A Whole New World

I arrived last Thursday, armed with my $200 and ready to settle into the world that is South East Asia. After quite an impressive flight on the world's number one airline, Cathay Pacific, I took a taxi into Hanoi City which was going ot be my first stop for the trip. It was the smells of Asia that greeted me, a reminder of the great times (and food) to come. Upon leaving the terminal, taxi drivers ran towards me, acting as if we were long lost friends with everyone attempting to pull the dumb foreigner into their cab for a ride. "How much to To Ngoc Van" I asked, and a different answer from all. However, I knew it was 250 000 VND to my first destination and I was determined not to pay a penny more. The reality is, I don't know what a lot of things cost in Vietnam, and I conned yesterday when I was charged 2000 VND (7p) for the toilet when I should have only paid 1000 VND, but I guess that's something I can live with.

As some of you already know, I will be travelling the region for two months and am doing most of it solo. The primary goal of my trip is to do some research, which I start tomorrow, and the other goal is to discover this world that is pretty new to me. Living out of a backpack is going to be interesting; I'm not exactly known for my ability to pack lightly. Being alone is going to be an experience, but the reality remains that you are never really alone when travelling. I meet a lot of people every day, travellers from absolutely everywhere (USA, Scandinavia, Germany, Australia, New Zealand etc.) and some Vietnamese, although the language can be a little more of a barrier than I had hoped.

If my memory serves me well, it's always an interesting experience being a black guy in Asia. These societies tend to me a little more homogeneous than the streets of Newham in East London so my face is definitely a weird face. People here don't mind staring and this is something I'm just going to have to get used to, so far returning a smile has been a good tactic. What I've seen of the Vietnamese thus far has been great; Hanoi is a city full of living culture and history and it's great to be here. If I can survive crossing the roads in this city, then I really will have achieved something in my life. The first few days have entailed using an old lady as my guard and crossing beside her, this seemed the best method as nothing here stops. My guidebook says "maintain a steady pace and just keep going," a technique that I have grown the confidence to use now. There is no 'stop, look, listen, think' here, just "Go!"

It's exciting being somewhere new. I am a different face around the place and am enjoying the challenge. The heat can be pretty killer, the sweat unbearable, but it's all part of the experience. I have grown to the motorcycle as a primary mode of transport, it's the default here but I'm not quite brave enough to rent. It's pretty interesting watching the young guys and girls zooming through the streets on their bikes, some carrying their babies or even goats on their laps. Apparently Vietnam has helmet laws, so you do see them around here, but some of these guys will put a piece of paper on their heads just to "abide" by the law.

It seems when it hit's past 6pm, the normal order of the day is to head somewhere where they serve Bia Hoi (a Vietnamese beer) and to drink the night away; at 4000 VND (15p) it's not a bad deal. I was in a club yesterday and the sounds of Jay Z, Rihanna and Jason Derullo have reached the deepest corners of Vietnam, which I guess is no surprise.

So, that's the beginning of my journey and some of my first impressions. I guess there's a lot more to see and do. I went to the Mausoleum to see the body of Ho Chi Minh yesterday, have been to a water puppet show and have just been exploring the city of Hanoi. I have plans to visit the Sapa region next week, Halong Bay next weekend and then eventually make my way to Laos next weekend (very tentative). I guess I'll keep you posted.