Vietnam 1:
Once more around the world. We're both thrilled to be abroad again and I'm looking forward to start writing my updates. I think Vietnam will provide a lot of source material. I'm setting up a blog as well, where I will post these updates as well as photos and other information. I've already put up my old posts from Thailand and Uganda, along with my dining guides (with recent updates) and my quick reviews of books on Vietnam. You can find it at drewliz@blogspot.com. (Let me know if anyone has blogger skills, I can’t seem to get the layout right and the dining guides go on forever. Is it possible to just have a link on a title that will take you to the guides?). In re-reading my notes from Bangkok and Kampala, especially the early ones, I found some updates insightful and others not-so-much, at times contradicted by later experiences. Oh, well, I guess that's the nature of travel diaries written almost in real-time. So, it’s likely to be another year of poorly thought out analysis, snap judgments, and cultural ignorance. Anyway, we hope you enjoy hearing about what we are up to.
We arrived in Hanoi on August 1 after a grueling (well, if you can call business class travel grueling) 22 hour journey from D.C. Our flights actually were fine, if you discount the rude person sitting next to me (Liz) who yelled every time I tried to open the shades to see where we were. Zooming above Canadian lakes -- "Shut the shades!" Looking at icebergs in the arctic -- "Shut the shades!" Overflying Harbin in northen China -- "Shut the shades!"
Anyway, we had no problems on our flights and I highly recommend the free shower rooms in the Asiana business class lounge in Seoul. We felt clean and cool when we stepped into the steam room that is Hanoi in summer. Just like Bangkok six years ago, the temperature and humidity were in the eighties in the late evening as we departed the airport for town. We had re-entered the land of thrice-daily showers.
Our first impressions are very positive. Hanoi certainly is bustling, with people up and on the streets when the sun comes up before six in the morning. The city is in a state of constant activity from sidewalk food stalls, to old ladies hawking fruits on the street, to a myriad of small businesses to modern multinational firms. Cars, bicycles, and motorbikes – a seemingly infinite supply of motorbikes -- navigate the streets. As the Vietnamese economy booms, so does life in the big city.
I've started work at the Embassy, easily the ugliest building in town. You can't miss it, it's the beige monstrosity with the protective shipping containers perched in front. It’s also old and somewhat rundown. When the U.S. and Vietnam restored diplomatic relations in the 90s, it was the largest building available. Now, new construction towers above it. We outgrew it years ago and have satellite offices down the street, but we still don't have new space and we're jammed in this shabby mess. At the same time, my office isn't half bad, and for the first time in several years I have a window, though I overlook the back of a garage and a large billboard advertising VIP rooms for a 3 star hotel.
We recently moved into our apartment, after a three-week stay in a modern serviced apartment on the banks of Ho Tay (West Lake) in the north part of the city. It was nice, but a 20 minute ride through hectic, no, chaotic, Hanoi traffic to and from the Embassy (more -- much, much more -- on Hanoi traffic in future entries). Our new place is right in the heart of town, near the old quarter, Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum and other sites. Most importantly, it also is near many restaurants, which we have already started to research. It's got two guest bedrooms on a separate floor and Liz has begun taking reservations for guests.
Speaking of my wife, while I'm slaving away in Vietnam, she deserted me to visit friends in Thailand last month. I like the sound of that -- a weekend visit to Thailand, and it reminds me of how conveniently located we are. Anyway, I’ll return the favor next month, when I get to go to Bangkok for work. Over the next few years, we hope to re-visit old favorites and see some new places.
(Note: Sorry if this is a little old. We’ve been updating our e-mail list and didn’t want anyone to miss the pearls of wisdom written above.)
We arrived in Hanoi on August 1 after a grueling (well, if you can call business class travel grueling) 22 hour journey from D.C. Our flights actually were fine, if you discount the rude person sitting next to me (Liz) who yelled every time I tried to open the shades to see where we were. Zooming above Canadian lakes -- "Shut the shades!" Looking at icebergs in the arctic -- "Shut the shades!" Overflying Harbin in northen China -- "Shut the shades!"
Anyway, we had no problems on our flights and I highly recommend the free shower rooms in the Asiana business class lounge in Seoul. We felt clean and cool when we stepped into the steam room that is Hanoi in summer. Just like Bangkok six years ago, the temperature and humidity were in the eighties in the late evening as we departed the airport for town. We had re-entered the land of thrice-daily showers.
Our first impressions are very positive. Hanoi certainly is bustling, with people up and on the streets when the sun comes up before six in the morning. The city is in a state of constant activity from sidewalk food stalls, to old ladies hawking fruits on the street, to a myriad of small businesses to modern multinational firms. Cars, bicycles, and motorbikes – a seemingly infinite supply of motorbikes -- navigate the streets. As the Vietnamese economy booms, so does life in the big city.
I've started work at the Embassy, easily the ugliest building in town. You can't miss it, it's the beige monstrosity with the protective shipping containers perched in front. It’s also old and somewhat rundown. When the U.S. and Vietnam restored diplomatic relations in the 90s, it was the largest building available. Now, new construction towers above it. We outgrew it years ago and have satellite offices down the street, but we still don't have new space and we're jammed in this shabby mess. At the same time, my office isn't half bad, and for the first time in several years I have a window, though I overlook the back of a garage and a large billboard advertising VIP rooms for a 3 star hotel.
We recently moved into our apartment, after a three-week stay in a modern serviced apartment on the banks of Ho Tay (West Lake) in the north part of the city. It was nice, but a 20 minute ride through hectic, no, chaotic, Hanoi traffic to and from the Embassy (more -- much, much more -- on Hanoi traffic in future entries). Our new place is right in the heart of town, near the old quarter, Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum and other sites. Most importantly, it also is near many restaurants, which we have already started to research. It's got two guest bedrooms on a separate floor and Liz has begun taking reservations for guests.
Speaking of my wife, while I'm slaving away in Vietnam, she deserted me to visit friends in Thailand last month. I like the sound of that -- a weekend visit to Thailand, and it reminds me of how conveniently located we are. Anyway, I’ll return the favor next month, when I get to go to Bangkok for work. Over the next few years, we hope to re-visit old favorites and see some new places.
(Note: Sorry if this is a little old. We’ve been updating our e-mail list and didn’t want anyone to miss the pearls of wisdom written above.)
