City in Pictures: Hanoi, Vietnam

I've decided to start a new series, "Cities in Pictures". My goal in life is to travel to as many places around the world. During those travels I will take pictures to not only remember the places I've been, but capture their spirit. All pictures are taken by me, and I ask that none are used without permission. Please enjoy a look at the first City in Pictures, Hanoi, Vietnam!

From the top of my hostel I am able to see just how crowded the city is. City planning does not exist, and the same cheap materials make up most of the buildings. Even from this height the never ending cacophony of the streets surrounds us. 

There is a railroad which runs through town, is it in use? I don't think so. There's so safety barriers and the shops are all very close to the tracks. 

A visit to the Temple of Literature shows the dirt and grime with seems to coat the city. Opaque reflection pools of green, weathered monuments. 

Along the streets you see traditional sights, mainly that of women selling local foods. They can be pushy, yelling at you as you wait to cross the street and shoving bananas and pineapples into your hand and demanding money.

Traffic laws are something unknown in the city. Most streetlights don't work, and the streets are so busy that traffic moves at a slow pace. There aren't many sidewalks, and the ones that are there usually have tiny plastic chairs where locals sit crowding the walkway.

The streets are crammed with buildings and the power lines are a cross-crossing mess. It's very easy to get turned around and completely lose your way, but that also leads to great possibility for adventure and exploration.

The pho is fantastic. A light, crisp meal in a bowl that fills you up so you can continue going about your day. Walking along the road you'll see a small shop with people outside, just go in and grab a bowl. Hanoi doesn't really have restaurants, and I think that's fantastic.

Banh mi is a must. Vietnam is great at marrying flavorful meats with fresh vegetables in ways you can't get anywhere else. Not to mention the bread. The bread is just so, so good. It's a light lunch to pick up as you walk towards your night sight.

The center of town boasts a lake. Foreigners line the red bridge to see the Temple of the Jade Mountain. The lake is also home to endangered soft-shell turtles that lucky visitors may get a chance to see. 

The water puppet theater to the north of Hoan Kiem lake is an enjoyable way to spend an hour of your day, even if you can't understand Vietnamese. It's a unique production you'll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else.

Most of the streets themselves are covered in a canopy of bright green trees. It's amazing to see the branches appearing to emerge from the buildings themselves. The abundance of trees leads to nice, shady strolls through the tropical city.

Souvenir shops line most main streets, all housing the same goods packed into their stores, waiting to sell to unsuspecting tourists looking for something unique to bring home.

Remnants of the French occupation are still prevalent around the city, best shown by the dreary looking Notre Dame near the center of town. The gates which surround it give it a feel of an era long past.

At night the streets come alive with stalls selling anything you could think of. It's refreshing to not worry about traffic for once while walking along the roads, and the sound of car horns is replaced by the sound of music.

A food tour is a must in the city. Not only are you guided along by a local you get to try foods you never would have dreamed of. There are so many little set ups of all these different dishes lining the roads, it's hard to tell which are good and which are not-so-good. Hint: It's almost always good if there are people around!

Hope you enjoyed this first city in pictures! Please click on the images for better quality shots!

Hanoi, Vietnam

I realize that it’s been over two months since I returned from my trip to Vietnam and Cambodia and I have posted next to nothing about the experience on here. Sorry, life got in the way! But I really do want to record all the things that I felt and learned on the trip, so I’m writing it now! I’ve actually written a couple of entries over these last couple of months, but I’ve just never felt like posting them for a couple of reasons. So, I am going to break these entries into their respective cities/locations and hope for the best!

The first city that I visited was Hanoi, the northern capital of Vietnam. When I landed in the city it was well into the night and I took a prearranged taxi from the airport to the hostel I was staying at in the Old Quarter. Most of the ride was dark and uninspiring. I’d spent the better part of the day sitting in airports wishing layovers weren’t a real thing and direct flights were affordable, so by the time I had reached Hanoi with my friend I was completely Out Of It.

The more into the city we got, though, the more I began to notice that this place wasn’t like any city I have ever been in. The buildings were the first thing that really caught my eye, there are no big department stores like in Japan, no sprawling megacenters like America, just cramped, multi-story, thin things that looked as if they were pieced together by a child trying to make her own image of a city. The darkness held many of the details from me but I knew that this would be a place to explore. And I was excited!

We got to the hostel and had rooms on the first floor, something I will try to desperately avoid in the future as it’s so noisy. The hostel itself would prove to have its own “quirks” as the days rolled on and I can’t say I will ever recommend anyone to step foot near the place in the future. Let’s just say running water was a luxury in the building, and it wasn’t a Hanoi issue, but a “this hostel sucks” issue. Not to mention the random vomiting dorm mate sleeping above me. So relaxing!

