Here are some factors that tinge our upcoming experiences today:
this is our first visit to a communist country; we both have some feelings (definitely not soothing or cozy) about entering Vietnam; we know the traffic is crazy, we speak not a word of Vietnamese, we hope all goes smoothly.
This is what actually happens:
Roger gets us to the airport an hour and a half before our flight, despite huge traffic delays.
He puts us out in front of a door that had we walked straight would have gotten us to the correct ticket counter...we turn left and walk half the airport before we get someone to point us in the right direction.
We stand in a long line that moves fairly quickly...still plenty of time.
At the ticket counter we give over our reservation papers and passports. After minutes of studying our papers, the agent says, "You need visa for Vietnam." We have visas. Pam pulls out her important papers folder. No visas. We scramble through her back pack. No visas. Back through impt. Papers folder. Pam and I are in a panic. "I have the visas. I don't know where they are. I don't know, what to do," she looks imploringly at the agent. "Must have," he replies. We look at one another. "Ahh, here," says the agent. "Visas behind ticket papers." Tickets are issued, bags tagged and we rush off toward security.
We arrive at our gate as the plane is boarding. When we land we follow other non Vietnamese people to customs and visa processing. We stand in line. A military guy takes our passports and visa papers and sends us into another line. "My god," we say to one another. "He has our passports." Twenty minutes and $50 later we have our passports back and NOW we can go through customs. Thankfully we find our duffles right away and are soon in the care of Duc (pronounced Dick) and we are off for downtown Hanoi.
It is raining maybe 8 hours a day Duc tells us. There is mud everywhere. Most folks are on motorcycles. Very muddy. Cars, trucks, motorcycles, and sometimes oxen dart in and out of each others paths. I think of a podcast I heard. Thich Naht Hahn (Vietnamese monk) is speaking about life issuing from garbage and mud. "The lotus," he explains in accented English, "must have mutt to grow. Without mutt, there can be no lotus." Lots of mutt here, I think to myself.
At the hotel, Duc gives us directions to a coffee shop for lunch and to the lake at the center of town. Before he leaves he says, "When you are crossing the street, just move into the traffic slowly and keep walking. Don't stop. Whatever you do, don't turn back. You can look at the eyes of the drivers to see who will hit you..." Then he laughs. "Remember walk deliberate. Keep moving. You will be fine." Then he is gone.
Three amazing facts:
1. It is me, BB who finds the coffee shop and gets us oriented and going in the right direction.
2. The coffee and food is delicious,
3. We cross streets small and major. Pam tries to stop on our first try. I grab her jacket and say, "No stopping. Keep moving." A motorcycle--two people aboard--swerves, and cuts around in back of us. Horns honk, and we are safely on the other side. As the Texans say, "Thank you, Jesus!"
On our walk around the lake (lots of mutt)...we see at least five couples all decked out in wedding garb. One bride is getting her face done. Most are posing for Pictures both serious and hilariously happy. On the far side of the lake I join a gang of teenagers peering into the murky green water. I see small bubbles. A girl and boy keep snapping pictures with their phones. I see nothing. "BIG tur-tell," the girl tells me. I stick with the kids until I too see the big turtle push his face above the water. "See? See?" the girl says to me. "BIG tur-tell!" we both laugh.
On the way back to the hotel, we get a little lost. A man helps us by counting on his fingers how many blocks back we missed our turn (3). Now we are home. Pam was thoughtful enough to download the iPad direction bible on her iPad. She shows me the section on uploading pictures. We have pictures now. Check out Catching Up #2...it's all pictures. To see them better, just click on a pic to make it larger. Tomorrow, a visit with Ho Chi Min, and all day tour of the city with Duc.
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Location:Hanoi
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