Tuesday night couldn’t come soon enough. Even though my flight to Taipei was at 1:35 a.m. and they advise everyone to be there at 11:30 p.m., I was there about 9:55 p.m. Even so, there must have been at least 100 people already in line before me. It took me approximately an hour and 10 minutes to make it up to the counter. My window seat was duly noted, my seafood meal request had NOT been previously marked (but was flagged then and there) and my carry-on was slightly over the weight limit, but she let that slide. My seat mates were an elderly Chinese couple. China Airlines always serves a meal about half an hour after the flight takes off. Mine was fish with steamed rice, salmon with a green salad, a roll that was like sandpaper (with no butter), a tiramisu-like dessert and sour orange juice. I ate half of the salmon and salad, a third of the fish with rice and the dessert, then promptly passed out. I woke up about an hour and a half later to watch movies. “De Rouille et D’os) was a French love story starring Marion Cotillard. Next up was “The Hunger Games,” so I could see what all the talk was about. I actually enjoyed it and shed a few tears at the end thinking about who I would sacrifice for and vice versa. Miley’s ex, by the way, though handsome, is a terrible actor. I finished off with “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” That movie was like a strange dream sequence all the way through. By then, it was back to Never Never Land until breakfast. My seafood breakfast consisted of shrimp with veggies and noodles, a fruit cup, another roll WITH butter and yogurt. I ate 2/3 of the shrimp and stuff, half of the fruit cup and the roll (this one wasn’t like sandpaper). The yogurt was untouched. I then had time for another little snooze before landing. We even landed in Taipei at 5:35 a.m., 25 minutes early. The approach was pitch black. I wandered aimlessly through the airport. I frequently bulldoze my way through Duty Free, but this terminal didn’t have the Nars make-up that I like. So I watched the sun rise over Taipei, ate a chocolate bar that was in my bag and people watched.
The flight to Hanoi departed at 8:25 a.m. I got to fly First Class for the 3 hour flight. Some of my air miles were about to expire on China Airlines. Since I didn’t have enough for an actual free flight anywhere, they suggested I upgrade when booking my ticket. Obviously, I was one of the first to board. China Airlines probably has the nicest First Class that I’ve flown on thus far. There didn’t seem to be anyone on the flight other than us; that’s how quiet and separate our part of the plane was. My window seat was ROOMY! It had the usual whistles and bells – the footrest, seat that seriously reclines, coat hook and all. They served me 2 cups of tea, a Coke and some rice cracker mix before the plane even took off. Then they brought magazines to my seat. I immersed myself in the Lady Gaga article in Elle and the Paris Pops article in Conde Nast until – What? I get ANOTHER meal?! My meal was more salmon with a green salad, some type of white fish in a slightly sweet yet piquant sauce, green beans, carrots, potatoes and warm French bread with butter. The dessert was some gelatinous thing which looked like it had li hing mui and oysters encased inside. I didn’t dig far enough in to find out what it really was. I contented myself with the 3 slices of fruit – honeydew, pineapple and some white melon with little black seeds. Oh, and there were 3 glasses of real French champagne! I was pretty happy as I dozed off again.
I landed to rain in Hanoi. I paid my $45 for the Visa after showing my previously prepared papers and photo, went through the passport check and collected my luggage relatively quickly. My driver wasn’t there at first glance. I waited a few minutes and found him on a second swoop of the area. He didn’t speak much English, so it was a quiet ride into the city. I didn’t think to ask him if he spoke French.
My hotel is in the Old Quarter, also known as the Hoan Kiem area, near the lake of the same name. The manager was kind enough to upgrade my room. I have air con/heat, a flat screen TV with HBO, a Westernized bathroom, a safe, a mini fridge and a computer for what amounts to $21. Plus, breakfast is included. I was really tired yesterday and spent the afternoon asleep in my room. I finally wandered out around 4:00 p.m.
Hanoi is very congested with traffic, though less so than the main tourist area of Bali. Most of the sidewalks are filled with motorbikes, forcing pedestrians to walk in the street. There are lots of Vespas here! Traffic lights don’t seem to mean anything, so people are advised to go ahead and walk into oncoming traffic if they want to get anywhere in a timely manner. I just step off the curb, my heart sticks in my throat a bit, but everyone goes around me. Vietnamese people are friendly enough, though their English seems to be less than that of Indonesians, Thais and Malaysians. Buildings here are relatively narrow. Thus far, Vietnam doesn’t seem mystical or magical in the way that Bali does to me; it just feels decidedly different. There’s a completely different rhythm here, in my opinion. I’m not so interested in seeing the sights yet, merely observing my surroundings. I do, however, love the little old ladies who sell flowers off of their bikes! When I walk outside, the scent of garlic oil and banana pancakes are everywhere. Another observation is that it’s very noisy. People love to honk their horns here!
My next post should be about Halong Bay, as that’s where I’ll be going tomorrow. I might finally get some pictures taken, too. Hanoi does not seem to be overrun with hordes of camera-wielding tourists, so I’ve been a little self conscious about taking pictures of everything that moves, which is my usual modes operandus!