the roads are getting nearer

Monday, January 09, 2006

` Monday, January 09, 2006

The decision to visit Hanoi rather than the more vibrant HCM was possibly part-based on the availability of redemption tickets on a certain airline that I travel frequently with for work. The potentially superficial reason was that we were in for a relaxing holiday that involved the appreciation of the wonders of nature.

(At this point, I sense smirks (and snorts) from those who were aware of the fact that I visited Vancouver and Toronto doing nothing but shop to my heart's content. This has always been my form of cultural immersion. Until now.)

Touching down at the airport was a Goa-like experience with the expansive surrounds of green fields and the modernesque airport situated awkwardly in the background. Transport to the city took a good 45 minutes and is a costly USD20 one-way.

The city itself was low-lying, with several French colonial-style buildings and tree-lined walkways. At first sight, it felt like what Singapore could have been in the 1960s or earlier. Until you get 10,000 scooters zipping along the roads in all directions and you finally understand how a deer feels in the headlights while trying to get across to the other side of a road.

The famous Hoan Kiem lake, where local lovebirds gather and schmooze along the sidewalks. The city's shops and eating places are concentrated along the circumference of the lake, making our trip a highly walkable experience.

I made a preliminary mental note not to shop during this trip for several reasons:

- I don't own a house. For that matter, I won't need plates, paintings, wall motifs or any manner of handicraft.

- I'm heading to Thailand, the mecca of cheap shopping in a couple of days' time.

- I don't need another frivolous bag even though it's made of silk and cost a mere SGD10.

I'm ashamed to say, I failed miserably on all accounts due to poor resolve, shopping for peanuts and peer pressure.

The only semblance of nightlife that was spotted along the lake. Believe it or not, this place seem to have closed at midnight on a New Year's eve!

A serene way to usher in the New Year; us sitting at a lovely nostalgic cafe-cum-bar (with friendly albeit linguistically challenged service staff) drinking local "poison" and raucously playing the Big 2. At the same time, taking in the sights and sounds of a city that time almost forgot. It was an immensely enjoyable trip and a most unique way to embrace 2006.

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