in the process. Today, the citadel is a large walled and moated city, a square 1-2 miles on a side. The royalty lived in a smaller “citadel inside a citadel” called the Imperial Enclosure.

Today, we woke to gray, rainy weather. We went out for breakfast, but came back for some school work. By 11, the rain had stopped so we decided to go visit the Imperial Enclosure. We got a small lunch on the way there at a tiny restaurant with a deaf-mute manager. The chicken noodle soup was pretty good. 

After entering the outer citadel through an impressive gate,

we walked by a small museum of military hardware kindly donated by or taken from the US government. 

 We then entered the walled Imperial Enclosure   

 

through the Ngo Mon Gate, facing the Thai Hoa Palace. 

 The Enclosure had many beautiful, traditional Vietnamese pavilions, some in great shape 

 and others not. 

 We spent a little time relaxing at the delightful Co Ha Garden, 

 with its many bonsai and other cultivated trees. 

 By the time we got to the Thai To Mieu Temple Complex, the kids were played out, even though it was one of the best preserved and reconstructed places we saw. 

  

 It was time for us to start the long walk back to the hostel. In all, we spent about 4 hours walking to, around and back from the citadel, and the kids did great. Tomorrow, we hope to visit some of the tombs up the Perfume River.

To Hue

If you read yesterday’s post, you know that today was a travel day. We couldn’t get $6 tickets for the tourist bus to Hue, so we had to take public transportation. According to the info at the Hoi An hotel, the local bus from Hoi An to Danang (the same bus we took from Danang to Hoi An in reverse) didn’t go to the bus station, but we could take a cab from where we were left off. Then we could catch a local bus from Danang to Hue. 

Well, I followed our progress on my new app: maps.me. It’s awesome. When I could get online, I downloaded the app and the full map for Vietnam (and China, too). With the map in its memory and access to my phone’s GPS and compass, even without Internet, the app can show me where I am to within a few yards and which direction I am facing. It can even give me walking or driving directions to anywhere I want. Previously, I used Apple Maps to the same purpose, but it was slow, dependent on downloading local maps as needed, which in China could be agonizingly slow. In Vietnam, I don’t have data so I can’t connect between wifi zones, so Apple Maps was almost useless. Maps.me, however, works perfectly without a connection, and I even intend on using it in China as it will be faster than downloading local information with Apple Maps.

Anyway, I was following the progress of the local bus, and it became apparent that it was indeed taking us to the Danang bus station. Either the hotel people didn’t know or were trying to convince me to book seats through them by making the local way seem harder than it was. We quickly found another local bus going to Hue. We grabbed seats, and I asked the bus guy if I had time to buy some snacks. Well, I mimed as best I could. So I went into a small stand and ordered three cheese sandwiches, which they quickly got down to making. While watching them make the sandwiches, I saw our bus back up and start to pull away with Dylan and Ella aboard! I ran out of the snack shop, much to the consternation of the sandwich makers, yelling at the bus. The driver looked at me bemused and indicated that it was time to go. But he didn’t stop the bus! So, I ran in front of the bus, forcing him to stop. He opened the door and I climbed in, quite annoyed that he was going to leave with two kids in the back and without me. The sandwich ladies we also upset, running up to give me the sandwiches and get their money. I could only give them a 50,000 dong note for the 45,000 dong sandwiches. This was clearly going to be a case of “keep the change.”

When we had got on the bus earlier, the kids didn’t want to take normal seats since there are two on each side so one gets to sit with me and other has to sit across the aisle. Instead, we took seats in the back row which are five across. In this bus, the back row was raised up above a small platform about three feet higher than the rest of the bus. 

 Firstly, that meant that our feet didn’t have as far to go down to our “floor,” so I had to sit with high knees. As more people packed into the bus, some passengers were then told to sit on the platform at our feet. In practice, that meant that they sat on my feet – quite uncomfortable. The good news was that the three hour trip only took two hours, so I wasn’t scrunched up for as long as I could have been.

