Motorbike Madness – Hanoi’s workhorses

After our time on Rarotonga, I thought I had seen my share of crazy and weird things that people could do with or on their humble scooter or motorbike. Some of the most memorable would be two guys pulling a heavily laden wheelbarrow behind their scooter while dodging potholes and traffic or one local balancing a small beer- fridge on his left side and weed-eater on the other while driving his scooter around the island. It is pretty common to see people carrying gas-bottles, weed-eaters, shopping bags, cartons or kegs of beer or any number of other things that are essential to life on a small island in the middle of the South Pacific on the back of their two-wheeled chariots.
Coming from a country where the dangers of travelling in vehicles, motorbikes and bikes have been instilled in the general population by numerous road safety campaigns, the widespread publication of the findings of much research and ongoing education programmes, I could never get past the cringe factor of seeing young children or even babies being transported on scooters when in the majority of cases there was no protection or safety equipment involved. Probably the only memory that leaves a bad taste in my mouth from our wonderful life in the Cook Islands is the lack of community and political will to mandate the compulsory use of helmets. The result is the continual waste of life that brings international shame, in the form of the second worst road toll in the world, on this beautiful country that we had the privilege of calling home. Between 80 and 90% of road deaths in the Cooks are the result of head injuries from people not wearing helmets and research says that on average two out of three of these would probably be alive if they had been wearing a helmet.

That said, Rarotonga and the Cook Islands don’t have anything on the sights and "madness" ==>follow this link for another birds-eye view <== that have become part of our everyday life here in Hanoi or throughout Vietnam. After our first couple of weeks I set about collecting photos of some of the most impressive things that the locals do with their scooters – a few weeks later I was gutted to find that my vision of somehow publishing these at a later date, was completely unoriginal and already the subject of more than one photo book. However, this hasn’t dampened my fascination of the subject matter and I include some photos for you to make up your own mind on whether this really is madness or just the way things are done around here?
To help you make that decision I include the following observations...

The average Vietnamese citizen earns something like US$200 per month and although petrol is cheap at about US$1.10 per litre there is no way that they could afford to own let alone run a car, so when you look at the humble scooter or motorbike you are really looking at the family saloon come goods transporter come people mover.
Hanoi is a city of over six million people and it is estimated that there are over 3.5 million scooters/ motorbikes in the city. From an environmental point of view this is obviously a disaster in the making as pollution and congestion levels increase and infrastructure struggles to keep up with development and growth. But until major public transportation solutions are implemented then pound for pound, square metre by square metre or litre for litre the humble scooter has to be the most efficient current people and goods mover available after the crammed city buses.

Since December 2007 it is compulsory to wear a helmet and this law is strictly enforced – the only thing is that many of the helmets are cheap and nasty knock-off versions that probably would offer little protection in an accident. And yes I still cringe when I see kids riding on the front (often on a little stool in front of the driver), squeezed between parents or babies being held on the back of a moving scooter(the one in the last photo below is being breastfed!) in what my New Zealand senses perceive as the chaos and noise that is Hanoi traffic ==>this link will give you some idea of what it is like to ride pillion on a motorbike <== I don’t think anything will change my “New Zealand glasses” to convince me that this is safe! Although it has to be said I have witnessed very few accidents since being here and all these have been minor collisions.

Lifeblood of a city - Hanoi Street Food

Having been cast in the role of domestic god (for at least the first few months) here in Vietnam; Jo’s cunning Christmas present plan was to give me some Vietnamese cooking lessons – in the hope that at least some of the knowledge gained will transfer to the offerings coming out of my kitchen over the next few months!!
Seriously though, I am keen to learn more about the local cuisine and having survived the initial couple months of relocating to Hanoi, celebrated our first Christmas and a family birthday in our new home it seemed an opportune time to hit the streets of Hanoi and make some sense of the infinite food sellers and abundance of different gastronomical delights that are on offer wherever you turn in this city – even if it was from the relative safety of a guided tour led by a chef from one of the local cooking schools.

