This is completely random, but in a lot of Vietnamese food a key ingrediant is fish sauce which actually has a very nice taste to it. But, interestingly, when it's cooking it smells exactly like Kraft Dinner. So right now I'm sitting on my bed relaxing listening to Band Of Horses and the smell of KD is wafting into my room. I'm not even a huge KD since practically living on it for a while at university, but right now I think I would kill for some.
Anyway, back to the point of this blog which is recounting the last couple of days of my life in Hanoi. Thursday was a bit of crappy day because our house flooded due to faulty piping (yay for living in a dump) and none of us could shower or do laundry. I haven't spoke about it much in this blog due to the fact that I don't really want to bitch about it, but the place we're living in really isn't that nice. Everything breaks constantly (from the water to the internet and everything in between) and it's very dirty. We have both rats and cockroaches on the bottom floor (thankfully not in the bedrooms), and ants everywhere. I did not expect to be living in luxury, but I definitely got ripped off in terms of the accomodations and the organization refuses to refund any of our money. But hey, c'est la vie.
In order to escape the squalor for the weekend, my friend Lisa and I headed to the West Lake region of the city to stay with my co-worker Kath and her boyfriend Joel. Their place is beautiful, air-conditioned, and clean and they pay about half what we pay a month which is frustrating to say the least. The West Lake region of Hanoi, which is where I work, is where many foreigners and expats live and work. It's absolutely beautiful down there and all of the staff in the restaurants and cafes speak english and are so friendly. On Friday night Lisa and I went to this place called Al Frescos, which is like a Vietnamese italian restaurant, and it was just lovely. The staff were so friendly and even gave us a coupon for two free drinks since it was our first visit to the restaurant. Afterwards we went to meet Joel and Kath at this place called the Vine Cellar. We paid 250,000 dong (about $12.50) at the entrance and got a card good for eight glasses of wine. There were six different wines to choose from (three reds, three whites) and they were all excellent. The place was filled with expats so we got to meet a lot of people which was really, really cool. Afterwards we went down to the this amazing little bar called 21 degrees which is right on the lake and had drinks while watching the city skyline in the distance. It was so beautiful, and I will definitely put up some pictures as soon as I get them loaded on my computer.
Yesterday, Lisa and I headed into the Old Quarter for the day. One thing I really like about where we live, as well as the West Lake region, is that you don't really get a lot of pushy street vendors trying to sell you things. In the Old Quarter, since it is so touristy, some people will literally chase you down the street to get you to buy their merchandise. One lady practically attacked Lisa with pineapples, and she tried to get me too but I jumped out of the way and almost got hit by a bike. Another guy grabbed me and started calling me "his baby" to try and sell me a lighter and I was like "oh hellllll no." We spent some time sitting by the lake just listening to music and they would approach us there as well. Generally, if you completely ignore them or give them a firm no they give up and leave you alone, but others just can't seem to take the hint. You also have to be really careful of "shoeshiners" who will try and scam you. What they do it they sit on the street and point to your shoes to try and grab your attention. If you stop and look down, they'll be on you like bees on honey and you'll probably have to pay a pretty penny for their services.
Other than the small hassles and annoyances, the Old Quarter is truly beautiful. We had a lovely time just sitting by the lake and relaxing. There are also many bridal parties that get pictures done in that area, and they are quite fun to watch because they really look like princesses the way they get all done up. The only down part of the day was that I got really dehydrated and ended up vomiting in a random hotel bathroom. One word of caution about traveling in hot countries is to always drink alot of water, even if you don't feel thirsty. I felt better after I drank a few bottles of water, but it was not a pleasant experience.
Before we left to go back to the West Lake, we went to see the Water Puppet Theatre, which is like a major cultural attraction. All of the narrative is in Vietnamese, but it doesn't really matter because it is really awe-inspiring watching the puppets dance across the water to a backdrop of live traditional music. It's a little bit difficult to put in words, it's just something that you have to see for yourself. Suffice it to say, I really enjoyed it.
After the show, we caught a cab back to West Lake and met Kath and Joel at a morrocan restaurant for dinner. I had never had morrocan food before and I absolutely loved it! It was very vegetarian friendly and pretty reasonably priced considering how nice of a place it was. The place is actually owned by a Morrocan couple, so it was very authentic apparently. We then finished off the night at Hanoi Rock City, which was another bar absolutely packed with foreigners. Actually more accurately, it was packed with Australians. Interestingly enough, I actually haven't met a single fellow Canadian on this trip yet. I guess it's probably because it's completely on the other side of the world whereas Australia and New Zealand are much closer.
Overall, it was an awesome weekend, but not something I would like to do all the time. There were times, since we were surrounded by so many foreigners and english speaking Vietnamese, that I almost felt like I was at home. It was lovely for a break, and I had a really great time, but I didn't come to Vietnam to live like I would at home in Canada. Our area doesn't have any other foreigners, and it isn't as nice, but it's very interesting to get an authentic Vietnamese experience. But since I work in the West Lake region I will get a nice balance of the two.
Before I clue this up, I want to write a little comment about the xe om drivers here, since I forgot to mention it earlier. A xe om is literally a "hugging taxi" or a motorbike, and they are everywhere. What is extremely annoying about them though is that the moment they notice you as a foreigner, they immediately target you. When I stand at the bus stop I am CONSTANTLY bombarded by them, and while I mostly completely ignore them like they aren't even there, it can be very annoying. The locals stare at me enough since foreigners are uncommon in my district, and drivers constantly pulling up in front of me saying "taxi?" really does not help. Like, seriously, I am standing at the bus stop to get the bus, not to get on the back of your death trap. There is one guy who is at my bus stop everyday and he basically smacks my arm until I acknowledge him. Another man took off his helmet and started smacking me with it to get my attention. And then, when you move away from them to the other side of the bus stop they pick up their bikes and follow you. Seriously, I may be a foreigner, but I'm not stupid. I feel like I should start carrying a sign that says "leave me alone, I'm not getting on your bike" in Vietnamese.
I suppose that is all for me now. I'm going to go back to my relaxing day of laundry and listening to music. I will really try to get some pictures up this week!
Until next time, remember that persistance is not always the key to success.
Sarah
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