The ride was quite beautiful, past many green rice fields, close to the ocean at a few points, and through a long, strange tunnel. The Hai Van Pass, between Danang and Hue, marks the geographic boundary between northern and southern Vietnam. It often blocks the cold “Chinese Wind” that blows in the winter months. Often the northern side is wet and cold while the southern side in sunny and warm. The actual pass is only 1,600 feet above sea level, but this is a high enough range to affect the local weather. In 2005, the Vietamese opened the Hai Van Tunnel, saving about an hour on the journey. The tunnel is almost 4 miles long, making it the longest tunnel in Southeast Asia. As we entered the tunnel, the driver turned on the interior lights and everyone closed their windows. It was soon clear why. The ventilation of the tunnel does not keep up with the exhaust of the vehicles. We were soon driving through a thick cloud of pollution. As the air in the bus kept getting warmer, we longed for the end of the tunnel and fresh air. I should note that the train does not use the tunnel. It wraps around the coast in slow, spectacular fashion, as we got to see a few days ago.

We arrived in Hue South Bus Station a little past noon, and got a cab for the short trip to the Sunny Fine Guesthouse. As warned, our cheap room has no windows but twin beds which we have put together to make an extra wide double bed. It’s a little claustrophobic, but with the A/C and ventilation on it is comfortable for sleeping. Weird having no signs of outside life, but what can you expect for $11? The manager is very friendly and informative, and I’ve already booked our onward van through him, and will probably get his help in booking a car to visit the imperial tombs on the outskirts of Hue. Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy and Sunday gorgeous, so we may wait for the better day.

Rest Day in Hoi An

Today, we relaxed in Hoi An, enjoying the good food and, finally, some warm weather. In fact, it got warm enough in the afternoon (upper 70s) that the kids decided to try the hotel pool. The pool is in the back of the lobby, under the roof, so it doesn’t get direct sun. It also isn’t heated. Thus, although it was pleasant poolside, the water was cold, not much above 60. The kids were determined but had trouble getting themselves in. They called it Polar Bear swimming, an apt description. They finally jumped in, screamed, played about a bit, scampered out to stand for a moment in the sun, and ended up together (still in their swimsuits) in the bathtub desperately trying to warm up. Quite a show!

In the morning, we read and did school work. After lunch and the “swim,” we played in the room. The kids recently realized that they can stream Disney Radio on their iPads so we had background music as we played endless games of war. They also rediscovered Google Earth, and had a great time finding Coolidge Corner and seeing our home and various sites in the neighborhood. With Street View, they can really “visit” home, a great way to feel not so far away as we really are.

For dinner, we sat on little plastic chairs on the sidewalk eating skewers of delicious BBQ pork that we (read I) assembled into small crepes along with cucumber, lettuce, cilantro and basil and dipped into a tangy sauce. Amazing! Between us we ate 11 skewers, and all for $5. We did supplement with a mini baguette each and ice cream for dessert. Vietnamese cuisine is really something. I’m going to miss it when we return to China.

Tomorrow, we head a little north to Hue. Unfortunately, the reasonably-priced direct tourist bus was fully booked, so we will have to go by a series of public busses and a taxi or two for local connections. I’ll let you know how that goes.

My Son

No, this is not a post about Dylan. My Son, pronounced something between “me sun” and “may sun,” is the site of the largest Cham ruins in Vietnam. My Son was once the intellectual and religious center of the kingdom of Champa, and they built the various temples between the 4th century and the 13th century. The architecture is heavily influenced by India, and many of the temples were built by Cham kings and dedicated to Shiva. 

 Our guide stressed the connections between the Cham ruins and other famous contemporary sites in Southeast Asia, from Angkor Wat to Bagan and Borobudur. There are certainly cultural similarities, but My Son isn’t nearly as impressive as these other sites. 

My Son was discovered by the French in the late 19th century. They excavated and rebuilt some of the temples and cut the heads off some of the statues for Le Louvre. 

 Unfortunately, the Vietnam Cong used My Son as a military base, and the Americans heavily bombed the area, destroying most of the buildings. Even today, the area is littered with bomb craters among the ruins. 

 A few of the temples are still in good shape, 

 with sculptures and ornamentation. 

   They are also slowly reconstructing buildings based in the extensive photographs taken by the French archeologists.
 We went to My Son in a tour. It was much better than the Chinese tours we had been on earlier, not so packed with silly extras and, of course, having the explanation in English also helped. However, it was still too much and too slow for the kids. They were bored and had enough before we had reached the good parts. We eventually left the tour and went ahead on our own, so I could see everything, albeit quickly, and they could get what they really wanted at that point: noodle soups.

