Winter Winter

Winter in Hanoi is super challenging for a southern beach boy like me. Today, there are more signs of warm spring, though it's very wet and quite cold still inside the house. Hanoi's humidity makes the 'feels like' temperature several degrees lower or higher, depending on the season. The cold gets into my bones. The heat I don't mind. Winter tourists upon arrival don't seem to notice but within a few days they are seeking out the jumper shops.

The other problem is the lack of heating. Hanoians tend to tolerate it because the deep winter is not that long. They wear their coats and wooly hats inside while they're watching television! This year I've bought a cheap Chinese heater which is actually only useful when it is blowing directly on me and will probably put our electricity bill through the roof. I've also bought these water bottles that plug into the electricity and heat up in a few minutes. So I am prepared much better than my past ten years in Hanoi.

Another way to keep warm in winter in Hanoi is to eat smart. On the streets, trying hot sweet potato or cassava, steamed buns and even boiled corn from a mobile street vendor while crowding around their heated cart give a few minutes of warmth. Rice porridge and hot pots are my other favourites at this time of year.

Winter time is also a time that I put on weight even though I am very busy with work, because winter food in Hanoi is mostly pretty heavy and deep fried. This sometimes means I have to buy winter clothes for my expanding waistline. Hanoians actually love that they can get out of T-shirts and shorts in winter and they go quite crazy buying and wearing heavy clothes. I don't go crazy but I did buy a jumper the other day in the Old Quarter. The worst part was taking my many layers of shirts off to try it on!

I'm sure it won't be long now before people are complaining about the heat.

Plant Sellers

Street plant vendors are very common now in Hanoi in addition to the more noticeable flower sellers. After getting cheated a few times, I now know to check the plants very carefully before finalising any purchase from these vendors. Just remembering how I got cheated makes me feel silly but I do admire their endeavour, even though it's clearly not right.

At that time, as is my habit, I was sitting in front of Cafe Nang listening to the different conversations going on around me. I saw the plant vendor ride her bike past on the back of which was a very beautiful small bonsai covered with many gorgeous red flowers. After a round of bargaining, I thought I got a good deal. In fact, most of the customers in the cafe admired my bargaining skills and the flowers on the plant. Of course, two days later the flowers were dead. My friend checked them and we realized that the flowers had actually been pinned on, every single one of them. Hate that.

Another time, I got off my bike just opposite Cafe Nang, and noticed another seller with beautiful fire cracker flowers. I bought two plants and got them home safely. I went down to the Red River flats near my house to buy two new pots to plant them in. Great job, I thought to myself as I sat admiring them with a cool drink. Unfortunately, the next day the same friend pointed out that I'd been scammed again. This time the flowers had started to go moldy and I realised they'd been stuck in using elephant glue and I was so disappointed.

Hanoi Scams

Pickpockets and other kinds of scams are common-place in Hanoi these days. One of the most prevalent scams in Hanoi is the professional charity collectors. This is what happens; there are two people, the girl dresses up nicely and speak English quite well, and the man rides the motorbike. They always look for single middle aged tourists.

They carry a book with a long list of western tourists and the number of dollars they have donated, of course with signatures. They have cheated so many tourists in Hanoi. Last year, I met an American woman in Siem Riep who told me about a young girl who approached her while she was in Hanoi, using the same story. When I told her that it was a scam, she was horrified.

I've witnessed the scam myself. Yesterday, when I was buying some food for my dog near the Dong Xuan market, I saw a girl speaking with a young male tourist. Finally, she got what she wanted but further drama followed. The tourist gave her some US dollars and there was a $1 note which was a bit old and she refused to take it, asking him to change the note. He didn't have another note and she tried and tried for about 10 mintues but the guy refused to give her a better note. She actually got angry with him, jumped on the back of the motorbike and took off. Today again, when I was having my regular coffee at Cafe Nang in Hang Bac street, I saw a very young, pretty girl doing the same thing to a young guy but after 10 minutes trying he kept refusing. She was very mad, said something in Vietnamese which I couldn't hear then sped away.

Fruit sellers in the old town are another annoying night mare to tourists. There is a group of young women who carry small amounts of pineapples and bananas. They try to put their baskets on the shoulders of tourists, thinking it would be a good photo, then force them to buy their fruit at an exhorbitant price. They often charge $3 for a small bag of pineapple instead of 50 cents. Sometimes, these women shout at the tourists when they don't get their own way. Occasioanlly, other old quarter residents shout at these scammers to leave the tourists alone, some even threatening to call the police.

