Sunday 20th November: Hanoi is a blurring bustle and explosion of 4 million motorbikes, mopes, scooters and bicycles, most of which seem concentrated in the maze of small streets in the fascinating Old Quarter where we are staying. Our senses are constantly assailed and seduced by the hooting tooting chatter of bikes of all descriptions, the squawking of caged birds, the highpitched exchanges across the streets amongst friends, large pavement-based families and vendors offering their wares and the myriad colours and smells of produce and cooking displayed, hawked or cooked under your nose on the pavements and streets. First day and we just wander the nooks and crannies of this old quarter, the natural habitat of thousands of market sellers, street vendors, small shops and a vast choice of cafes , bars and small restaurants.... just absorbing the vibrant atmosphere and sampling the cooked wares, finally grabbing a Hanoi beer on a small plastic seat on the kerb at a busy junction. Watching is fascinating. We now cross the streets more boldly, although still heart in mouth, but now realising the underlying courtesy of every driver and rider towards each other (even those who do 3 point turns on busy thoroughfares) and towards pedestrians, thank goodness. What looks at first like an infernal life-threatening chaos of vehicles of all descriptions, dominated by the bikes, is in fact an extraordinary, relentless feat of mutual understanding and co-operation, marred only by the very occasional bump. We still keep eyes open in the back of our heads and all our wits about us all the same.... Amongst the unruly mish-mash of buildings there are hidden gems of old merchants' house, small temples and former craft guild communities, which we start to visit next day: Monday 21st November in Hanoi. First the 300 year old merchants house nearby (Memorial House), once the grand residence of one family, changed to housing for 6 families in 1945 and now restored to its former glory and conserved as museaum and concert venue. Then to the former City Gate which once housed a whole community of artisans and was a central part of the life here and included a grand temple at its heart.A long walk through the city take to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, an imposing Soviet style building, modeled on Lenin's, which we view from the outside and incur the wrath of the military by taking photos in the wrong place. Nearby, less grandiose but more alluring we admire the small lotus flower Pagoda. A short walk then takes to the ancient seat of learning, the first Vietnamese university, built in 1076, the Temple of Literature (Van Mieu) - an astonishing haven of peace and verdure in the heart of the bustling city, where the ancient scholars, philosophers and teachers, influenced by the teachings of Confucious, studied together amongst a series of beautiful courtyards, gardens, temples and residences. After a superb street stall lunch served in a courtyard, we were stunned and moved by the former French colonial prison, Hoa Lo, used during the American V War to hold captured American pilots. The evening held more treats in store, firstly a short concert of traditional Vietnamese music in a style and with instruments only recently being brought back into use, performed by the most talented and courteous musicians, followed by a tasty vegetarian meal next door. Somewhere in between, early evening, we had our first meeting with the group, all very pleasant and fairly young (like us!). Tuesday 22nd: Breathtaking Halong Bay, where the dragon meets the sea, now nominated as a wonder of the world.. Said legendary dragon appears to have thrown up thousands of limestone islets, crags and precipices (karsts) in a vast area though which we meander on our (very comfortable) junk, being served local seafood snacks and meals as we go. We stop at an island to visit a large underground cave, the Cave of Marvels, vast and cavernous, containing a chaos of forms and shapes which gave it its name. In the twilight before dinner, we kayak tranquilly amongst the karsts and moored junks and quietly thrill at the experience of being so close to 3 million years of geological formation and movement until realising it's pitch dark and we need to identify which junk to return too.....(helpfully the kayak company flashed lights and blew whistles!!) Next morning (23rd - today) we swam from the boat before breakfast in marvelously warm water despite the rain and after breakfast, climbed to the top of one island karst to experience the stunning 360 degree panorama of dramatic karsts as far as the eye could see. After an excellent lunch on the boat as we sailed to harbour, we headed back to Hanoi by bus. A quiet late afternoon, then a good meal in a nearby restaurant with Bob our interesting guide and 3 very nice South Africans from the group
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