New Year's Eve

Our final week in Hanoi has been a lazy one. On Christmas Day we had lunch with Tom at a local hotel. They had lots of lovely food , but no roast potatoes! Something which I miss a lot. They don't use ovens here just hobs and microwaves so everything is pan fried or boiled. We have a small kitchen in our apartment but it is just as cheap to eat out. Tom insisted the flat needed a few Christmas decorations so, being in Hanoi, we went to 'Christmas Street' (yes it exists) and we bought our tree, tinsle and flashing lights. So, that and a few bottles of wine, a Christmas movie and we were well into the Christmas spirit.

Now a week later we are really looking forward to the New Year. We are planning on going out 'on the town' to join in with the crowds to see it in. We have a day to recover then we are off back down to Ho Chi Minh to visit Chris' cousin for a few days before we head up the Mekong and cross into Cambodia via Phnom Penh and onto Kratie where we will be doing a spot of teaching.

We have had a good opportunity here to meet people living in the city and visit local museums to explore their culture further. Living in the city has been interesting, especially negotiating around using tbe buses, taxis and bikes. A lot of time is spent looking at the ground making sure you don't fall over something or step into something you shouldn't. It is very difficult to walk along a pavement here as there are so many obstacles to avoid and bikes are just as likely to be using them as a road. We sat on a bus yesterday and watched as about 10 bikes cut through the traffic and rode along the pavement before going back into the road! Riding the bus also has its moments, although the buses are fairly frequent, there are sometimes a lot of people waiting, however the bus drivers don't seem to want to let people on as the bus barely stops before it is moving again. This means you have to run to get on with the doors closing as it leaves. As you make your way through the bus it lurches so much that you have to hang on tight and swing from pole to pole before you can grab a seat. During the journey there is the constant sound of a horn blaring as the bus driver tries to intimidate other road users for road space, more often or not without success! It is the same when you leave the bus, as you get off the bus is still moving as your feet touch the pavement. I must say though that I admire anyone who attempts to drive through the traffic of Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh as it is mayhem to an outsider. Although if you look closer you can see that there is an underlying calm in all the drivers, even though someone will cut in front of another, they don't react just accept it and do the same themselves a moment later to another driver. There is no shouting or show of temper (just the constant sound of horns warning drivers to move). This calm is reflected in the busy streets as people accept other people's behaviour without complaint. An outdoor kitchen will set up on the pavement, spread out small stools to avoid (or trip over) and people will calmly walk around and continue on. Life is relaxed here in a hectic kind of way which is good, they don't seem to let stress into their lives, definately something we can learn from.