We were back at the hotel by 2:30 and played in the room before movie time/run time. Tomorrow, we are going to stay for a rest day in Hoi An. It is supposed to finally get hot. We can always hope.

Rest Day in Hoi An

The weather report got it wrong again. All day it told us that it would be raining with 100% probability for the next several hours. Half of the time it told us that is was showering or lightly raining at that moment. I don’t believe that it ever rained at all. So, we postponed our outing to the Cham ruins for naught. No matter, I’ve signed us up for tomorrow. (Watch it rain!)

Instead, we enjoyed again our hotel’s all-included buffet breakfast. Dylan had two omelets, Ella had pancakes with honey, and I gorged on baguettes with butter and jam. We then went up to the room for school work and reading. Our routine in full swing, we went for lunch at the Bich Cafe and then went out in search of laundry detergent. In China, I was able to by laundry detergent in bar form, not powder. It’s a little annoying to use because I have to start by scrubbing the clothes with the bar, but it is much better for storing and packing. It takes up less space and more importantly I don’t have to worry about it spilling in the bag. I haven’t been able to find this bar laundry soap in Vietnam, but the manager of the hotel said I could find it in a Thai convenient store by a small market. It took some walking and then searching, but we found it. A good thing. Last night I only had enough soap to wash underwear and socks. We all had to wear our shirts for another day.

After our successful hunt, we walked a bit more about Hoi An, seeing more beautiful historic homes 

   and structures of lanterns by the river. 
  
 We didn’t walk too long before returning to the hotel for movie time and then silent reading. Last night, we all ate Vietnamese at the oldest restaurant in the city. When founded in 1992, it was the only restaurant and there was only one hotel. My, times have changed. In any case, tonight I promised Ella pizza so the kids had mediocre pizza while I had a tasty chicken dish with, as most dishes here have, fresh cilantro, bean spouts and fish sauce.

Hoi An

Hoi An is a beautiful, ancient trading city that contains oodles of historic buildings 

and a gorgeous, riverside setting.  

 
From the 14th to the late 19th century, with a few breaks for wars and destruction, Hoi An was a vibrant trading center of fine silk, Chinese medicine, porcelain, sugar, molasses and other goods. In particular, Chinese and Japanese traders would come on the spring monsoon trade winds and stay for months until the summer southerly winds would take them back home. They built mansions, warehouses, and assembly halls. The Japanese stopped coming in late 17th century when Japan closed itself off to the outside world, but the Chinese continued trading here until the late 19th century. From the tourist’s perspective, Hoi An was then saved by the silting up of the Thu Bon River, causing its rapid decline as trade moved north to Danang. The town then went into hibernation until the 1990s when the current tourist boom started.

After a morning of school work and a quick lunch of fresh baguette sandwiches at our favorite Bich Cafe (no typo!) across the street, we went for a short walk in the town. We started at the Japanese Bridge, 

 note Dylan’s crossed eyes of which he was proud, and continued along the colorful waterfront. 

 The old town is almost completely made up of tourist amenities: restaurant, cafes, historic homes, and boutiques. It’s lovely, but more as a museum than as a real town. It is full of stalls selling snacks 

   and cute souvenirs. 
 (Each of the kids picked out one of these pop-up cards as a keepsake.) While the town is touristy, the architecture 

 and food are great.

Eventually, the kids, mainly Dylan, pooped out and we headed back to the hotel after a brief break in a historic rickshaw. 

 Dylan was amazed when he realized that it could still move. I had to make sure he didn’t do much with that information.

We’re going to stay here for a few days waiting for the temperature to return from pleasant if cloudy 60s back to the expected warm 70s. Tomorrow is supposed to rain most of the day, so we will probably hunker down for much of the day.

Train to Danang

This will be posted late because I don’t have internet on the train, but I wanted to record my first impressions of the Vietnamese sleeper train.