As with most foreign eating experiences we have heard many stories and been given a variety of advice on trying food from street stalls in the Red River City– ranging from never eat food in the street to absolutely having to experience the tastes and atmosphere of this quintessential part of Vietnamese life. Playing things safe has resulted in our dining experiences over the first couple of months generally involving:
1) restaurants - that we have judged safe to our health and budgets. After the price and lack of variety in Rarotonga we have been a bit like kids in a sweet shop working our way through Vietnamese, Italian, Indian, Mexican, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Chinese, Turkish, Singaporean, French menus which generally cost between 400 and 600,000 Vietnamese Dong (VND) for a substantial meal for all five of us (about NZD $20 - $30)!!
2) fast food joints – no McDonalds in Vietnam, but KFC is long established (although menu adapted to local tastes with many rice variants – including rice cake burger), BK has just arrived, Pizza Hutt and some Vietnamese equivalents Lotteria, BBQ Chicken, Pepperonis Pizza etc
3) home delivery – pretty much anything from 1) or 2) delivered to our door; the selection is awesome and a real lifesaver when we lived in the Hotel for first two weeks or now when nobody feels like cooking but we don’t want to go out. see www.eat.vn
4) home cooking – after our initial 2 weeks in a hotel relying on 1), 2) and 3) being thrown into a kitchen with no utensils and an empty pantry in a food environment that was completely foreign to us certainly had its challenges! As a result the meals coming out of my kitchen were limited to some stock standard pasta, chicken and minced beef dishes – this may have had an influence on my wife’s choice of Christmas present!

5) big splurge – On Christmas day we indulged in a fabulous smorgasbord lunch at the Luxury 5 Star Movenpick Hotel, all for about $50 per head
http://www.moevenpick-hotels.com/en/asia/vietnam/hanoi/hotel-hanoi/overview/
...So now it is time to branch out and discover the delights of Vietnamese streetfood. I don’t know whether the Vietnamese have always eaten and lived their lives on the street, but obviously with the pressure on space in a heavily populated urban area it is now inevitable that life spills out onto the footpaths, parks and any other free spaces. This isn’t limited to the countless plastic stools surrounding the endless different street food options but includes a multitude of activities that are part of Hanoians daily life. It is not unusual to see games of badminton or exercise classes on the footpath or any other vaguely suitable space or a mechanic stripping a scooter on the footpath next to somebody having their haircut,

polishing some shoes, washing eating utensils, selling all types of goods (including the kitchen sink) or sharing a lunch with their work colleagues or family.



My street food tour started with the a bowl of the iconic dish Pho Ga (Chicken Noodle Soup)
Next stop was a tour of a local market – for the uninitiated, the sounds, smells and sights of a first visit here may be a bit overwhelming but this is a chef’s paradise of fresh (read “often still twitching”) meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables and more. Nothing is wasted around here so be wary of everything from exotic fruits to animal brains and various other organs. While steering clear of the dogmeat, watch for the inevitable motorbike and don’t stand on the live frogs or slip on live fish jumping out of a tank as you give the chicken or quails eggs with chicks inside a wide berth! Despite the absence of refrigeration I'm assured that the throughput and twice daily delivery of fresh meat makes this a safe purchasing option, even in the high temperatures of mid-summer.I guess if the animal is sourced from a safe environment you can definitely be assured of the previous storage if you watch your chicken or fish being slaughtered before you take it home for dinner!


The rest of the tour was a full on dining experience tasting such things as rice pancakes (seasoned with a bit of cricket essence!), street lollies, Bun Cha (BBQ pork with noodles - another Vietnamese classic), Bia Hoi (famous Vietnamese fresh beer served straight from metal kegs) and a Coffee with egg in it to finish. All in all a thoroughly entertaining and educating experience which was shared with our chef Y and Constantine and Marcus (from Berlin) and that I would recommend to anyone visiting Hanoi.

A week later I was back at the Hanoi cooking centre to learn from the experts how to prepare and serve some street food dishes. Our morning started by preparing and eating some Pho Bo (Beef noodle soup) and a local omelette for breakfast and then a feast of Westlake Prawn Cakes, fresh rice noodle spring rolls, pickled vegetables, green pawpaw salad and banana Che dessert for lunch.
Another really enjoyable and informative class, sees me armed with a bit more knowledge on the five components (sweet, sour, salty, spicy and bitter) that are key to most Vietnamese cooking. The morning was superbly finished off with a sit down lunch sampling the fruits of our labour, over some local beer and wine with the 3 Aussies and 2 Brits who were also on the course. Great food (if I say so myself) and really interesting people and conversations.

And yes, some of these have already been tried and enjoyed at home...so everybody happy until I try and figure out how to cook my latest discovery at the supermarket!!!

