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.

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.

Holidays are Upon Us

As everyone in the US celebrates Thanksgiving, the holiday season starts. Every year, many people buy beautiful poinsettas to decorate churches, homes and holiday shopping displays. During a Saturday afternoon walk in our new neighborhood, I saw a lovely TREE with bright red blossoms. It was a Poinsetta!! Here you see the tree overhanging the lane. Above a closeup with a pretty butterfly. There is an abondance of very large and different types of butterflies in Hanoi.

You will also notice the multitude of electric wires. This is very common here. Apparently when a house gets hooked up to the circuit they add a wire. When something goes wrong, they add another wire. But don't take down the old wire. The result is a ton of wires that useless and forgotten. I read somewhere that over 50% of the wires are unclaimed. The city has asked people to claim the wires that they use. They plan to put all city center wires underground by 2010. The other interesting wire fact is that 4 men were sentenced to 21 years combined for stealing some of this wire and selling it for scrap. The conviction was basically a crime against the state as the wires are property of the government owned electric company. They are useless and unclaimed, but don't think that you can just take them!

Random Shots

Here are a few shots from the streets of Hanoi.

Ladies hanging out in front of what is called an Art Shop, but apparently sells everything but. They were having some sort of hair styling session. Check out the tiny plastic stools. These are very common on the sidewalks of Hanoi.


This is the side of some official building in the old quarter. The colors are really nice.



Apparently bicycles have been replaced by scooters and motorcycles as the transportation mode of choice. It is amazing what can be hauled on the back, front or footrests of these things. "La Vie" is the brand of locally produced drinking water.

Imagine the hustle and bustle of the picture above (honking the horn replaces turning signals, traffic lights and slowing down for all drivers here). Now contrast it with the serenity inspired by the photo below. Just on the other side of the portico is a little haven of greenery and meditation.

Finding a House

Our arrival in Hanoi has been an easing into life in Hanoi. We are starting out with a month in a serviced apartment in a very nice complex near the lake Ho Tay, Sedona Suites.

Complete with a pool, tennis courts and friends for the boys, life here is pretty easy.

Our plan is to spend this haitus looking for a house while waiting for our household goods to arrive from Dubai.

We looked at about 15 houses. Apparently there is a season for househunting in Hanoi, and this isn't it. The district we are looking at is Tay Ho which is located in the northern peninsula of the Ho Tay (West Lake) lake. The hotel is located in this area and it is a popular place for expats (European and American) to look for houses.

The houses are generally very tall and narrow - 3 to 4 stories with very high ceilings. The architecture is very much Euro-inspired. Combined with the luxurious vegetation that is possible here, the result can be very beautiful. This picture was taken at one of the nicer parts of the lakeside.

After visiting many houses, each with their special brand of "no way will we live here", we found the perfect place.

A small (relative to huge) house with views of the lake from every room, beautiful palms in the front yard, and very close to our beloved Sedona Suites, where we can join the club to take advantage of the amenities. I've met the current renters who have nothing but good things to say about the neighborhood, the landlords and the house. So we are very excited.

Our things arrive just in time for our Dec. 1 moving date.

For all Google earth afficianados, go to coordinates: Lat. 21° 3'38.25"N, Long. 105°49'9.41"E. That's our house's exact spot. The area is called Xom Chua.

Click around and look at the pictures provided. They give an excellent idea of the area.
This photo is taken from the small square lake just south of our house. Our house is directly behind the large house on the left. The vegetation in the foreground hides several small houses and gardening shelters. Our landlord lives in one of those. On the map you will notice green areas to the east of us. These are orchards where manderines, bananas and lord knows what else are grown. Very bucolic!

The Non-shopper's Paradise?

The next few entries will be comparisons between Dubai and our new home, Hanoi. This mirrors much of what I spew forth to anyone who cares to listen on a daily basis. So you're going to have to put up with it too.

One major difference is the shopping - or relative lack thereof in Hanoi compared to Dubai. Lack of shopping is probably not an accurate phrase. Because there are so few outlets of international brands, so few "full-service" shopping malls (and absolutely NONE with indoor ski-slopes), you actually do a lot MORE shopping because you actually have to SHOP to find stuff. Notably, food. There is alot of food in Hanoi, but not all of it is recognisable.

One thing Hanoi has on Dubai is a plethora of beautiful, LOCALLY GROWN fruit and vegetables. During my first trip to the market here, I found myself asking 'where do these appels come from? What about these mangos and zucchini?' In Dubai it all came from somewhere very far away. Here, it's all cheap, beautiful and delicious! We love the Pomelos and tiny manderines that you see growing everywhere.

Bon Apetit!

GoodBye Dubai, Hello Hanoi

OH MY LORD... I cannot believe that it has been almost a year since my last entry. The past year in Dubai has been marked by many things, but little did I know that it would be my last. We are moving our expatriate adventure from the middle east to the far east. Just a little further and I'll be back home.

First, saying goodbye to Dubai was for the most part saying goodbye to great friends, and my brand new Ford Explorer... sniff sniff. We bought it in March 2008 and sold it in October. The first and probably last brand new car I will ever own.

But enough with the materialistic, mega shopping, biggest, best and most expensive mentality (not to mention the "screw the environment" attitude).

We will be immersed in the ancient history, culture and natural surroundings of Hanoi. Well, sort of.

Absolutely every single person to whom I announced our new move said "Wow, it is so beautiful there." - "Oh really? Have you been?" Some had, some hadn't, but they were all in agreement. It will be an exciting adventure and a beautiful new place to discover.

I'll keep you all posted as to whether this is true.