We got to the train station very quickly by cab – it was only a few kilometers away. The station was quite different from what we are used to. In China, one needs to go through security just to enter the station plaza; then through ticket control with passport to enter the station; then all bags get x-rayed and bodies scanned; another ticket check to gain access to the platform; ticket check to enter the train carriage; and finally ticket collection for the duration of the trip if on a sleeper car. In Vietnam? We just walked into the station which was eerily empty compared to the heaving masses in China. No lines at the tickets booth; in fact, no one buying tickets at all! Our train was sitting on the track in front of us, so we got on. They checked our tickets just once, as we got on the car, no ID needed, and we found our berths.

At first, I was annoyed. I thought we had bought “soft-sleeper” beds, but our car was “hard-sleeper.” The difference is not really in the hardness of the beds but in the number in each berth. We have six beds, three on each side, and I thought we would have only four. This means the hotel manager, our travel agent, pocketed a bigger commission than I had thought. By the time he left Hanoi, though, no one had joined us in our berth, and unlike Chinese hard-sleepers our berth has a lockable door, so we have effectively a private cabin. With the A/C on even though it is 50 degrees out, it is a good thing no one else has come as we each are using two blankets to stay warm. This could be quite a pleasant journey; it is certainly off to a good start. I hope I don’t need to amend this when more people board the train later. For now, our door is closed and locked.

I don’t know if this is a legacy of Vietnam’s colonial past, but the train’s toilet is western, not squat. In fact, I’ve only seen squat toilets once these few days in Vietnam, at the lunch spot on the bus to Hanoi, and even then half the toilets were western and half squat. In general, this is a good thing, more comfortable, but if it gets dirty enough I may wish they were squat after all!

Morning:

It’s a good thing no one came to share our berth during the night. We needed those extra blankets. It is freezing in here! We are each under our two blankets trying to stay warm. The kids said that it is hard to read – just keeping hands exposed to the air hurts. I can’t tell if it is A/C or just outside air blowing through the vents, but I can’t figure out how to turn it completely off. Reminds me a bit of yesterday in Hanoi. It was also very cold, about 50, windy and wet. Obviously, not the cold of winter in Boston, but a damp cold that penetrates the skin. Inside the hotel lobby it was just cool, nothing that our fleeces couldn’t handle. Outside, we put our raincoats over the fleeces, and it was almost enough to stay comfortable. And our early dinner was out on little plastic chairs on the sidewalk outside a “restaurant” that was not five feet wide, actually just a small stall serving warm sandwiches on beautifully fresh baguettes at three-foot-high tables with kindergarten-sized chairs in front of the stand and the clothing store next door. When the rain became heavier, they extended the clothing store’s awning to keep us dry.

Afternoon:

In Hoi An. From the Danang train station we walked 15-20 minutes to where we caught the local bus to Hoi An. It wasn’t expensive, but it was annoying that they charged the foreigners more than the locals. In Hoi An, we walked another 15 minutes to the Hoa Binh Hotel. We have a lovely room with two enormous beds, TV, fridge, private bathroom with tub, and balcony, all for $14 including breakfast. We went across the street for more sandwiches on the lovely local mini-baguettes, for less than $3. Vietnam is certainly cheap and with awesome food. I think we can get used to this! Now if it only gets a little warmer and with some sun.

Hanoi

What a change from China. Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam, but it seems smaller than most Chinese cities we have visited. It’s population is over 7 million, but there are few tall buildings. In the old city at the core, most buildings are four stories or fewer. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is the economic center of the country, but that would still put Hanoi in second place economically for the country. Why does it seem so small? Basically, it feels 30 years behind China in its development.

As a country, Vietnam has only one real railroad line, and it is single track much of the way. I haven’t seen any proper highways yet. From the Chinese border to Hanoi, the buses and trucks share the road with multitudes of scooters and even some bicycles and putt-putt two-stroke vehicles. It would be like trying to share the Mass Turnpike with farm tractors.

In Hanoi, the traffic is crazy. There are a few traffic lights, but at most intersections the different roads just merge. Crossing the street is a death-defying feat. Like in China, you just slowly make your way across one lane at a time. The traffic is moving more slowly here, but most vehicles are scooters, so there are a lot of “lanes” to cross. Walking along a street isn’t much better. There are sidewalks, but they are mainly taken up by parked scooters and stores spilling out of their stoops. 

 

For the most part, you just walk along the edge of the road and hope the cars and scooters don’t hit you from behind. They are pretty good at avoiding pedestrians as they have to avoid parked scooters, bicycles, pedestrians, old women pushing fruit carts and anything else you might imagine. Some streets, like this one, are too narrow for cars. Even scooters and pedestrians have a hard time sharing.  

