Good Morning Vietnam!

Updates, updates, updates. Finally.

Three days ago I arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam after having spent two and a half weeks (I think?.. time stands till when you travel) in Laos.

I'm going to try and describe some of the differences between the two countries, although I'm realizing more and more how hard it is to share my experiences with people at home. You sort of have to see these things to really understand them....I say this because I remember reading Brandon's blog on Vietnam when he first left, and the descriptions he gave of what he saw here never really registered until I arrived and saw all of these things for myself.

But I'll try my best to convey some bits and pieces.

Laos first.

Laos is GORGEOUS. Even though it is a landlocked country and we all know how much I love the ocean, I still say it's one of the most beautiful places I've been.....when the smog lifts.

For the first week I was there, everything was engulfed in thick clouds. You could vaguely make out the outline of hills, and imagine how beautiful the country might be if you could just SEE something.

The reason for the cloud cover is because in northern Thailand, Burma and Laos the farmers burn their fields in March. Apparently the ash is a powerful fertilizer. It's also a powerful pollutant, but nobody seems to care (eco-consciousness hasn't really hit south east asia yet).

However. Once I got to Vang Vieng it rained for a day, and then BAM. The Laos that everyone talks about appeared:

Rolling hills, mountain peaks, and limestone cliff formations surround Vang Vieng on all sides while the Nam Xong river flows along the western edge of the town. It's green and lush and the jungle is exactly how you would imagine a tropical forest. Spectacular.

Hence why I got stuck in Vang Vieng for two weeks. It was just too pretty to leave. And fun.

Ambience wise, I would compare VV to summer camp for big kids: everyone in town knows each other within three days of being there and there's tons of outdoor activities to do: tubing, rock climbing, biking, caving, hiking, swimming...PLUS you get all those things you wanted at summer camp but couldn't have cause you were little: co-ed rooms, bars and debauchery on a regular basis. Those who have been know what I'm talking about.

Good times had by all. And then I came to Hanoi.

Holy different city batman.

Hanoi is a city of four million people, with an estimated 2.5 million motorcycles. That's a lot of motorcycles in one place. Sort of a shocker after the relative calm and quiet of Laos.

The streets are narrow and filled with people, food stands, vendors, animals (not dogs and cats, ANIMALS: chickens and cows and turtles...); there are piles of bricks and dirt everywhere (things appear to be in a perpetual state of construction or destruction, I can't quite figure out which it is)...basically picture a city in Canada and then imagine everything being exactly the opposite of that. You'll start to get a bit of an idea of what Hanoi is like.

The poverty level is a bit hard to figure out, perhaps because of the socialism thing. You get the impression that people aren't as poor as in laos, but at the same time people here harass you a lot more...I don't know if it's because they need the money , or they've just figured out that tourist = rich.

Because even if I'm dirt poor by Canadian standards, I'm definitely still in the top 1% of the population here. Wierd.



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Ok that's all I've got for now folks. Hope this satisfies the cravings of those who are still reading the blog. Miss you all and hope everyone is having a happy easter.
My Easter Dinner was a medly of snake meat, intestines, ribs and snake blood. Delicious.
Enjoy the ham.