travel: Hanoi, VN - 22-27 Dec

Retrospective post: While I took some time to select the photos, the period after this trip was such a mad rush that I did not quite have the time to settle my thoughts into this blog.

The whole trip was quite a throw back to my student days and it was enjoyable walking around town with 2 good-looking decent boys; a backpack, a map, sandels and a good sense of adventure. We even got to spend Christmas together - the eve was spent overnight on a boat in the middle of Hunglong Bay. Talking with a beer, under the stars, talking to strangers, sharing your life and wild stories and we pass them all by.

It was a time of what-ifs during the trip and it is an irony as I am posting this, I am living the decisions made then. The decisions have not proven too bad as now ;)

********

Flowers for sale in a mobile way. I kinda took several photos of this and earned myself a couple of stares as well. "Like haven't you damn tourists seen flowers before?!"Communism for sale in an arty way. While many communist countries are embracing some form of capitalism one way or another, the former propaganda materials and the colours red and yellow are still (superficially) respected. But here, it is art and that sells for 100 times the price of old goods. Chinese Junkboats in Hunglong Bay on Christmas eve. Tell me this looks like a picture from a movie set or something found in Hong Kong like 30-50 years ago

VN is the land of 2 wheel traffic. Bicycles and motorcycles. Cars are for whimps only. So naturally taxis are found mostly as 2 wheels only. What is it like to put your life in another's hands? I held on to that fella for life - he freaked out more than I did.