Tuesday, September 18, 2007
No I Don't Want a Motorbike Ride/Books/Postcards
By request, I've got one more entry about Hanoi before moving on to my experiences here in Kuala Lumpur (this one's for you, Sam).
I'm not sure what I was expecting from Hanoi but the city was...different. Even though the country is moving up in the world I still got a sense of desperation, of poverty. I mean, yes, there were the excitable youth with their Japanese hairstyles, but as I walked the streets that sense of optimism didn't pervade.
To be fair, I spent most of my time in one part of town, the Old Quarter near Hoam Kiem Lake. So yeah, seeing only one part of town -- the old part at that -- I was liable to miss out on the thriving capitalism. I really didn't see any "middle class" there, just the poor and the very well off. What I should have done, in retrospect, was go into the business district. Something else that would be good, given my background, would have been to take a stroll around a university. I guess I will need to visit Hanoi again someday.
Maybe next time, I will also hire a guide. One problem there was I didn't know anyone, and I also didn't have a lot of time to prep for the trip and learn my way around in advance. I had talked to someone online before going and he suggested we get together but he ended up blowing me off. Too bad, because I ultimately didn't go out at night...unknown city, unknown language, liable to get hustled or worse in the mixed, gay-friendly bars (let's face it, I kinda stood out as a visitor)...in the end I decided not to venture forth. Maybe a mistake, but at least it allowed me to rest up for my KL adventure. And I needed that rest, because this trip has been INCREDIBLY fun.
More on that next time.
How's that, Sam?
I'm not sure what I was expecting from Hanoi but the city was...different. Even though the country is moving up in the world I still got a sense of desperation, of poverty. I mean, yes, there were the excitable youth with their Japanese hairstyles, but as I walked the streets that sense of optimism didn't pervade.
To be fair, I spent most of my time in one part of town, the Old Quarter near Hoam Kiem Lake. So yeah, seeing only one part of town -- the old part at that -- I was liable to miss out on the thriving capitalism. I really didn't see any "middle class" there, just the poor and the very well off. What I should have done, in retrospect, was go into the business district. Something else that would be good, given my background, would have been to take a stroll around a university. I guess I will need to visit Hanoi again someday.
Maybe next time, I will also hire a guide. One problem there was I didn't know anyone, and I also didn't have a lot of time to prep for the trip and learn my way around in advance. I had talked to someone online before going and he suggested we get together but he ended up blowing me off. Too bad, because I ultimately didn't go out at night...unknown city, unknown language, liable to get hustled or worse in the mixed, gay-friendly bars (let's face it, I kinda stood out as a visitor)...in the end I decided not to venture forth. Maybe a mistake, but at least it allowed me to rest up for my KL adventure. And I needed that rest, because this trip has been INCREDIBLY fun.
More on that next time.
How's that, Sam?
Labels: Travel
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Ooh, update! No Lonely Planet about your being we gather? Haha we remember being to scared to head out alone to a gay club while in Europe, but then again it's because we're petite and don't know self-defense. :P
Kinda like Indonesia. Being in Jakarta, it's sorta odd to see the poorest of the poor and the richest of the rich - but not the middle class. The vast difference in between is unnerving.
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