The Hanoi Hilton

Yes, I stayed at the Hanoi Hilton, but of course not THE Hanoi Hilton. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you should brush up on your history. Anyhow, I’m back from Hanoi…first a bit of explanation of the city, then on to the exciting stuff…

When you land in Hanoi, you encounter pockets of villages encircled by vast rice patties. Eventually buildings start surrounding the road until you’re in the heart of the city. The houses are very vertical; the nice ones tend to be at least four stories tall. Traffic lights are of no use, just mere suggestions to drivers and hints to the pedestrians as to when traffic may ease up enough that the exhaust heat from the motorbikes won’t blast their knees and calves. People walk – NEVER HESITATE – through the constant flow of traffic at a steady place. The cars, Vespas, and bikes that all share the road just go around you. Everyone beeps to make you aware of their presence, but no one crashes. The sidewalks are teeming with parked bicycles and motorbikes, so much so that the pedestrians are left to battle the traffic on the streets, depending on how busy the path. Vendors fill the spaces not occupied by walkers or parked vehicles. Shoes, food, shirts, bags, cameras – they’re all pouring out onto the sidewalks to compete with the existing chaos. It’s great.

I went to see Ho Chi Minh’s body (they have him mummified in his own mausoleum) and spent an afternoon touring the city in a cyclo (a cart pedaled from the rear by a bicycle), until it started to pour so hard that you couldn’t see more than 10 feet in front of you…I have great pics of it that you can see upon my return.

Now to the not so great part of my trip. I got the flu near the end of my trip. After three days of it (we were back in Singapore by this point), my aunt and uncle insisted I go to the clinic. Doctors here give you medicine for everything, and I was given pills to make me stop throwing up. Needless to say, those didn’t stay down and I had to go to the hospital the next day so they could get me hydrated. Hospitals here are great. They’re quick and efficient, and doctors only see one patient at a time. I spent no more than 20 minutes total at either of my visits. They gave me a shot at the hospital (who knows what it was), which made me feel better instantly.

I now officially have seen every square inch of Singapore thanks to my little hospital trip. I’m well and eating again (as most of you know, food is a big deal to me). I’ll be back in the States 10 days from today, so that’s it for trip updates. The rest you can hear from me when I return.