Hanoi

Friday  3rd  May

Hanoi is totally mad,  bonkers,  crazy and .... I love it.     It's making me laugh !

My hotel is in the "Old" quarter" where the streets are very narrow and thronging with people.

Goods are being sold everywhere,  shanty shopfronts,  on the pavement,   by the roadside,  girls carrying yokes and trays,

bicycles, mobile tricycle stalls and behind all of this there is the occasional boutique !.

Everywhere there are people eating and drinking - not at posh tables and chairs, but sitting on small plastic box seats,
just placed at random all over the pavements.  Makeshift tables are invariably trays sitting on buckets. !

Fancy a new tea-set or dinner service ?

Or maybe some pineapple on your way out of the boutique !

And pretty much anything and everything you can think of is for sale here !

The roads are chaos, I've never seen so many motorbikes/scooters,  and they don't stop - for anyone or anything !
But somehow it's not at all like Delhi,  this is amusing  (and much cleaner). 

 The girls at the hotel reception have given me instructions on how to cope with the non-stop traffic.

Apparently, you just have to be brave and go for it !  You must walk slowly and purposefully in a straight line, don't run or move quickly and never stop.  And it works !

It's very unnerving at first but you really do get used to it.  Of course you must still be careful but the traffic just works it's way around you, it's amazing.

The first time I crossed one of the busy wide roads I was so elated I turned around and went back again !!





Pavements in Hanoi are not for walking on ...  oh no...
Pavements are places to sell things from,  places to eat and drink on,
or places to park your motor bike !!!

Pedestrians are simply road users without vehicles !!

There are 7 million people in Hanoi and I'm told, 4 million motor bikes/scooters !!

The picture quality of my video is not very good but the following clip is necessary to make my point !

At the bottom end of the Old Quarter is a huge lake with a lovely oriental style bridge and several shrines and monuments.
At the other end of the lake is what is known as the "French" quarter although there's no obvious French influence,
Apart maybe from the beautiful Opera House, and even that looks more central European to me.

The main difference in the French Quarter is that the roads are much wider ...                                                     ...  but then there are twice as many motorcycles !!

It's very different to any City I've ever been too and the more I walk the more I like.    

The problem is the heat and the humidity.

I'm like a walking waterfall !!

I think I will take advantage of a "trikeshaw" to get back to my hotel.

And at night I like the City even more.












Now,  I told you that pavements in Hanoi are not for walking on.

Here, the happy couple are enjoying their wedding reception ...
...  on the pavement,   outside of Mum and Dads' shop,
whilst Hanoi carries on around them.








Meanwhile down by the side of the lake  ( on the pavement of course ),  an impromptu version of  "strictly come dancing"  !!

The traffic is the same,   24 / 7  !!!

What a truly amazing place.