Sunday 17 September – Hanoi
Wake a few times during the night, but each time it’s still dark.
That’s good.
But then it is light; bit before 8.00am, I’m told.
Lay there, but then force myself, as well as Lisa, to make a move.
Downstairs after 8.30am, into the breakfast area, and we’re it.
It makes me feel lazy.
Fruit, cà phê sữa đá, just the usual. The same old, same old.
But I’m not complaining.
Back upstairs to get organised for our day of no real plans whatsoever, and then back out around 10.00am.
Down towards the lake, past Cammy’s work; she’s there. Good!
Over the closed road; still the weekend; then an anti-clockwise lap begins.
It’s busy, but nowhere near over the top like a couple of weeks ago, so pretty much your standard weekend.
Down the southern end where the remote control cars are, and there’s plenty of Vietnamese kids ‘learning’ how to drive.
It’s always fun to see and watch.
Up the eastern side, and then reach the northern end, managing to avoid any English lessons, even though we weren’t trying to avoid them at all.
We just never got asked.
That changes when we get to the top of the lake, when four young girls approach us.
It’s not a long lesson, but it was still fun, while watching a young Vietnamese guy dismantling an aluminium structure, that had been set up for some of the weekend festivities.
He is, of course, minus all of the usual safety equipment you’d find available, to anyone in Australia doing the same thing.
He does, however, have his Vietnamese work sandals.
Braver man than I……
First lesson of the morning.
It went up, now it has to come down.
We move on, and the decision is made to do another lap.
Down the western side, and we’re approached again. A brother and sister, 11 and 13 years old, with my ‘student’ being the boy, and Lisa’s the girl.
The boy’s English turns out to be incredibly good, and the conversation is real, with it going both ways. He tells me he’s been to Japan, then brings up the subject of rubbish, and then, because he knows I’m Australian, we talk about Australia.
Including his belief that Australia is known for its guns.
I’m not sure where that belief comes from.
Glancing over to Lisa as both my ‘student’ and I start to run out of topics, and I see she’s attracted two or three more.
Must be nice to be popular…..
A mother and her son, maybe seven or eight, approaches, and my young guy immediately invites them in to take over from him.
I could tell that he was getting tired, and it was quite funny at how quickly he brought them in when he saw the opportunity.
This new young boy, while nowhere near the previous in terms of English speaking ability, is still pretty good, although he feels much more comfortable; understandably, sticking to the usual script that schools obviously hand out during the week.
“What your name? Where you from? What’s your favourite Vietnamese food?…..”
Having a little confidence with the previous kid, I try and change it up a little, by using a couple of the handful of Vietnamese words I know.
With the script deviated from, he initially has a confused look on his face, but then relaxes when he receives a little help from his mum.
A few more minutes of ‘chatting’, and then the lesson comes to an end when mum and son move on to find another ‘teacher’.
I head across towards Lisa, who is still as popular as ever, but am intercepted before I can get there.
This time they’re a bit older, with two girls around 19, and a guy who is 21.
“Do you mind if we talk to you”, the young guy says.
“No problem”, I say, and we do.
And we do for ages.
Favourite food, how long have you been in Vietnam, where have you been in Vietnam, hobbies, sport, the whole lot.
Then it’s reversed, as they too would like to be asked questions. Again, no problem, but only up until the point where I run of question ideas.
It’s been a whole heap of fun, but I’m knackered. Which is probably not all that surprising, seeing as these ‘lessons’ have been going for almost an hour.
They too seem ready to move on, but not before requesting a few photos, which as always, I am more than happy to do.
Photos done, reunited with Lisa, and really needing a rest, we give up on the idea of completing that second lap.
Up to Affetto for the usual cà phê sữa đá, along with a trà đá, and it’s nice to just sit and watch, without having to think too much.
Coffee done, around the corner to St Joseph’s – yes, photos taken; and then down to Bánh My Mama’s.
It’s just hard not to….
An acknowledging smile from the young girl, and she’s almost making our pork skewer bánh mì’s before I’ve managed to stammer out the Vietnamese description.