See more about Hanoi Cooking Centre here: www.hanoicookingcentre.com

See the cool story of fellow cooking class chefs Caitin and John’s tandem cycle adventure from London to Sydney: www.talesfromthetandem.wordpress.com

Escape from the “Big Smoke” to Cuc Phuong National Park

After 8 weeks of living in Hanoi, our first adventure out of the city was timed to celebrate Elliot’s 12th Birthday – Elliot’s goal in life is to become a wildlife photographer/ videographer so the obvious choice for him to mark the occasion and christen his new video camera and for us as a family to get away for a couple of days R & R was a 3 day tour of Vietnam’s first National Park.

Cuc Phuong was established in 1962 and is about 120 kms (2½ hours drive) South West of Hanoi. The 25,000 hectares of tropical rainforest are set in limestone “Karst” mountains that rise impressively from the flat river plains that surround the greater metropolis of Hanoi.
Leaving Hanoi on a dingy misty winter’s morning any hopes of getting away from the relentless car and motor bike honking were dashed by a driver who had an overdeveloped propensity to honk at anything that moved, looked like it may have ever once moved or will do so sometime in the future! Despite this it was exciting to embark on our first exploration outside of Hanoi and before long the monolithic office and apartment blocks and congested roading system give way to a more rural landscape and eventually green rice terraces – often punctuated by towns, cities and industrial plants and factories of various sizes and aesthetic merit.

Upon arrival at the National Park there was the obligatory registration formalities and form completion (luckily we packed our passports – on the off chance that these may be needed for some reason) followed by a warm welcome from our guide Huyen. Huyen belongs to one of the 54 minority people groups in Vietnam. His Muong ancestors traditionally lived in this area and to this day there are a few scattered villages around the periphery of the park where you can still see their stilt houses, water wheels and bamboo rafts. His knowledge, passion for nature, warm smile and contagious laugh keep us well entertained throughout our trip.

After checking into our accommodation for the night on the edge of Mac Lake, we feasted on a lunch of local food ranging from the now favourite Vietnamese spring rolls to stir fried chicken, pork and a variety of fresh vegetable dishes – the standard and quantity of the food continued throughout our visit, one of the real highlights.
Following a much needed nap we then toured the Endangered Primates Rescue Centre and a Turtle Conservation Centre. These two informative and important initiatives are playing a key role in two critically threatened wildlife areas. Unfortunately poor protection, lack of education and the financial rewards offered by the illegal trafficking of primates and turtles leaves many of these species (some of which can only be found in the surrounding areas) facing extinction. And here was I thinking turtles only lived in the sea!
Elliot's first filming in the footsteps of David Attenborough


The ancient forest is home to over 2000 species of trees, 110 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 125 mammals, including the Clouded Leopard, Delacour's Langur, Owston's Civet and Asian Black Bear. There is also a wide range of birds and evidently the park is an incredible melting pot of colour as millions of butterflies dance to the warmth of summer in May.

Dinner for the Primates


Other highlights of the weekend

Silence – after the continual noise of Hanoi, the silence of the jungle at times was “deafening”.
Trekking through tropical Jungle

The local wildlife

Flying Lizard

Flying tourists

Blonde white girl

Laughing at local Vietnamese walking through National Park in high heels and suits!

Our Guide Huyen

The Food

Cave of Prehistoric Man – where a significant archaeological find in the 1960’s was later confirmed to date back to prehistoric people more than 7,500 years ago.


Challenge
Having spent our previous four winters in the mild temperatures of Rarotonga we have had to invest in whatever clothing we can find that fits and seems as though it will offer some assistance to our battles against the sub 10 degree temperatures – hence the stylish outfits in some of the attached photos.

Hanoi - surviving the initial assault!!

After living in Rarotonga for nearly four years, nothing could really have prepared us for our introduction to life in Hanoi except experiencing it ourselves...in this world of travel websites, expat blogs, guidebooks and friends and family who have travelled to Vietnam previously this may seem like a strange thing to say?

