It’s been a long time since my last post, but helping to make history in Southeast Asia has been pretty demanding work! And while I enjoy this challenge, when you work hard, you look forward to playing harder. I was thrilled to have four days off right before we went into our final week and official opening of the store on May 27th. As most of you know by now, I spent those four days adding to my collection of Passport stamps by visiting Vietnam. It’s been a few weeks but I at least wanted to recap my thoughts before they completely escape me. Seeing I’m on mandated time of work to recover for my sinus infection, now is as good as a time as any!
Well, I guess I’ll start with the weather. It was so refreshing to be further than two degrees off of the equator! I’m managing living in this tropical rainforest and the humidity really has done wonders for my skin and hair. I almost shudder to think what will happen when i leave here, but I digress… The heat in Singapore can be pervasive and unrelenting, but 1,380 miles to the north of Singapore, the weather was still warm in Hanoi but the breezes were cooling and the nights reminded me of Northern California. To reach Vietnam from Singapore, Hanoi is the longer flying distance than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), but truly worth it. Ho Chi Minh City is still on my list of cities to visit as I would love to look at some museums as well. Especially given the historical implications between our two countries, I’d love to take a look at how things are now from the eyes of those that have grown up and lived there post war. Speaking briefly politics, for any American reading that wants to visit Vietnam, don't forget to obtain a Visa. Unfortunately the way things are happening abroad with the current President, that may become more of the norm for those of us global explorers that want to visit other countries we have previously had decent relationships with. But that’s a rant for another time…
The first day in Hanoi, we hit up some local sites, argued with a street vendor over some hats and had some great food. Ironically for me, nothing Vietnamese. A few of us settled for Indian/Lebanese place which was so great we went there the next day as well. I normally don’t have an adventurous palate- hence the Singapore Dining Diaries entries. Most of those here laugh at me picky tastes and love of McDonalds wings and fries. Admittedly, I just appreciate knowing it’s going to be delicious!! I don’t care for spicy foods (although my range of spice is getting better) so that leaves out most curry dishes and chili infused flavors. I’ll update a bit more on my next dining diary. But, in Hanoi, with trusted friends I did taste things I may not have ordered on my own and try and stretch my palate a bit. Some things were successful and a few were followed by either coke or beer, whichever was closest.
Other observations from the first day were regarding traffic!! Honestly, the lines were more like “suggestions and guidelines” then rules that should be obeyed. I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that I honestly thought we were going to be in a few accidents. The bus to the hotel, the tour bus, our taxi experiences all had me curious to look out the window but then almost regretting I did. I can’t recall the number of motorbikes on the road there but it is astonishing. They are everywhere. And I do mean EVERYWHERE. Whole families are on these bikes. Like sometimes four deep, helmets on, honking and weaving in and out but again no one hits anyone. It’s like a new version of Tetris. Everyone’s vehicle falls into place and we move on about our days without any trouble. Looking around at the vastness of the country and the fields and beauty, I could see how motorbikes make it easier to get around and see all there is. I think living in Singapore, without a car has made me much more open to alternative modes of transportation and their benefits. I honestly enjoy not having to deal with the upkeep and additional expenses that a car requires. Gas. Maintenance. Insurance. In my case as a commuter- Fastrak. And let’s toss in a few car washes for good measure because we have an image to uphold and like to keep our cars shiny…. add traffic congestion on top of that. The point is being a driver in the Bay Area is a serious commitment. I recently have been following a few articles about New York’s issues with their transit lines and although I’ve experienced a few delays on MRT here in Singapore, this system is far and away better than anything I’ve experienced riding either the Subway in NY, the Metro in DC, BART in the Bay and SMARTA in Atlanta. Not saying, I could go to the extreme of owning a bike when I move back home, but I definitely won’t be giving the Vespa scooters any crazy looks while i’m on the road.
Day two began trying to sort out the kinks from sleeping on one of the hardest “beds” I’ve ever slept on in my life. Bless my roomies heart, but she slept in 3 chairs and tried to make that work. It didn’t. During my insomniac interludes, I woke up once to see her on the floor, once in the bed next to me and then finally on the chairs. We joked about how great the place looked online, but from a picture you can’t factor in how the bed feels nor the smoke that permeates the halls and lingers in the rooms. Luckily we were able to upgrade into our smoke-free accommodations but there definitely was a physical cost to it. We ached, but the show carried on as we met up with our friends to head to Halong bay by land. A day long excursion that took about two hours each way. It included sights at an ancient temple, raft exploration through a few caves which i declined and biking which I also declined. I was honestly just happy to take in the sites and didn’t feel the need to over exert myself. But, next time I may try the rafting as my friends said it was more relaxing than working and the pictures they took and the drone footage captured looked incredible.