Our first actual day of Hanoi was an early one, as would be a trend for most of the trip. We headed out to the Temple of Literature and then walked towards the One Pillar Pagoda, running into Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum along the way. I had no intention of really seeing that last one, but it was definitely like being in some weird movie with all of the flags of Communism everywhere. We also spent some time walking around the area that our hostel was in, the Old Quarter, which is just north of the main lake in town, Hoan Kiem. It was a mass of people and moving vehicles. I have never felt more alive and in danger of sudden death in my life. It was truly awesome.

Traffic rules aren’t really a thing in most of Indochina, it seems. While there were street lights telling cars when they should go and stop, most didn’t seem to even been turned on, and the rest weren’t followed. What we were left to contend with was a never ending stream of motorbikes and cars. The former outnumbering the later 20:1, easily. Once you got the hang of how things worked, walking around the tiny, narrow streets wasn’t nearly as dangerous as you would think just by stepping outside and seeing the swerving, honking death traps driving by.

The traffic actually doesn’t move that fast in the city, I don’t think most cars or motorbikes were going over 35 mph, and I would say most were well under that. The bikes would actually pay you some mind, going in front of you until you reach the halfway mark of the crosswalk and then going behind you. Basically, you just gotta walk like you own the place and everyone else will follow what you do. Running across the street isn’t very wise, as it’s more difficult for the bikes to predict where you’ll be, and randomly stopping will surely get you injured. Just walk at a normal pace, pretending you are not currently walking across an intersection that has dozens of moving vehicles coming at you full speed.

Most of our days were spent in a similar fashion, going to see various sites and eating local food. The weather wasn’t the best, as late March is the start of their rainy season, but compared to the heat we felt in the southern cities we went to, I would gladly take the overcast drizzle.

The city was just amazing to walk around. I feel like I could spend my entire like there and never see everything. There are so many stores, so many places to eat, so many people. It’s as if someone took an entire city and just squished it in their hands so that it was a fraction of the size it was before. Buildings have no space between them, sidewalks are covered in plastic tables and chairs that are designed for American children, and there is no such thing as silence due to the never-ending chorus of car horns.

There was just so much life and character to the city. It really felt like no city I had ever been before. It had its own personality and while I don’t think I could ever live there, I can definitely see myself going back. I would say the nightlife in Hanoi is great, but I never got to experience it, so that’s what I would like to do. It’s just hard to go out drinking with locals when you gotta share a bedroom with strangers and wake up at 6am to sit in a van for four hours one way on the way to one of your Bucket List destinations.

But probably the best thing I did in Hanoi was actually the thing I didn’t plan on doing, a food tour. When I booked my day trip to Ha Long Bay the woman suggested that we do this food tour as well, so I got it. It was awesome. I ate so many things I never would have dreamed to eat and I felt like I truly got to experience the real Hanoi. My host was great and if you’re ever in the city I really, really think you should go on one of them! I didn’t even have a hint at an upset stomach. For $22 I got to eat enough food to last me a week, and it was all amazing. The only thing I wish is that I would have done it for lunch instead of for dinner, because I definitely wasn’t hungry enough for all of the food!

Hanoi was the city I was most hesitant to visit, and the main reason I went there was because it was so close to Ha Long Bay, but I am so glad I did. It was the first stop of the trip, and my favorite city that we visited. I cannot recommend it enough!

All pictures were taken by me on the trip. I hold all of the rights and please do not use any of them without first asking me and giving me credit. Thanks!

VietBodia 2015: Places To Visit in Vietnam and Cambodia

Third post is exciting post! VietBodia 2015 is very, very close. Single digits close. Days away instead of weeks away. I’ve decided to move the visa entry to a post-trip entry because I won’t really know the procedure fully until I am in the countries! That leaves only one more pre-trip entry after this one, which will be about packing!

This is my first trip out of the country (aside from a couple visits home) since I moved to Japan over three years ago. Vietnam and Cambodia may seem like a slightly odd choice. What about South Korea? China? Australia? Well, those places are nice and I hope to visit them, but Vietnam and Cambodia are higher on my list of places to go. Why? Because they have what I want to see!

When I first decided on this trip I had two places in mind to visit, and I did some research using websites like http://www.visit-mekong.com/ to find other places to visit in each country. These kind of websites are invaluable when planning trips like this, I think. Mainly because I’m not the type to just go somewhere without an idea of what I want to do.

Here’s a list of the places I will be visiting in each country and why I want to go to these places. Hope this can provide some inspiration for visiting these fantastic countries!

