Chaos!

Well, I survived my first full day in Hanoi, but let me just say that this place is crazy! I walked around from about 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and am now back at my hostel with sore legs and a new skill....remember that atari game leapfrog? That's what I felt like! Sorry dad, but it's a wonder I didn't get hit! There are insane amounts of motorbikes here, not to mention bikes and cars, but the motorbikes have changed my idea of bad traffic forever! Everywhere you look, they are coming and going. Some have entire families of 5 on them, some have huge amounts of stuff on them, be it fruit or plants or flowers. And they are literally everywhere, often one inch away from touching me. I kept wondering why I was walking in the street, where it is, of course, much more likely that I will get hit ~ and then I would realize that it was because the ones that are parked are all over the sidewalks, making it impossible to walk on them for very long!

And there doesn't seem to be obvious rules about signs and signals, because when the light looks red to me, some people stop, but most just keep on going. And then there are the familiar SE Asia sites, like a dad pulling his little girl's pants down so she could pee on the street/sidewalk just inches from all of those racing motorbikes, and a lady cleaning a freshly killed chicken on the sidewalk, and randomly buring piles of trash everywhere. As much as this city is dirty and causing me difficulty breathing due to the excessive exhaust fumes/smog, I love it! I love just seeing the Vietnamese people going about their daily lives. I love the sights, sounds (ok, maybe not the endless honking of scooter and car horns), and smells. I kept ending up back at the lake in the center of where I am staying, the Old Quarter, or at another temple or park, and just sitting on a bench and enjoying the quiet and beauty. I must say, though, that although I looked up the forecast for Hanoi before I left, it is still colder than I had hoped for, including in the hostel, and I am having a hard time with that. I am also wishing I would have brought other long pants besides the yoga ones I brought mainly for the plane and sleeping. So far I have worn them the entire time! And not having pockets is a bummer, too. When I go more south soon, I will probably be wishing for this cool weather. Also, one thing I am super glad I bought last minute is the holder for my camera lens cover, so thanks Cath! I will write a bit more specifically about where I went today, hopefully with pictures, soon! Right now, I am falling asleep as I type and it's only 7 p.m. here. I am still getting over the jet lag, I am sure, since it's 14 hours ahead of Denver time. So I am going to go try to catch a nap and get warm! Missing everyone!