Temple of LiteratureEven the taxi drivers were very entertaining. There was the one taxi driver who, upon seeing that we were looking around for a bar to have some drinks and probably wanting to put us in a party mode, popped Dragostea Din Tea by O-zone into his CD player and when we started to sing and dance to it, he turned it up full blast, grinning at our kookiness.
Then there was Mr. Rotten McTeeth who would mumble incoherent phrases to us and then just spontaneously erupt into fits of laughter. At first we found this amusing, laughing along with him, until he transformed into Count Touchy Von Feely rubbing my arm as he laughed until my friend in the backseat told him to stop, which he did at least.
I love how their names translate into names like Moon (the lady who took my measurements at the dress shop), Flower Lily (we met at least two Flower Lilys) and River (our guide in Ha Long Bay).
But my favorite was Too (I’m guessing it’s spelled this way), the girl at the Sinh Cafe where we rented our motorbikes. She was just adorable! When we tried to explain to her that we needed to load gas into our bikes and she couldn’t understand what we were saying, she turned and ran screaming into her shop shouting “Choy Oy!!” (Oh my god!), then quickly came back out after she calmed down a bit. After another round of charades, she eventually got it.
There isn’t much to be said about night life in laid-back Hanoi. The few bars that are open cater mostly to expats and the few locals found in cafes and bars were there to watch World Cup football. The streets, though, are filled with young people on motorbikes who seem to endlessly drive around the city until very late at night. Where do they go? Do they just drive in circles? Seeing the motorists that have accumulated at a stop light and then watching them rev up after the light turns green can be quite overwhelming. It’s like the attack of the Vespas!
Because Hanoi was a French colony once upon a time, here you get the best of both worlds. Naturally, it boasts excellent Vietnamese street food which can be had at ridiculously cheap prices. However, Hanoi is perhaps better known for its many mid-range and fine dining French restaurants.
Now I’m craving for some Pho…