Because we’ve just spent the last 40 minutes or so sitting with our coffees, we decide there’s no harm in doing the same with our bánh mì’s, so we take a seat in the small alley the cart is in.
Lunch (40 000 Dong) done, we head back to the Emerald to pick up yesterday’s conquest, and then make our way down to deliver it.
Fortunately Cammy is still at work, and Lisa proudly hands over her artwork, while I proudly stand by admiring the colour combination of the frame and mat board, that I so expertly recommended.
Irrespective of who was most proud of what, Cammy loves the gift, which, apparently, is the most important thing….
We sit and chat for a bit, still reasonably comfortable about the fact that we still don’t have to do that dreaded goodbye just yet, but very well aware that it will be here far quicker than I would like it to be.
Back to the Emerald around 2.00pm, and while I’m feeling okay, I have become aware of a slightly sore throat, along with a few muscle aches. It’s not bad……at the moment, but it is of some concern as to where it will all end up.
A rest and recovery session is had, which results in a rather short nap, and a fair amount of simply just lying there.
Almost 4.00pm, and with the doing nothing starting to wear thin, it’s time.
Downstairs, and as I walk past a busy Jenny at the desk, she looks up and says, “Dinner, 6.00pm, with another guest”, pointing in the direction of the breakfast room.
“Oh, okay, no problem”, I reply, slightly surprised, but also very pleased, and having a very good idea of who the other guest will be.
Outside, into Stainless Steel Street, up Bat Dan, and I’m quickly once again back doing my thing.
The usual sights; the rubbish and recycling ladies, pyjama guy, previously known as grumpy pyjama guy, and the Hạt Dẻ cart, which Google says is chestnuts, of which I have seen a number of times over the last few days.
It stands out, not because of the name, nor the uniqueness or style of the cart, but because it has a microwave on board.
It just doesn’t look right, and whenever I see it, I stupidly expect to see a really long extension lead trailing behind it.
Matty turns up a few minutes after me, and we pick up where we left off yesterday. He’s still shaking his head at how his dad fell for the WhatsApp scam, but in some good news, his dad’s bank was able to recoup some of the money. The rest, they’re not so sure about.
We chat about our days, and it seems he’s had a fairly quiet day like us, with his involving several hours in and around a pool.
It was at a hotel down behind the Opera House, which he’s not actually staying at, but was able to make use of it for a fee of 200 000 Dong.
It gets me thinking about how many times we’ve used a pool while in Vietnam, and the answer is not that many. And never here in Hanoi.
More beers, more watching of the world, and more chatting, with Matty now thinking about where to from here. He’s enjoyed Hanoi, but feels it’s time to see some Vietnamese countryside, with the obvious first choice being Ninh Binh.
We discuss options, with the likely one being the train, which will probably then result in using the train to continue on south.
The joys of solo travel, and doing it on the fly….
A couple more beers, which are going down particularly well today, probably helped with how warm and sticky it’s been, all while listening to thunder rumbling somewhere well off in the distance.
A short thunderstorm would actually be welcome, but looking at the sky, that seems rather unlikely at the moment.
Just before 6.00pm, and needing to keep our recently arranged dinner date, I bid Matty farewell, but only until tomorrow.
Back down to Stainless Steel Street, then around the corner and into Hang Manh. Into the Emerald, and Jenny is busy with customers at the desk.
“6.30pm!”, she says, as I walk past.
“Aaaargh, I could have had two more beers!”, I reply.
She rolls her eyes, but laughs.
Upstairs, quick shower, have one of those beers I missed out on up at Bat Dan, and then downstairs as ordered, by 6.30pm.
My assumption on who our fellow ‘dinner guest’ was likely to be is exactly right, with it being a guy I had seen several times throughout our stay.
His name is David, and he happens to be from Sydney, but is currently staying here while he studies Vietnamese.
Dinner arrives, with the help of Grab, and it’s phở cuốn, along with stir fried beef and vegetables, and crispy noodles.
The food is great, but not for the first time, it’s more about where we are, and who we’re with.
First, getting the opportunity to chat with someone who has, essentially, packed up his life to follow a dream or desire, and to hear all about his experiences in doing so.
Being single obviously allows him that opportunity, but still, it’s a pretty big move to make.
