Bits & Pieces of Hà Nội

Here are some some of the little corners and often overlooked details of what makes Hanoi such a charming place.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another Day at the Office

Self proprietors pushing their bicycles, weighted down by goods to sell to a tough, and often unforgiving, world of retailers and consumers is always a humbling sight. 

You have to admire the Vietnamese sense of enterprise and perseverance. No matter how little of an income can be made, they are willing to ply whatever trade disposable to them to survive the day. 

Survival is the order of the day for a loan roaming salesman swathed in belts, wallets and watches. So too for the young boys buffing perfect shoe shines for a dollar, and for the elderly women who carry thirty pound baskets of fruits upon their shoulders as they meander the streets, alleyways and walkways of Hanoi. 

 

 

 

 

Hà Nội Awakes

From the crack of dawn, many Hanoians are up and about, starting their day with exercise.

It's a common sight across Vietnam each morning to see people out on the streets and at public spaces, stretching their limbs and warming up for day.

Hoan Kiem Lake (Hồ Hoàn Kiếm) and Tay Ho Lake (Hồ Tây) are just two of the many popular areas in Hanoi for morning walks, jogs, tai chi and aerobics classes! 

   

  

And if exercise is not on the morning itinerary...

Hanoi is simply a great place to pull up a small...a really, really small...plastic chair (pretty much anywhere), order up a cà phê sữa đá (traditional Vietnamese coffee on ice, sweetened with condensed milk) and watch the world go by.

 

 

 

 

As the new day awakens, so too does the traffic. 

With what seems like an infinite number of bicycles and motorcycles, and now increasingly cars, Hanoians swarm the city streets to make their way to school and work. 

 

 

 

 

Remembering Hà Nội

It's been almost ten months since I stepped onto the bus that scuttled me out of Hanoi, my home for almost three years, towards a new chapter in my life. It was a time to close the doors of the past, bury unwanted things and move on. But I was missing Hanoi the moment the bus pulled out of the station.

Almost a year on and my longing for the old city hasn't diminished one bit.

Sure, it's not a place for everyone...but neither is New York (although my sister would probably disagree!). For me, it teems with character. It has grit laced with a sprinkling of charm. Its true beauty reveals itself if the mind is open to look beyond the confines of stereotypes, prejudices and expectations.

Over the next few posts and pictures, I share with you some of my memorable moments in Hanoi...snapshots of what made it so beautiful for me.

Colors Chased Away

colors chased away
invaded by darkness
temporary blindness
before shades of grey

stillness all around
screams of silence
lost innocence
memories still not found

swimming in my bed
praying to drown
lose the crown
be one with the dead

a flicker of light
flooded by colors
fighting the shudders
a pause for the night

Viet Nam - Hue

Getting back to my journey through Viet Nam...

Reluctant to leave the tranquility of Sapa, I was nonetheless eager to continue my travels southward down the Viet Nam coast. My next destination was by bus 700km (438 miles) south of Hanoi, the old city known as Hue, the imperial capital of Viet Nam between 1802 and 1945 and the cradle of power for the Nguyen Dynasty.

I had been looking forward to being in Hue for a long time, not only because of its history, but also because of its architecture, it citadel and because it was home to one of my most favorite Vietnamese dishes, Bun Bo Hue (a beef and pork noodle soup).

I had picked probably one of the worst seasons to vist Viet Nam. It was the cold and wet months. But although my days in Hue was constant with rain, from drizzles to downpours, it felt perfect. It simply enhanced the romantic atmosphere and walking in the rain never felt so good as it did while walking along the banks of Song Huong (Huong River).

An Attempt To Remember What Was Lost

I had this sudden urge today to start painting again. It's been over thirteen years since the last time I touched a brush to a canvas. Been too terrified to start before. I've kept in the store unopened tubes of paint, unused canvases and virgin brushes for the last couple of years in the hope of making peace with this long lost friend. But what the hell do I paint? What is so meaningful that it merits me abandoning my fears?

For certain reasons today, I felt my life disrupted. I felt things were not the way my life should be. I guess perhaps this deviation ignited a chain of emotions which brought the need to paint back into my life. And so...what do I paint?

The first few base colors are down already. Let's see...maybe, just maybe...