Home -> Travel Blogs -> Hanoi/Sapa 25 Aug 05 - 30 Aug 05 Pg 8
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It seems like a blink of an eye and we are in the last day of our Vietnam trip. As of other trips, it’s a shame to go straight back to work the next day but my leave is limited. It’s been pretty eventful: the overnight sleeper train to Lao Cai, the hiking trip in Sapa, crossing the border to China, visiting Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, quenching my thirst with Bia Hoi and many more. Just to sum it all up, it had certainly been 1 of the best trips so far.

We walked around doing some last-minute sightseeing. Just plain strolling and observing the city in the hot afternoon. My mind was pretty blank. Not very sure we will ever have the chance to visit Vietnam again. The feeling is pretty similar with the mood felt on the last day of other trips. Irony kicks in as we know that it may take a long time before we can visit Vietnam again since there are PLENTY of unexplored countries. Or worse case, can "long time" means "forever"? Reality says can. No one knows. The feeling of attachment is creating a storm in us again.

I sat down at a Bia Hoi stall drinking godly froth while Bb (my ex) went to shop. Facing the warm afternoon, watching the wheels turning round and round, I see Farangs and Vietnamese men drinking at different tables. A strange feeling came to me. The Vietnamese think that I am a tourist, while the tourists think that I am Vietnamese. So what identity shall I assume? Is it important in the first place? I am all confused. Such is the dilemma of an Asian traveller.

I took a sip of the Bia Hoi, my 8th and it had turned cool. I relaxed and thought about my life. Alcohol must have overcame me and tears came flowing down. What had I done? Where am I heading to? It was at that stark moment that I realised that I don’t have the answers. It’s pretty sad indeed.

Good evening, Vietnam.

   

Noon time in Hanoi. A hawker relaxes by reading newspapers while waiting for hungry commuters to patronize her stall.
Another SOP picture. Pp and Bb (my ex) at Prince 55 hotel (it was a guesthouse actually), P Hang Bac. USD$7/night. Pretty good value with a cable TV as well. We were rushing to check out before 1pm.
Bb (my ex) trying out Bun Cha, which is bbq pork (Cha) with rice vermicelli (Bun). You will take some rice vermicelli and soak it into a bowl containing bbq pork in some brownish soup. Top it up by soaking basil and vietnamese mint leaves (10kdong) into the mixture. Guess that was not the most delicious description I could have written but she liked the food anyway.

It was also strange that I captured the vietnamese lady (shop helper) and the farang staring blankly into the picture as well.
Pp (in Ho CHi Minh t-shirt) and a close up with the propangada poster. The poster is kind of cool, with birds and the Vietnam flag flying in the background. I am a nutter for these...
Bb (my ex) trying out a local desert made of glutinous rice, green bean paste and shaved ice. 4kdong per glass. Pretty effective againist the warm weather of Hanoi.
A cyclo in the street of Hanoi. Although it provided one of the main transport avenues in Hanoi, it has now been relegated by the speed and manouverability of a Honda Dream. The one in the picture is a cyclo for the customers of Hanoi Sofitel Hotel. It primarily serves as a vehicle for a leisure ride in Old Quarter. Used mainly by jewellery-rattling tourists.
The godly froth of Bia Hoi (freshly brewed beer, my 7th of the day). One glass costs 1.5kdong or S$0.16!!! It's quite light and watery to some, but when it is cold and enjoyed on a warm afternoon, it gives you a boost (which beer don't?). Afterall, its the cheapest beer in the world and it's the drink of life!
Took this picture of a farang couple taking a picture of a group of farangs drinking Bia Hoi opposite the street. I must be damn high after hitting 8 glasses of the godly froth to find this interesting.
Views of a Hanoian evening along the airport freeway. My mind is undergoing that "full yet empty" feeling.
Vietnam reprise. A stalk of dry glass with an old polaroid. Will our memories fade out like this picture does?
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