Ahoy Hanoi!

Friday was pretty much a travel day. We said goodbye to the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong, and stepped directly into the chaos that is Hanoi traffic. The ride to the hotel from the airport is about thirty kilometres... thirty kilometres of perilous, confusing, WTF moments. Much of the drive is on what looks like a conventional highway. I say "looks like" because traffic lines and lanes are mearly a suggestion. By no means does anyone observe them. Often, vehicles of all sizes will straddle the line between two lanes and drive for kilometres with other drivers honking and trying to skirt around. Lane changes are sloth-like, as drivers will cut right in front of other drivers, but will take about an eternity to complete the lane change... then end up drifting over to straddle the line anyway. It took over an hour to get to the hotel. It would have been seriously frustrating if I didn't find this driving behavior so amusing.

Amongst all of this, there are the scooters. Here, scooters are expected to hold as many passengers as a sedan, with the added bonus of being able to weave between larger cars, other scooters and pedestrians. Again, pedestrians do NOT have the right of way... it literally is everyone for themselves. If you step up to the curb and decide to wait for a break in the traffic to cross the street, you better pack a lunch. If you want to get anywhere, you must step off the curbs with purpose and assert your presence into this traffic so drivers can clearly identify you, and drive around you. For the most part, you step through the traffic with the assumption that drivers will avoid you.


Our hotel is just off one of these main boulevards with consistent, unending traffic. We quickly realize that sidewalks are just parking lots for scooters, so we have no choice but to walk on the streets. The street we are directly on, is a small alley-like corridor, but packed full of cafes, bars, and patios. However, when you have throngs of scooters traveling in both directions, then opposing cars showing up in a lane the size of a residential driveway, it got messy real quick.

Having arrived so late in the evening, we opted to grab a quick bite at an obvious tourist trap across the street. Only after sifting through a selection of pastas, pizzas and burgers, did we find the Vietnamese menu. We both opted for noodle soups (chicken for Helen and beef for myself), and Hanoi spring rolls. Despite the non- traditional setting, the broth was not bad. Not great, but not bad. Both contained clear notes of ginger and heavy on the cilatro and green onions which I really liked. The spring rolls came out just after, and were crispy and delicious. They were smaller, at about three inches each, but packed with pork and fresh veggies. Not an ideal start to our culinary adventure in Hanoi, but I think it could have been a lot worse. We had to start somewhere!

Oh! And the 473ml Hanoi beer for $1 really helped balance the meal. Can't wait for what tomorrow brings!