Speaking of drones a brief segue for a moment here, I’ve always been lukewarm about them. My former store leader had one and was such an enthusiast about them. I loved his energy but could still never imagine owning one myself. Not sure if it is my general nervous nature about the unknown or something else. Well, whenever the drones came out on our trip, people would gather or comment and this was a huge deal to me considering that none of us speak Vietnamese! I joked about not knowing them and walking away especially at one of the lake areas that I think we were being told was a no-drone flying zone. I’m a scary cat. Plus, I have seen Locked up abroad and Brokedown Palace. If being in jail abroad is ANYTHING like that, I want zero parts of it. Not to mention that there isn’t even a US embassy in Vietnam in case things turned cataclysmic. That leads me to another observation about traveling to places where you don’t speak the language. Google translate is your friend, and so is going with friends. I’m adventurous to a point. I’m so glad I decided to tag along and make the trip with others first so that way when I return, I know exactly what I am getting into. Luckily, the evening of the 1st night we found out Grab (über’s ride sharing competitor here in Singapore) also works in Thailand. For me that was a game changer. We didn’t have to worry as much about being scammed which already happened leaving the airport. We just needed to know where we were and enter the address for the driver. So if anything got lost in translation when telling someone, the app alleviated the need for that in addition to confirming a preset price for the fair. I think the highest amount was 33,000VND. Sound like a lot? Less than $1.50USD. Vietnam is very affordable once you get there. Food is cheap. Beer is cheap. Hotels were also very cheap. The people we all encountered were nice as well. I’m learning a lot of considerations about not just traveling alone and how it is different than moving to Singapore alone. (A special blog interview with one of our travel companions will go deeper into this later.)
Alright so back to the day to day trip recap. Approaching midnight on the 15th of May my friends surprised me with a makeshift "birthday cake" on the rooftop of the hostel where the majority of them were staying. I should have taken pictures of it but it was essentially a brownie pack with a candle. It was perfect! They're kindness spoke volumes. Later on my birthday we got back on the bus and began the 3.5 hour drive down to Halong Bay. As we set out, on our journey most of us listened to music and chatted or rested. I opted for sleep. As we got closer the sunshine turned to darkness and the sounds of rain against the windows along with thunder woke me up. Unsettled is the calmest way I can describe the angst and disappointment I was feeling. Our boat trip would hopefully not be cancelled but so much for a great birthday because I refused to step foot in a boat with thunder and lightening dancing around. Maybe it’s the California girl in me, but i’m still not at all used to the storms and am working on it. I was proud of myself a few days ago for my response to some pretty terrible storms we had since I’ve returned to Singapore. Back to my birthday, the arrival of this storm disappointed the birthday girl immensely. The thought of a perfect day on the bay was ruined. “You can plan a pretty picnic, but you can’t predict the weather.”-Outkast. Once our tour bus arrived to the harbor it was confirmed that we were on a delay and the government was calling ships back in for safety and we were delayed from heading out. And since we were set to have lunch on the boat, that also would have to wait. So, I stood under what I think was metal covering clutching on to my friends and panicking a bit. Everyone else’s calmness helped as they tried to entertain me and get me to relax….After about an hour we were cleared to at least head on to the boat for our buffet lunch which was delicious. Fresh seafood and local cuisine were on the menu. First order of business… birthday vodka!! My table mates and friends drank with me as I finally relaxed and figured if I was going to get struck by lightning at least I should have one final toast to the good life!! Luckily it didn't come to that and about 3/4 of the way through lunch my anxiousness dissipated and the skies cleared enough for us to finally set sail into Halong Bay. Once we started to put the harbor behind us, what appeared in front of us was indescribable beauty. Halong Bay apparently translates from “Bay of Descending Dragons” and our guide told us of the story of how it received it’s name. The islands almost can resemble the shape of dragons weaving it’s way up and back down between the sea and the sky. There are 1,969 islands in the archipelago and my few pictures didn’t do it any justice. The storm passed through made for clear skies, calm seas and what ended up being one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen in my 37 years. Had I given into my fear of thunder and lightening and not stepped onto the boat, it wouldn’t have brought me another amazing experience that I will never forget. And while we left with two drones and returned back with one, so much more was gained on that trip. New friends, newfound respect for mother nature and a reminder to remain calm and be patient. As I am finding out in my new life here in Singapore that everything does happen for a reason and continuing to have a positive attitude will only make things better, not worse.
Until next time, do something that scares you- even a little bit and see if it was worth it in the end!!
Love & Light!
Charm
