MADE IT! After an unusually tolerable 20 hour journey (I somehow managed to score the most amazing aisle/emergency exit-row seat on the SF to Taiwan leg) I finally touched down in Vietnam yesterday afternoon. Nothing exciting to note about the flight other than a too-close encounter with a twisted Taiwanese massage machine at the Taipei airport. I'm not exactly the biggest guy in the world, and in hindsight, I'm guessing the chair was designed with the average Asian-sized body in mind. At any rate, I escaped with a nothing more than a cranked neck and bruised pride - the whole incident was witnessed by a pair of elderly Chinese women who thought it was hilarious. Nice to know that humor at my expense transcends linguistic and cultural boundaries. But hey, if an ego and body beating is the worst thing to happen, consider it a successful journey.
The flight to Vietnam was spectacular, coasting in over the Gulf of Tonkin just as the sun was poking over the horizon. Hanoi is located a fair distance inland, so my first view of the country was an endless vista of flooded rice paddies punctuated by small towns. From my perspective, it looked like several of the rivers below us were flooding, and since we're in the tail end of the monsoon season, that may be the case. Finally, Hanoi came into view and I couldn't help but think that this was (relatively) the same view that many American pilots had - including John McCain - as they flew bombing runs over North Vietnam some forty years ago.
After touching down, I ran the customs gauntlet with a group of middle-aged Americans being tailed by a small camera crew. My prearranged pickup was waiting for me (trust me - always arrange a ride from the airport in advance) and we wandered past the typical throng of rabid taxi drivers and hotel touts hovering around the front doors of the arrival hall. Whenever an unaccompanied foreigner left the building, it was like a feeding frenzy as people shouted at the new arrivals in Vietnamese, French, and poor English. Happy to avoid the mess.
The drive into the city center, where I would be staying, took at least 45 minutes and the $16 taxi fee was definitely worth every penny. As in every other non-Western country I've ever been in, the driving was insane. Typically Asian - cars, trucks, bikes, and scooters, scooters everywhere. It was bizarre, but my driver was blasting African music on his stereo and suddenly I was having Tanzanian flashbacks. Eventually we made it into the center of Hanoi's Old Quarter located just north of Hoan Kiem lake where I had a reservation at a small hotel in an old French colonial villa. They were expecting me - I suspect I might be the only guest - and I moved in for the next couple days. By the time I got situated, I was wiped out and decided to take a nap for an hour or two (this was at 2:00pm). Next thing I know, I'm waking up to the sound of a rainstorm outside at midnight! So, jet-lagged kicked my ass again. Midnight, wide awake, and I'm stuck in my room until at least sunrise. Good time to read the guide book I suppose........
The flight to Vietnam was spectacular, coasting in over the Gulf of Tonkin just as the sun was poking over the horizon. Hanoi is located a fair distance inland, so my first view of the country was an endless vista of flooded rice paddies punctuated by small towns. From my perspective, it looked like several of the rivers below us were flooding, and since we're in the tail end of the monsoon season, that may be the case. Finally, Hanoi came into view and I couldn't help but think that this was (relatively) the same view that many American pilots had - including John McCain - as they flew bombing runs over North Vietnam some forty years ago.
After touching down, I ran the customs gauntlet with a group of middle-aged Americans being tailed by a small camera crew. My prearranged pickup was waiting for me (trust me - always arrange a ride from the airport in advance) and we wandered past the typical throng of rabid taxi drivers and hotel touts hovering around the front doors of the arrival hall. Whenever an unaccompanied foreigner left the building, it was like a feeding frenzy as people shouted at the new arrivals in Vietnamese, French, and poor English. Happy to avoid the mess.
The drive into the city center, where I would be staying, took at least 45 minutes and the $16 taxi fee was definitely worth every penny. As in every other non-Western country I've ever been in, the driving was insane. Typically Asian - cars, trucks, bikes, and scooters, scooters everywhere. It was bizarre, but my driver was blasting African music on his stereo and suddenly I was having Tanzanian flashbacks. Eventually we made it into the center of Hanoi's Old Quarter located just north of Hoan Kiem lake where I had a reservation at a small hotel in an old French colonial villa. They were expecting me - I suspect I might be the only guest - and I moved in for the next couple days. By the time I got situated, I was wiped out and decided to take a nap for an hour or two (this was at 2:00pm). Next thing I know, I'm waking up to the sound of a rainstorm outside at midnight! So, jet-lagged kicked my ass again. Midnight, wide awake, and I'm stuck in my room until at least sunrise. Good time to read the guide book I suppose........
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