Imagine you are invited into a grand cathedral. Their are stain glass windows of ancient origin which depict stories of childhood stories. It is quiet as everyone sits and takes in the beauty. People, without invitation, find themselves in the stories depicted in the scenes surrounding them. There is so much space. Each person has their own row. As everyone becomes seated music plays softly in the background. First it is only the piano and then gradually and one at a time the viola, harp and base are added. The music gradually gets louder and then softer again. What a great place to be. Then you and the rest of the group are motioned to follow a guide through a door at the front of the cathedral. You are not sure where the door leads to but your are up for another experience--especially if it is anything like the last one.
This door takes you into a tiny room. The space is limited and now you are not even 6 inches from the other people around you. It is like being in a full elevator in the most humid of days. You are sticky and so are they. No one wants to touch each other but you can't help it. The walls are grew with nothing on them. There is an odor of water logged carpet and sweaty bodies. You've only just entered into this tiny room! As the last person enters the door closes shut. Everyone jumps when the music bumps and pounds from the ceiling. Smoke comes streaming from the walls filling the room. No one knew it was coming and no one expected it could be this loud, this tight and this offensive. Techno music! Some people love it. They start jumping up and down--moving to the music. Others wear faces of confusion and frustration. What is going on? If you can put yourself in that situation, then you may have some idea of what I'm feeling tonight. ; )
How else can one describe what it feels like to be in Lijiang, Yunnan, China in the morning and Hanoi, Vietnam in the evening? This morning I was in a beautiful cathedral and enjoying the ebbs and flows of the music. This afternoon a driver guided me into the blaring cramped space of Hanoi. First impressions mean a lot and my first impression is one of shock. The shock has everthing to do with the incredibly awesome (in the literal sense) contrast between my morning and evening. Worlds apart but only a 2 hour flight!
I was picked up from the airport through the hotel I booked. It was great to see my name written out for my finding and to be whisked away to the hotel. My eyes were peeled once again to the window as I took in new sights. People actually wear those pointed topped hats here. Rice fields and more rice fields adorned the side of the highway. The architecture is Eurasian and colorful. The French influence is so obvious.
It began to rain as we drove the 40 minute stretch from the airport to the hotel. But it was when we got into the Old Quarter, near the hotel, that we received a massive down poor. The streets were not only gathering puddles of water but they were forming tiny rivers in the street gutters. My driver stopped and pointed and in broken English said, "Your hotel". I wasn't sure what building he was pointing to. The one near the car? The one around the corner? It was pouring enough to block the view from the front car window. I was glad we weren't driving. He found an umbrella. I found my umbrella from my back pack. He hesitated like he didn't want to show me where the hotel was. I hesitated because I didn't want to get out of the car. We both opened our doors together. My packs went on faster than ever and we began to walk. We walked maybe 2 minutes. Motor bikes were whizzing by us. I entered the hotel and my bags were soaked. There was no "singing in the rain" today!
The hotel people let me put my stuff in my room and take care of all of the wet stuff before they had me take care of the "business". That was nice of them! What was I going to do...run and not pay?
I took a walk where the hotel was when the rain ceased. The street I'm on is like the city market. Woman are selling raw chicken, fish, vegetables, etc. It is cramped. Buildings are so close you could spit into the next door neighbors window. There are a mass amount of motorcycles. Hanoi has motorbikes like Beijing has bicycles. Watch out! A mix of motorbikes, men on bikes with a passenger cart (cyclos), bicycles, cars and pedestrians are all vying for street space. There are sidewalks but the sellers have taken up this space with product. Competing with the street traffic....there is no competition. What am I doing walking these streets! A cyclo man asked if I wanted a ride. YES! I'll pay anything at this point. I was heading to St. Joseph's Cathedral. Yes, I wanted to be in Church! What better place to go on this first night in a crazy new place. I totally overpaid the cycloman but it sure was nice to be taken directly to my destination and back. He had to compete for road space, not me! Cyclos aren't the safest options but no option here is safe. Maybe if I had a helicopter that could take me from place to place. But where would it land? I quite enjoyed being cycled around. It allowed me to see the city in a different way.
The cathedral was definitely a tranquil respite from the evenings new adventure. And like the story at the top the stain glass windows were wonderful. I think I'll return tomorrow.
Well, enough for tonight. Maybe tomorrow the shock of this new place will dissipate and the pounding "music" of this city will change it's tempo a little.
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