Everybody needs to work to earn money but these kinds of scams give Hanoi and Vietnam a bad name. The local authority really should do something about it.

Heaven Calling

In Asia, people believe in the laws of karma and that's why many people go to pagodas every first day, 15th and the last day of the lunar month to pray for their health and luck... also for their family members who have passed away.

The thinking is that dead people also need the same stuff as living people so, on these special days, some people spend millions of dong on fake paper products, from a pair of shoes to air conditioners, even motobikes. But in certain cases and for people in high positions in society, there may be different ways to celebrate. Families who have very successful businesses are known to spend a fortune paying a service to organise the praying and provide the paper goods.

Last week, on the way down to the old quarter, I saw people transporting their stuff on a small truck to the temple to burn after their prayer session and it included lots of huge paper horses, elephants, angels and fake money. This is not the first time I've seen these stuff which is mostly seen during pagoda festivals which are held early in the year. This occasion in Yen Phu street was a private one as it was nowhere near a special lunar day.

Anyway, even though it looks good and provides a great photo opportunity, I think this practice is such a waste of money and the smoke produced by the fire is an environmental nightmare, especially on lunar days when everyone in town is burning paper.

Demolition Workers

I am sure many Vietnamese and westerners have seen these activities many times. A few days ago, from my bathroom window I noticed (and heard!) that something was happening.
The beautiful old house with the amazing garden behind us was being knocked down and will be soon replaced by two tall houses. I couldn't believe that the whole big two storey house was demolished by only six workers in just two days. There are two men and two women whose job it is to transfer waste from the house, including plants and rocks, by push cart. In between, the remaining two men continue to knock down the rest of the house and try to take all the cement around the old bricks so that they can be re-used to build new houses. I wonder if it's safe to re-use these old bricks which have been used for over 15 years?

During lunch time, they eat on the ground and sleep on the top of the old bricks. Some of them play with their mobile phones and chat with friends, the rest try to take a short nap before getting back to hard work again. I am not sure how much they earn, maybe not much but they don't really look tired or unhappy. One of them realized that I was taking their photos and they hide their faces but two of the women were laughing out loud.

It's really good to see these hard workers laughing. It's not an easy or well-paid job. I wish them all the best of health, luck and happiness.

Frustrations In Hoi An

Hoi An today is far different to the Hoi An I knew in the past. Compared to even a few years ago, it is full of shops and hotels. In a hundred metre stretch of road, there are more than 10 shops selling the same stuff and making the same clothes. It's a bit annoying as the old ancient town is slowly disappearing, replaced by these modern activities.

Most of the hotels in Hoi An call themselves "Resorts" but the quality is far away from the meaning of the word. Basically it means they can create their own prices, mostly really over the top expensive. I don't know how they can get their permits to do business. I remember 2 years ago, the hotels usually started at between $15 to $25 per night with a swimming pool and breakfast included but these"Resorts" are charging up to $56 to $85 per night which is too much. I refused to pay that much not because I cannot afford it, but rather that they are not worth that money at all.

Unfortunately, these days small Hoi An old town has far too many tourists. The big tour groups, buses and noise makes it feel like I am in Hanoi or Saigon. Of course, in the short term its good for the local people as tourism has created jobs and improved their standard of living. But sooner or later, Hoi An might suffer as most of the interesting parts are slowly disappearing and people may lose their interest in visiting there.

The number of tourists is increasing so fast which means Hoi An people are getting more commercial minded and not always in a good way. Even though they remain friendly and nice on the surface, I still there is something different in their talk and their reactions when people shop. The charm of the Hoianese is disappearing step by step and is being replaced by modern, western thinking. I hope Hoi An local council considers limiting the numbers of shops, bars, restaurants and "Resorts" and tries to maintain the great old houses around.

Riding Around Phu Quoc

Last month I was in Phu Quoc for a couple of weeks, mostly relaxing on the beach. Yesterday we decided to hire a motorbike for a ride around the south of Phu Quoc. We stopped at Sao - Star Beach for a drink and we had lunch here as well. This is one of the best beaches in Phu Quoc and Vietnam with white sand, wild and really quiet. I came here last time two years ago and nothing has changed in this area which impressed me much.