Vietnam

Hanoi

Ha Long Bay

 This is the place that makes me want to visit Vietnam. It’s beautiful and so unlike anywhere else on Earth. Yeah, it’s probably overrun by tourists and it’s going to be very difficult to get to. But it will be worth it. The hours long drive to get out there should be beautiful, too, right?

Hang Da Market

This place just sounds exciting. A market area with super old stalls, haggling is the only way to buy anything, exotic birds in wooden cages on the street corner. This is where I will be buying souvenirs… if I don’t get too intimidated at the idea of bargaining.

One Pillar Pagoda

This is a Buddhist temple that was built nearly a thousand years ago. It’s one of the two most iconic temples in the entire country (the other being the Perfume Pagoda located south of a Hanoi).

Water Puppet Theater

I had never heard of this before planning this trip. The theater is located next to Hoan Kiem lake and it’s super cheap to view one of the many daily showings. Spending a nice afternoon by the lake and then going to the water puppets sounds relaxing. Not to mention I have no idea what a water puppet is.

Temple of Literature

This is a temple for Confucius located in Hanoi. I’ve only been to Japanese temples, so I am looking forward to breaking away from the Buddhist and Shinto styles and seeing this temple! It has many courtyards and is dedicated to learning. It’s also close to 1,000 years old, and was the site of Vietnam’s first university in 1076!

Ho Chi Minh City

Ben Thanh Market

Similar to the Hang Da market, it’s just a busy place to find traditional Saigon things and go souvenir shopping. Prices are apparently higher, but we can haggle for lower ones. Or, most likely, get scared and accept whatever price they offer.

Jade Emperor Pagoda

A younger temple, build just over 100 years ago, but it is dedicated to a Taoist god. I’ve never been to a Taoist temple, and apparently you can feed turtles outside for merit. It also apparently has loads of creepy statues which I am 100% for. Atmosphere-wise, this should be one of the most interesting temples I’ll ever see!

Giac Lam Pagoda

I am a sucker for a good pagoda, and this one reminds me of the bird one in Disney World, which was always one of my favorite things to do as a child. I feel slightly bad comparing the oldest temple of Ho Chi Minh City to a Disney attraction, but this is what happens when you grow up in Orlando.

Mekong Delta

Finally, I want to see the ending spot of the Mekong river. There are a number of tours you can take that will guide you through this traditional farming area. You’ll paddle through tiny canals, eat local foods, and experience the true beauty of Vietnam. It’s a full day, roughly 8hrs, to do this. But I think it’ll be a highlight of the trip!

Cambodia

Phnom Penh

Phsar Thmei (Central Market)

Of course there is a market I want to visit in Phnom Penh. That’s all this trip is, apparently, markets and temples. This was apparently the largest market in Asia when it opened, no idea if it still is. But it looks massive and must have loads of hidden gems to discover.

Royal Palace

Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia, so it would house the royal palace. It looks stunning in pictures. All golden and white and royal. When I went to Tokyo, I attempted to see the imperial palace, but that place is so surrounded by ugly gray stone walls that I was left disappointed. This palace, however, looks amazing! Especially since I’ll be able to visit the throne room. ~Fancy~

Wat Ounalom

The central temple for Cambodian Buddhism, it is located super close to the palace so it will be very easy to get to. It’s a few hundred years older than America, it sits on the Mekong and should offer wonderful views of the river. Again, temple. Again, I am going.

Siem Reap

Angkor Wat

This is probably the most obvious inclusion on this list. Of course I am going to Angkor Wat! It’s one of my bucket list items and I still can’t believe that in a few days I will be here. We are going to try to get two days at the complex, since it’s so huge. I’ll likely make a post dedicated to this place, so stay tuned for that! Hopefully get to see the sunrise (with loads of other tourists), so a super early morning for this one!

Apsara Dancers

I honestly had no idea what this was prior to planning this trip. It will definitely be full of tourists and not the most native experience of Cambodia, but a relaxing evening with a Khmer dinner followed by some pretty dancing sounds pretty nice. Also, it’s quite different from all the temples and markets we will be visiting. Apsara is a Hindu and Buddhist female spirit, so it is a religious dance. So it’s kinda temple-esque…

Tonle Sap

This is the largest lake in the whole of Southeast Asia. In the dry season (when we’re going) it’s basically a huge river that flows from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh (you can even travel between the cities on a boat tour). In the wet season, however, it transforms into a huge lake. There are tours you can take around the floating villages and sunken forests. I would like to see these places in the wet season, but it should be fascinating regardless!

All photos are from the respective Wikipedia pages