From Sapa

Finally, an internet cafe that allows me to access my blog. Hence the long lack of updates.

In brief, Singapore was great. Spent 3 days there eating very well and meeting old friends. Was great to see people that I last saw 10 years ago and also to see the places i used to hang out in. 3 days flew very fast and soon I was in Hanoi. First impressions of Hanoi were mixed. It was exciting to be in a new place, but at the same time the palpable differences between Hong Kong/Singapore and Hanoi were quite overwhelming. I was told of how dangerous Hanoi can be for the solo traveller at night, and that fitted the image I was seeing. The biggest shock was the lack of English writing or speaking going on, which sounds absurbly abnoxious, but you take it for granted in an Asian city like Hong Kong, and especially Singapore. I hooked up with my driver and spent 40 terrifying minutes fearing for my life- traffic in Vietnam is unlike anything i've ever witnessed. At first sight it seems like chaos, and my heart beat must of been right up there. Bikes are everywhere, no road rules seem to exist and near misses happen every other second. BUT, i soon realised (the next day) that there is method behind the madness. People on bikes and in cars know how to avoid almost everything on the road, meaning that even if it looks as though a crash is iminent, one never actually happens. Or at least, i've not seen one in the time i've been here. Also, the average speed of drivers in the city is quite slow. The trick with crossing the road is to walk out into a sea of oncoming madness and stride confidently but slowly. If you make the mistake of trying to dodge the traffic by running or stopping and starting you will inevitably die, because they wont be able to predict your movement and avoid you. It's actually pretty fun after awhile. But for the British driver (and especially motorbike rider), traffic in this place takes some getting used to.

Food wise, things arent as great as i expected. Main reason for this is that Hong Kong and Singapore will leave you with a very high standard to expect, one which is hard to match in a poorer country like Vietnam. Also, i'm travelling with a group of Western people (who are all very nice), and therefore we tend to frequent alot of western/vietnamese eataries. I guess i was looking forward to pho, vietnamese curry and the like, which does exist, but the places that sell them are very local and cheap (eating on the curb), and with the cholera problem here and my western stomach, i havent risked visiting yet. So far the best dish has been the Vietnamese spring rolls- these definitely live up to expectations.



I'll leave it there for now. More to write about but i'm dying from the smoke in this dodgy but blogspot friendly internet cafe. Till next time...