The next day we drove to the south to check out the pepper farms. We get lost on a really dusty road and we didn't know where we were. But luckily enough there were some pepper farms on the side of the road covered with red dust. They looked really bad, very dry as if it hadn't rained for years. Finally, we walked into a house where pepper was sold and the farm did look greener compared to the others. We bought some white pepper and I got some information about how they deal with business and the weather for my article. These pepper people were very friendly and quite willing to talk about the whole pepper process. Their peppercorns weren't that expensive compared to the shops in town and I believe it's pure instead of being mixed up with some other cheaper pepper seeds.

Driving back to town was also a nightmare of dust. I got totally covered by red dust and I looked filthy by the time we returned to the hotel. Anyway, it was an interesting drive and a bit of a break from the beach.

Disappointing Aspects of Phu Quoc

I spent two weeks in Phu Quoc and everything seemed perfect with great weather and beautiful food, especially the seafood. But as always, there were some issues that came up

I went out for lunch on one particular day, walking along the beach just up from the bungalows we stayed at to try to have some different food instead of going into town. Unfortunately, it was a mistake to choose the Lien Hiep Thanh Hotel and Restaurant right on the beach. I ordered grilled squid with salt and chilli, spring rolls and sour broth with tuna. It sounded great as these are specialist dishes from Phu Quoc and most places I've been they had been so nice and yummy. Well, they served us boiled squid instead of grilled and I told the waiter that it was not what we ordered in a polite way but he denied it, telling me this is their restaurant's grilling technique. I was a bit upset and I ended up taking it back to the kitchen myself and they promised to make a new dish for me. Ten minutes later, the same plate came back with the half bitten piece of squid. I couldn't say a word as they were so hopeless and they waiter tried to make a joke but it turned out all stupid. The sour broth with tuna which should be great as it's simple to make was tasteless, the tuna wasn't cooked enough and, if that wasn't enough, the spring rolls tasted like they were from the super market. Totally sucked down there at the Lien Thanh!!!! No tip and worst meal of my life.

On another point, I was expecting the food at the night market to be cheap but it didn't work that way. Most restaurants at the night market were more expensive than restaurants in town and in the hotel. A prawn cost $4, 4 pieces of squid cost $5, a pice of tuna cost $5. Hello!!! this is Phu Quoc, an island where you can catch fish anywhere.

Rip Off Noodles

Yesterday we wanted to find something different for breakfast after tennis. After wandering around, we stopped at a chicken and duck noodle and salad stand. We ordered one bowl of vemicelli with chicken and one noodle soup with chicken. We thought that'd be ok and cheap but the lady kept asking us about our order and confusing us. Other people in the restaurant are shaking their heads. I didn't really understand if their reaction meant that they knew her or what?

Anyway, we ended up with two bowls of vemicelli with chicken and it costs 150,000VND. I couldn't say a thing, I was so shocked. I couldn't believe my ears. I thought she's probably going to say it's New Year which is a common excuse to rip tourists off. She didn't say anything. We just had to accept her price! I told people from the hotel and they thought I was joking. This really pisses me off and this is not the first time as well.

Thai Restaurant ( Vincom Tower)

My friends invited me to have dinner at a Thai restaurant in Vincom Tower a few weeks ago. It was the weekend and it was really crowded, full of smoke and noisy. We could hardly hear our conversation unless we spoke very loud, almost shouting.

We ordered chicken soup, prawn soup, mango salad, stir fried mixed vegetables, french fries, stir fried corn and finished with a hot pot. We always order too much and we couldn't finish all of the food. I really like the mango salad as the mango was very fresh and a bit spicy and the rest of our food wasn't too bad but they use a bit too much coconut milk in the soups.

Like many Vietnamese, my friends didn't enjoy that much as they thought it was too spicy, sweet and fatty. They were right about some of that but I tried to explain to them about Thai food always being spicy. We didn't have a good time and I don't think I would recommend this restaurant to anyone as there are plenty of nice Thai restaurants in town which are not that expensive. We spent over 1.7 million dong on our meal for 5 of us which is about $95.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Happens

Today I felt like playing tennis and we took the car to get there. When we reversed the car, we didn't check carefully and backed into another car on the side of the road. Even though it was a minor accident, it costs a lot especially in Australia. It may not cost much in Hanoi but it's expensive here. Luckily, the Korean owner doesn't really care about the car and he wanted the cash instead of getting it fixed which suited us just fine. Unfortunately it cost $500 plus the cost of fixing my friend's car. I hope this is the end of my bad luck for this trip, especially as we are heading to Tasmania tomorrow evening by ferry.