Yesterday, we were rebuffed by a hostel on a small (!) lane off this street.

Today, we lounged in the hotel room until hunger drove us out. Our hotel didn’t offer breakfast, so we walked to a small bakery a block away for pretty good croissants and rolls (three cheers for French colonialism). We came back for some Harry Potter and then switched back to our original hotel (see yesterday’s post for a too thorough explanation). Our room wasn’t ready yet, so we went out on the town. Our first order of business was to decide where to stay when we return to Hanoi. Our current plan is to come back just before Tet, the Vietnamese New Year (also known as Chinese New Year), February 8 this year. Since Tet is a busy time, I wanted to have reservations set before we left. I also want to avoid the disastrous first night in a city that we had yesterday afternoon when we spent a lot of time and effort finding a place to stay. The place we are staying is nice, but a little more than I would like to pay and with a pushy manager. We went to one of the places that was booked yesterday and I put a deposit on a room for when we return.

I had eaten some noodle soup before (called pho in Vietnam and delicious). The kids hadn’t been hungry then but were now. By Hoan Kiem Lake, there is a small mall dedicated to western fast food. 
 KFC didn’t have chicken nuggets, but Burger King did. Dunkin Donuts had munchkins for dessert. We didn’t sample Domino’s fare.

We then went to visit the lake. The kids, Ella in particular, were against doing any sightseeing, but I forced them to go to Ngoc Son Temple which lies on a small island in the lake, connected by a long arched bridge. 

 We were in an argument as to whether we were going to walk around the lake before returning to the hotel and happily were able to compromise by taking a bike rickshaw instead of walking. 

 Along the lake, we passed some formerly elegant buildings

 and the small but cute turtle island. 

 As you can see, it was a cloudy and drizzly day. I’m sure Hanoi’s infamous pollution didn’t help the visibility either. It was misting during this ride, during my run later (several times around the lake and then getting lost going back to the hotel), and into the evening. Tomorrow is supposed to be showers all day and highs in the 50s. That is why we are heading south tomorrow evening.

I do t expect to past tomorrow as we will be on a train. In two days, I’ll let you know how things are in Hoi An.

To Hanoi – A Long Day

We started early, waking up at 6:30 to get to the special bus stop an hour before our bus left to pay for our tickets and not lose our reservations. In the end, the bus wasn’t full so we could have come later. We ate a little breakfast in the waiting room, just some bread and bananas, and I read some Harry Potter until the bus was ready. Our first bus was quite pleasant. They gave each of us a small bottle of water, an apple, and some pastries. I had brought a large water, two breads and fruit, so this added to our supplies. The road to the border was a typical Chinese tollroad, fast and smooth. We stopped once for a bathroom break, and reached the border by 11:30. At the border we switched from the bus to a small electric car that shuttled us to and from the checkpoints. 

 While some of the time it was nice to have the ride, other legs were so short that we seemed to spend more time getting on and off the cart than actually driving. At the Chinese border checkpoint, Dylan counted 90 security cameras. Impressive! It was noticeable how more relaxed the Vietnamese officers were. One guy told me just to leave my big bag at the side while I waited in line for Immigration. Since I had the two kids, he then took me to the front of the line, cutting 25 or so others. Nobody complained; I certainly didn’t. After getting our passports stamped, we couldn’t walk straight through because my bag was behind us to the side. No problem. We just walked backwards, picked up the bags and went past the counter on the other side. Relaxed and informal, not what you expect at border crossings. Our electric cart then took us to our Vietnamese bus.

Vietnam is decades behind China. From a fast tollroad, we transitioned to a single lane road choked with traffic. Between the busses, trucks and oodles of motorcycles and mopeds, the bus rarely broke 30 mph. Close to Hanoi, we stopped for no apparent reason for 15 minutes and then entered the city. Crazy only begins to tell the story. We inched along to the bus station where we were accosted by taxi drivers.

The Vietnam guidebook warns of local scams, including taxis with fast running meters and hotels pushing tours on their clients. So, I was weary of the cab, but decided to get in anyway for the 6 km ride to our hostel. 