And second, the incredibly generous offer from Jenny to allow all of this to happen.
A more genuine person you would be hard pressed to meet, and once again, it just blows my mind with what we get to experience.
The one problem with that, however, is that it’s incredibly difficult to be able to show enough appreciation for opportunities like these.
A simple thank you just doesn’t really cut it.
Dinner, a couple of beers, and much chatting, mostly, if not all, Vietnam related, done, we leave Jenny to do her thing, and David to return to his language homework.
Still too early to call it a night, we head out a bit after 9.00pm.
Past the yellow chair touts, who interestingly and surprisingly, and maybe because they’ve already made their money for the night, don’t even attempt to drag us in.
Up Bat Dan, and then up to our beer place, there’s still a few around, but it is rather quiet.
Seat taken on the footpath, beers quickly arrive, and the world is once again watched.
The rubbish and recycling ladies are still doing their thing, while a guy who has somehow come across a ladder, contemplates the best way he’s going to get it home. On his motorbike.
While he did manage to move off down the street with it, I’m not overly confident it made it home without incident.
My young guy is looking after other tables, so tonight we have a different guy looking after us. Our new guy returns with another beer, and as he comes towards us, I can see that it looks more ice cream like, than beer like.
I look over at my usual guy, and then direct his attention to the poorly poured beer I am about to receive.
The look on his face changes immediately, from the now usual happy and contented look he wears while he goes about his job, to one of concern.
It impresses me, because it not only shows that he understands, but also that he cares.
He moves across to intercept our guy, and takes him, and my beer, back to rectify the beer / froth ratio.
It quickly returns, perfectly poured, and as it’s handed over, I give tonight’s guy a heartfelt cảm ơn for his troubles, while our usual beer guy gives me a knowing smile from over near the road.
It was all rather funny the way it played out, although tonight’s guy perhaps may not have enjoyed it quite as much as the rest of us.
But, he may just have learnt something.
Starting to get a little late, and with the realisation that we are now halfway through our Hanoi time, I use Google Translate to ask our usual guy when he’ll be working over the next few nights.
He disappears, and then returns, using Google to tell us Tuesday and Wednesday, which I am very happy about.
I just can’t leave without getting the opportunity to say goodbye.
Now the wrong side of 10.30pm, we make a move. And as we do, my guy gives me a hẹn gặp lại.
It’s nice, but he’s now making that final goodbye a little more difficult.
Down Bat Dan and into Stainless Steel Street. Our convenience store girl is in the process of locking the door, so alternative arrangements will need to be made.
Leaving Lisa to navigate the last bit on her own, I head up to the road that runs behind the Emerald, with the knowledge that there is a Circle K up there.
While my knowledge was correct, it is now not, as the Circle K is no longer there.
I continue on around the block, and eventually find the object of my desires; a convenience store in Hang Bong.
A few beers at 15 000 Dong, a Coke (14 000 Dong), and a packet of chips (25 000 Dong), while listening to a couple of western tourists using their best Vietnamese, to thank the shop attendant by repeatedly saying, “come on”, “come on”.
Still, it’s the thought that counts…..
Back to the Emerald, and with Anh busy on the phone, there’ll be no chatting tonight, so it’s straight upstairs for the usual on the bed.
On the surface, another one of those, kind of, ‘nothing days’.
A walk around the lake. But also the opportunity to practice English with some incredibly friendly locals.
Delivery of yesterday’s challenge, and another chance to catch up with Cammy.
And then meeting David at our unexpected dinner, but perhaps more significantly, spending some time with Jenny, who is not only so genuine and so easy to talk to, but also someone who is now most definitely considered a friend.
Even if she does get frustrated when I mispronounce Vietnamese street names, despite her constant corrections.
Hey, I was never that good at school, so it’s unlikely to change any time soon….
So, three full days, with Lisa, done in Hanoi, with just three full days remaining.
It’s starting to go real quick, and I hate that.
But not as much as I hate the fact that I’m calculating and thinking like that.
Really need to just live the moment….
12.30am, it’s well past time.
Just another thing I’m really not that good at.
Cheers,
Scott
seriouslynot 