I hope the weather will be warm there as I don't really like cold weather. Many people told me that it's quite cold there especially in the evening. But Tasmania is a beautiful place worth going to so I am really looking forward to discovering the island state. I will be there for 10 days and hoping I will be enjoy the beautiful scenery in Tasmania. Wish me luck!!!

Truc Bach Lake

There is no doubt about the beauty of Truc Bach Lake is but it not always a pleasant place to be because of the pollution and waste in the lake and the craziness on the street in the evening. Almost every single house opens a hotpot restaurant and their staff keep annoying people who drive past. The problem is that they are not supposed to do business on the foot path around the lake. When the police come, they try to move their tables, mats... and leave all the rubbish behind. Besides that, Hanoian don't seem to care about the environment as they throw eveything possible into the lake including plastic bags, bottles and food scraps.

Today, I talked to one of the staff of the Hanoi water company on the side of the lake while they were trying to dredge Truc Bach Lake. According to him, " Hanoi water company dredges Truc Bach Lake every two years but they have changed the routine now, as it's getting polluted very quickly due to the habits of the people who live around the lake and their customers. From this year, they will clean up the lake every year to maintain the clean water and the environment for not only the lake but for Hanoi as well". From what I've seen today, these workers are working so hard. Some of them even have to stay overnight in a small floating boat to keep an eye on their machinery. I personally think that the best idea is to educate people about the environment and encourage them to keep the area around their properties tidy.

I hope people pay more attention to the environment to keep Hanoi clean and green, particularly as Hanoi's 1000 year anniversary is not too far away. Please keep the world alive!!!

Mid Autumn Festival

Yet another mid autumn festival is coming and it makes me feel older. I went to Hang Ma street to try to take some photos last night and I could feel the great atmosphere of it. Many parents had taken their children to shop as the festval is tonight.

I always enjoy going down there to watch people shopping for cakes, lanterns, fake money and many other things. In the old days, I had to make my own lantern with bamboo chop sticks and rubber bands to hold them together. I also used colored paper or notebook paper or newspapers to put around the sticks and glued them on with glue or rice. It was a fun thing to do with friends. Nowadays, parents buy beautiful lanterns which need batteries for music and light. The whole festival has become quite commercial and I personally think that children should do something special for themselve instead of buying from the market. I must be getting old?

Accidents Avoidable!!!!!

This is not my photo

To reduce traffic accidents in Hanoi, the local council has been investing money in local road infrastructure. Underground tunnels and overpasses are being built to ease traffic congestion and safety for crossing the street but local people don't use these useful and safe ways. It seems they prefer to walk across the chaotic streets even though the dangers are always great.

This is not my photo

I'm glad to see the fast and positive changes in Hanoi in the fast few years. But also I wish people would pay more attention to rules as it not only affects them but other people as well. It's tragic and disappointing to see people die everyday on the roads here for mostly avoidable reasons.

123 Run

My ex-colleagues invited me to join them for dinner at 123 restaurant, which is one of the most popular homemade fast food restaurants in Hanoi. According to my friends, this restaurant located on Pho Hue Street is always busy for both lunch and dinner. In Vietnam, wherever the crowds are generally means the place is good but I did have my doubts about this place.

When we arrived the other night, each of the three storeys at this restaurant was full. The service was pretty efficient I have to say, with each order including a small bowl of broth, some veggies and pickles. I ordered fried boneless lemon chicken but funnily enough I swallowed a small piece of bone which was a worry. People say that chicken bones can be quite dangerous when they get stuck in the throat. I had to eat several full mouthfuls of rice to finally get the small bone down. Oh my gosh, it makes me feel uncomfortable thinking about it now. My friends were laughing at me and I did feel like an idiot but I was so scared. This is a good excuse to refuse an invitation to 123 next time.

Speeding Bush

It's amazing what you can see on the roads in Hanoi. Lastweekend, while I was driving along the dyke road toward the old quarter for lunch, I saw a huge green pile of vegetation about 5 metres high moving along the road in the distance. From behind, you couldn't even see a vehicle. As I got closer it became clear that it wasn't a moving tree. It was a truck full of tree branches which were kind of sweeping the road sending heaps of dust and leaves into the eyes of everyone behind it.

Finally, I got my photograph and got the hell away from it. I could imagine that somewhere down the road the whole lot would fall off and cause a big traffic accident. There are laws about what can be transported on trucks and motorbikes in Hanoi but there doesn't seem to be much action to control it.

