Another Day in the City

Scary, slightly manic looking dog statue. Not really something that I'd want in my garden but I guess it scares off the evil spirits quite effectively.
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I'm sitting in my hotel room this morning and surprise surprise it's raining again! I'm hoping that the weather is clear in Sapa for the weekend. I learnt last night that it's a long weekend here in Vietnam this weekend so it's going to be crowded in Sapa. Hopefully it won't be raining as well.

One problem with the rain in Hanoi is that people are vastly more concerned about their bikes getting wet than anything else. This means that every bit of shelter in the entire old quarter has a bike parked in it so that you are forced to walk in the gutter to get anywhere. The drainage here isn't great especially when the rain is heavy, so the gutters are often full of water, along with the usual rubbish and dirt, not making them the best place to be walking in open shoes. So you try walking further out into the street but given the roads are often only just wide enough to get a car through them and have cars, cyclos and motorbikes on them, there isn't a huge amount of room for pedestrians too. The Hanoians also don't alter their driving style just because it's wet, or dark, or the road is narrow, or the traffic heavy. They have a god-given right to drive like a boy-racer and they are going to exercise it. Even if that does mean the odd accident here or there.

Looking through into the courtyard where exams used to be held at the university. Hopefully at a cooler time of year!
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Yesterday I went to the Chinese embassy and sorted out my visa there. It was actually a relatively painless process, which surprised me. Afterwards, I wandered up to Ho Chi Minh Park Complex where the mausoleum, museum and several pagodas are. I decided not to join the queue to go streaming past Uncle Ho as I felt like having a quiet sit down in the park somewhere and just watching the world go by. Well, I picked the wrong park if I wanted some peace or a sit down in fact. The park was absolutely packed with people. Mostly Vietnamese, they were there to see Ho Chi Minh and the One Pillar Pagoda and then go. They were herded around the park by large numbers of soldiers in white uniforms (clearly the military gets bleach cheap here). There were signs everywhere forbiding you from walking on the grass, going the wrong way along the path, touching the flowers. Not really my idea of a good time. So after a quick look at the One pillar Pagoda and the outside of the museum (the Soviets have a lot to answer for when it comes to Communist architecture!), I headed off to the Temple of Literature.

The bell pavillion in the Temple of Literature. There is a matching one on the other side of the Temple which contains a big drum.
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Now this was a much nicer spot to have a wander and there were a lot less people inside despite all the tour buses lining the external walls. It is the site of the first Vietnamese university and was still in use at the beginning of last century. It's beautifully preserved with a small but interesting museum about it's history. It's even fairly peaceful given that it is in the middle of the city and has busy roads on most sides. The temperature was definitely starting to rise and the humidity is really high here in the moments when it is not raining, so I headed off to KOTO again for lunch. After another beautiful meal, I decided that I was sick of hanging around in the heat waiting for my Chinese visa to be ready and that I would go back to the hotel and have nap in the aircon.

Khue Van Pavillion in the Temple of Literature gardens.
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I jumped in a taxi and headed back to the Old Quarter. Part way back I realised the taxi was dodgy and that the meter had been tampered with the run faster. It was gaining 100 m for every 10 and claimed by the time we made it back to the Old Quarter that we had done 26km. The driver wouldn't take me all the way down to my hotel (obviously didn't want me getting the staff involved) and seemed to lose all his ability to speak english once I said that I would not pay the 210,000 dong that the meter said for a journey that normally costs 30,000 dong. So I got out of the taxi, gave him 30,000 dong (not that he deserved anything for trying to rip me off) and walked away. So if you are coming to Hanoi, watch out for the meters and if you think that they are dodgy either get out or involve the staff at your hotel when you get back. I was throughly not impressed and was starting to really dislike Hanoi at this point. I guess it is like all big cities, that bit harder to do what you want and that little bit less friendly than the smaller places.

The Vietnamese love to use the footpath for things other than walking. You often see hairdressers just hang their mirror on the wall and start working.
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After a good lie down in the aircon I was starting to feel a little better and just had to go back to the embassy to collect my passport. Of course, it had to start raining again while I was out. Damp but with my passport, I actually managed to make it back to the Old Quarter in less than an hour, which given the traffic was impressive.The people in Hanoi drive in exactly the same way whether it is day or night, wet or dry. It's just a lot more dangerous when it is dark and raining.

Today, Mum arrives (minus her luggage but that is another story) and we head off to Sapa before another couple of days in Hanoi and then Halong Bay. I must say that I'm glad to be leaving the city. I think that a week in Hanoi is too long. It's lovely and there are things to do but not enough to really fill a week, especially when the weather is bad.

The only KFC in Vietnam (or Ga Ran Kentucky as the locals call it). Capitalism has arrived.
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So I'll write again next week when we get back from Sapa and let you know all about the mountains.