Wednesday, December 17, 2008

The Ladies of Hanoi

I only have one picture so far, but I will get more. It seems that these women are the recycling and/or retail distribution force in Hanoi. You can see them everywhere in the residential and downtown areas of the city with their plastic or paper treasures strapped to the bicycles in various ways.
This lady seems to be collecting paper and cardboard. When we moved into the house, some lady got rich off of the cardboard boxes and packing paper she collected in front of our house. When I saw a shop keeper fling 2 large plastic bags into the street, I thought, how could he litter right in front of his shop. Not 2 minutes later, a lady like the one pictured above came by and collected those 2 bags. What seems to be a careless disregard for cleanliness, is actually sorting out the recycling - Hanoi style.

The other activity predominant among the ladies on the bicycles is retail. They meander through the neighborhoods calling out to residents. Potatoes, brooms, feather dusters, flowers, wicker baskets all sorts of things. Here is a photo from a museum, but it gives you an idea how much stuff can be transported by the bicycle vendors.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Morning on Ho Tay Lake

We live on the edge of the Ho Tay (West Lake), and the children get the bus on the lake road every morning at 7:47. So we take in the sights as they wait for the bus. Yesterday the light was very nice and the lake was very smooth. A perfect photo op. The 2 main activities on the lake are fishing and rowing. No sailing, no jetskis, no water skiing. The relatively silent activities are a nice contrast to the noisy streets of Hanoi.

While I'm at it, here are 2 totally unrelated shots.Nice Soviet propaganda style poster about the liberation of Vietnam from the French in 1954. At least I think that's what it's about.And a nice pack of banana leaves sitting in front of a small restaurant waiting to wrap up some Bahn Chung, no doubt. I haven't tasted this dish yet, but I will soon.