I lost my photos for this article

Hot Hot Hot

Hanoi these days is so hot plus the high humidity makes the temperature feel even worse. I couldn't be bothered cooking tonight even though I went into the market this afternoon. I decided to go to beer hoi near my place to have a few beers and eat something before going home to do my home work. I have been studying academic English at ACET for a week so far and it takes most of my time at school and at home. It's good to keep updated with the language as I am not a native speaker.

Drinking cold beer on such hot days is great. I can totally feel where the beer goes. It sounds like I am an alcoholic but I do like drinking beer or white wine especially in summer. Food in the beer hoi was ok and reasonable and beer is cheap. We only paid 150,000Vnd for two people.

The beers tasted even sweeter as I just got my visa for Australia and my trip will take place in the second week of October for 5 weeks. Really looking forward to it!

Homemade

When the word homemade is used it usually refers to delicious food made at home. In Vietnam, this word can be used in many more contexts because we are quite ingenious in making and repairing things at home. I mean, have you ever heard of a homemade car????

Occasionally I see these kinds of cars around Hanoi and it makes me laugh. They look so cute but are definitely not safe for driving. I am not sure if the goverment actually allows them to be driven on the roads or not. To make these cars, Vietnamese people use the machines of different cars or motorbikes and they shape a new body or frame around the engine and turn it into a car somehow. Of course these cars don't have modern features like air-conditioning or CD players but I wouldn't be surprised if someone is thinking about how to include them. I don't know how fast these cars go but the man I saw was driving it quite fast. At least it was keeping up with the motorbikes. I'm not sure how it would cope in an accident but maybe better than modern cars because it's actually made of steal! Cars are becoming a way of life in Hanoi now but I'm not sure if these models are going to catch.

What do you think?

Bargaining Games

As I'm a man from the south with a southern accent, I have to bargain for most things I want to buy. I think it's a kind of game and I need to be part of that and play the game with the sellers to the best of my ability, if I don't want to get ripped off. I usually start at 50% of the quoted price with the florists near my place. The process is actually quite predictable and normally includes funny stories about how high the price was that they had to pay. After a while, they normally agree to sell for around 60% of their original price.

With ceramic sellers, I usually choose some bowls, plates or vases then ask the total bill. I paid 7,000Vnd for a very nice plate compared to my friends who paid 45,000vnd in the shop. They look exactly the same, no mistake. But when you buy ceremic stuff from street vendors, you need to check each item carefully for flaws which they sometimes try to cover with stamps. Don't worry about taking those stamps off before you pay to check that there is no chip or mark. I normally pay about 45% of the first price when dealing with the pottery sellers.

Going to market is even more challenging for me. Most Vietnamese bargain for every single vegetable. I only bargain for veggies if I'm dealing with a vendor for the first time and I generally stand behind another customer to see what the situation is like. After that I will go back to the same vendor as she knows me. I got terribly ripped off by a chicken seller at my local market, paying 50% more than the normal price. I almost went back to shout at her but she's a damn hard woman and I think I better take it as a lesson and never go to her shop again. One thing that I'm always careful about now is watching what the vendor chooses for me...this is really important. Sometimes, after they agree on a cheap price, they pay you back by giving you the bad produce.

It can be a fun way of shopping in Hanoi and Viet Nam. But I think it's important to remember that "you get what you pay for."

Jam?

My friends and I went to the Jam Club for the first time on a Wednesday a few months ago. It was great as I saw the small hiphop show where customers competed in a dance-off together. The girl who won was a great dancer, looked great and really enjoyed herself. The Jam Club is a new world for me compared to other clubs in Hanoi and is currently one of the most popular clubs for Hanoi's young folk. I wondered whether their parents know where they are, how much they are spending on drink and clothes.

I returned to this club last Friday night with some friends as they wanted to listen to some dance music. 90% of the club's clientele is Vietnamese. My friends had never been to the Jam Club before and they were very surprised about how crowded and crazy it was. This club is kind of a replacement for the New Century Dance Club which used to be in Trang Thi street but was closed down by the police. However, Jam is much much smaller and a bit pricey as well. Beer is 50,000Vnd per bottle, with wine and other liquor over the top as well. But most tables seem to have 2 or 3 different kinds of liquors, from Black Label to Gin.... Where do these kids get the money from? Unluckily for us, the Jam Club has $1 Carlsberg beers every sunday, monday, tuesday and thursday... except on wednesday and weekend!!!

They don't allow anyone to take photos here or bring alcohol in from outside. Damn!