Two days ago, I had started to book a room online at a hostel, but they wanted my credit card and I changed my mind about how many days to spend in Hanoi. The weather report says that in a few days the high temperatures will fall to the high 40s, so I decided we should flee south first and tour northward. Hopefully, it will be milder when we get back. Since I didn’t want to commit to three nights in Hanoi, I didn’t confirm the reservation. I figured that one day later they would still have space.

As the cab took off, I watched the meter and it was moving fast. I should temper this by saying that Vietnamese money, the Dong, have lots of zeros. One dollar is a little more than 22,000 Dong. So, the fact that the meter ran in 1,000s wasn’t surprising. But after 2 km, it was already at 200 (200,000) or close to $10, way too much. I braced for a big fight at the end of the ride. By the hostel, the fare had gone up to 770,000. I told the kids to get out, and I took out all my bags before talking to the driver. “How much?” I asked. 77,000 was his response, and I relaxed. I found out later that the 770 was really 77.0. I couldn’t see the decimal point. The ride was only $3.50, more than reasonable.

The hostel, though, was less auspicious. They had no rooms. Damn. I asked for a nearby alternative, but they only suggested something twice the price. I told the kids that I had previously found another place that looked good, but we had to walk almost 10 minutes to get there. They also didn’t have a room, but pointed us around the corner to anther place . . . which was also full. They were nice, though. They let me get online, and I found another hostel and made a reservation this time. The kids were not happy, but we had another five minute walk. We got to the hostel, and they were also booked. I told them that I had just made a reservation. “Sorry” was the reply. Now I was annoyed. They let me use their internet to search, and I insisted that they call the places I found to make sure they had a room. I tried a couple, but none had rooms once he called. Then I made another confirmed reservation, and he said they didn’t have rooms either. I began to doubt his English or his trustworthiness. I told the kids that we would walk to this last place. Another 10 minute walk, and we arrived. I announced that we had a reservation. I was answered with a smile.

The Hanoi City View Hostel’s lobby seemed nice enough, and we were hungry and exhausted. They gave me a cup of tea and the kids some fruit, but didn’t show us to our room. Did we want a day trip to Halong Bay? No, but I asked about train tickets to Danang for Saturday. She checked and said she could get us tickets on a sleeper as I wanted. I doublechecked the price online, and hers was better than what I saw. She offered us two nights of rooms, but tonight we had to stay at their “other,” “nicer” hotel and she would pay for the cab there. In the morning, she would bring us back on motorscooters. I then asked about changing money. She offered a good rate, so I gave her $200 which she put in her bag. How about dinner? We ordered a pizza from their menu. Again, she could give us a “special deal.” She was lovely but forceful and always bargaining. She offered us two nights at $25 each, a $35 value. But eventually, we got them for $20 each. Then, I asked her about the $200. Oh, she said in surprise. She looked in her bag, and gave me the Vietnamese dong. Why didn’t she just give it to me right away? Odd. The pizza came, we ate it (not very good), and then we got into the free cab to the other hotel. We got out at a fancy looking place. One guy took my bag, and the kids went into the chandaliered lobby. My first inkling that something was wrong was when the cab driver asked me for the fare. The hotel is paying it – the bellboy just looked at me. All right, I’ll pay. Hmm. I followed the kids in. Do you have a reservation? I explained that the first hotel was paying. I had already paid them. They returned blank stares. Uh, oh. Had I just been duped? I paid her for two nights and the train ticket without any receipts. It looked like she tried to take my $200 without giving me the Dong in return. OK, I thought, preparing to take a cab back and to raise hell. The nice people in front of me were still perplexed. Do you have a receipt? No, but I found the phone number. They called. This number led to another. Voila, mystery solved. The cab left us at the wrong hotel. They walked us a few doors down to where we were expected. Sigh of relief. They gave us a key, and we went up the elevator.

Besides the scam that wasn’t, what are my first impressions of Hanoi? Narrow streets and lots of scooters. Barely organized chaos of traffic. At one intersection, the cars and scooters from all directions just merged and met in the middle. The buildings are all old. There are people selling everywhere. The sidewalks are usually impassable with stores spilling out their doors and scooters parked every which way. Some strange, improbably narrow buildings. I’ll try and get pictures of all these for tomorrow’s post.