Entry into Vietnam

Upon exiting the Hanoi airport I am hit with an immediate wave of heat. It's dark because it is 10:30 pm and I've been traveling for 16+ from San Francisco and connecting in Seoul. The heat reminds me of Egypt, not because Egypt is humid as it is here in Hanoi, but rather because I remember it being this hot late into the night. As I journey through Hanoi the following day I will be reminded of Egypt many times, again not because they are the same or even close to similar, but because they are both 2nd world countries: the traffic that uses lanes more so as "guidelines", the crossing of a street by walking directly into traffic (don't worry they swerve around you), the families that gather in the streets well into the night (it's too hot during the day). Yes there are a lot of similarities, but major differences too.

We arrive to our hotel and they welcome us with welcome drinks containing something with mango. I booked the hotel in my name and they comment on how long my "family" name is and ask if they have spelt it right.  From here on out they will call me "Miss Amanda" every time I arrive or leave the hotel. I love that. The people running reception are the best, they helped me book tickets to the Water Puppet Theatre which I will see tomorrow night, a flight to Hue next week, the transportation to Sapa and back, and a cruise on Halong Bay. None of that was planned before I arrived in Vietnam and to be frank the reasearch and planning I did in the States was too overwhelming to navigate on my own. I'm so thankful for them taking the time to help us out, give suggestions, and call all the places and speak to them in Vietnamese - we got deals I never saw as options from my internet searches in America. My only concern is that we come across as rich American assholes seeing as they know exactly how much money we spent to do the rest of the trip. Oh well, I hate to admit it to myself, but America is wealthy, and I've benefited from it just as much as any average American.

From there it was into the city of Hanoi, where your senses are on over load in all of the ways - to the heat you feel on your skin, to the aromas of the food cooking on the streets, to the shrill of the motorbike horns as they zoom past you, there's just so much to take in. 

I'll write more about it later, as I hope the pictures in the blog help capture the sights.