Hanoi, Vietnam - September 8, 2002
Another couple days in Hanoi.. I'm getting a little bored.. its not a bad place.. but everything becomes really really familiar really fast!! I did take my own tour around Hanoi though.. went to some different lakes - which are really beautiful!! Green water and green trees!! I also walked all over to see individual pagodas and alot of the Ho Chi Mihn (stuff).. and there is alot of it!! Its not to bad of a city.. I am feeling an itch to go explore other places.. maybe get myself organized and get up into the southwest part of China.. with their springlike climate.. the shangrila of China.. Yunnan.. bordering on Tibet, Myanmar, and Laos.. what could a better place than that!!
As to what I've been doing.. well, I did organize another one day trip.. this time to Ha Long Bay.. I took the 2-3 day trip almost two years ago.. but it really is a spectacular bay.. so I felt compelled to do that to past my time in Vietnam.. I am also processing a visa for China.. and it takes four business days.. so essentially that means it takes one week..
Ha Long Bay was great to see again.. I met some people on the boat.. which mostly included alot of Japanese tourists.. a French girl, a Thai girl, and an older Peruvian-American lady.. the latter was quite interesting.. because she was in her mid-50s.. wore a conical hat like the vietnamese.. and somehow almost looked vietnamese!! It was a good trip though.. kind of a long bus ride.. 3-4 hours each way to the Bay.. and when you do the one day tour.. thats alot of bus riding!! But the Bay was as beautiful as ever.. and I did try to learn a few Vietnamese phrases from random Vietnamese along the way..
Well, what else can I say about Vietnam? Ahmm.. same as always.. very very hard working!!! You can see everywhere people are constantly constantly doing something!! Anything!! People will pick what looks like weed out of a weed garden.. and sit on the edge of the road for hours trying to sell what looks like a clump of weeks! Now thats a hard work ethic!!
The other thing I was thinking about Vietnamese.. they bring almost everything they might want to sell directly to the consumer. For example, on our way to Ha Long Bay.. there are tons of people selling their products in the streets.. just waiting for someone to drive by, stop, and buy!! So you really never have to get out of your way to get anything. Also, where all the tourists are at in the Old Quarter of Hanoi.. everyone constantly approaches you with anything you might possibly want.. unfortunately its things you don't really want.. how often I wish they would come up and sell a mcdonalds cheeseburger just randomly as you are walking or something interesting.. usually its postcards, conical cats, hammocks, motorbike rides, or something.. if they knew what you really wanted.. i'm sure they would do their best to provide it.. unfortunately what I want from almost all of them is just a little peace.. just for a little while.. i don't know how much it would cost.. but i might be willing to pay for that once in awhile.. I could see some vietnamese guy running around shooing away everyone who approaches just so i could experience momentary peace as i meander through the streets of Hanoi..
Next Journal Entry in Hanoi, Vietnam:
September 10, 2002
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