The reality is that we probably couldn't have found a greater contrast in both environment and culture between our island life in Rarotonga (total population 13,095 people and declining) and the hustle and bustle of living in Vietnam's capital city (total population over 6 million and growing).
View the following Timelapse video to get a flavour of what I'm talking about: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oZfRRanbdM

When we returned to New Zealand from the Cook Islands enroute to a holiday in Asia early in 2012 we were aware that our seven year old daughter (Imogen) had lived over half her life in Rarotonga and that this would obviously influence her views of the world more than her older sister and brother or Mum and Dad. It didn’t take long for us to realise how everyone's perceptions of things are influenced by our experiences. We got off the plane at Auckland airport and Imogen who was walking beside me froze in real fear as we walked up to an escalator – the sudden dawning on Jo and I that she didn’t know what this strange moving staircase was or what to do was one of these eye-opening moments and one that we often now laugh about. How ironic that by the end of that trip we were wandering around huge malls in Kuala Lumpur where there were probably 50 escalators and Imogen was always the first to want to jump on!

Fast forward 10 months and Jo secures a teaching job at an international school in Hanoi – so with our first expat experience and our trip to Malaysia, Singapore and Cambodia earlier in the year under our belts, it was off to Vietnam to live sight unseen! Armed with the knowledge of how quickly our kids could adapt to new situations like the escalator one above we had less than a month to pack up our lives in Rarotonga and arrive in Hanoi in time for the start of the second school term.
Everything I read and people told us about Hanoi went something along the romantic lines of the city being the Paris of the east; tree lined Boulevards in a historical city where the sophistication of the west meets the intrigue of the east, where ancient culture mixes with a colonial past and modern development with some sort of enchanted magic to see and experience. Maybe this is what I wanted our new home to be or maybe I should have drawn on earlier travelling experiences and remembered that it took till about my third trip to Paris before I really warmed to that city and started to see why people waxed lyrical about it!
Initially what struck me was none of the beauty, history and wonder of this place but the smog, the stench of polluted waterways, different cooking smells, dirt and constant traffic and noise – on reflection these contrasts were certainly heightened by being New Zealanders whose latest living experience had been on a sleepy island paradise in the middle of the South Pacific. It also didn’t help that the first few days here were calm winter days where the smog hung around as we now understand happens at this time of year. It would have been interesting to see what impressions would have been notable if instead of coming from Rarotonga we had lived in Cambodia or Papua New Guinea before arriving here? Would I have experienced such a complete assault on all my senses?

People told us about how full on the traffic was before we came here and I read about how to cross a busy street that doesn’t have any traffic lights or pedestrian crossings; basically you just start moving slowly across the street and as long as you don’t make any sudden movements the traffic parts and makes its way around you and you eventually make it across to the other side. Doing this with three kids in tow in the middle of 5 or 6 lanes of traffic coming from all directions is initially a horrifying experience but if you don’t learn how to do this then the reality is that you’ll end up standing on a side of the road where you don’t won’t to be for a long period of time.

The traffic is loud (there are an estimated 3.5 million motorbikes in Hanoi), travels on a different side of the road to what we are used to and is constantly on the move. To the uninitiated this seems life-threateningly dangerous and lacking in much that resembles Western notions of order and safety. But that is where it is easy to fall into the trap of judging this on what we are used to… yes telling your kids to start crossing the road or entering a roundabout without stopping goes against everything we know or have taught our kids, but that doesn’t mean it is wrong it is just the way things are done around here and generally seems to work well.

There are many other obvious differences (some of which may well be fodder for future blogs) such as the language, foods (including encountering turtles or snakes in the supermarkets or dog carcasses in the markets), transport (we are yet to meet a taxi driver who speaks or understands more than a handful of English words), housing, longer school hours and all the other day to day logistics of living in a developing country in Asia that is still party communist ruled etc etc
We probably all would have coped with any one of these in isolation, but being bombarded with all these changes at once, initially affected all of us more than I imagined it would. Only now are we really starting to recover and emerge from the initial battering that all our senses took.
My reflections over the past week or so have made me realise that although first impressions are important we really need to be conscious of what “goggles” we have on when we experience things for the first time. Are these goggles influenced by what we have read, what we have experienced previously or what we want something to be and will these first impressions cloud our enjoyment of things in the future
While telling ourselves that the challenges and differences are what make the experience so rewarding, we still have to be mindful that our family unit also includes three children between the ages of 7 and 11 who may have a slightly different perspective to us!! And who definitely cope with change in different ways.
Seeing things through their eyes can often open our eyes to things that we take for granted but to them are so different to what they have experienced in their lifetimes, that they can’t help but notice it. This of course is one of the pleasures and privileges of being a parent and at times their naivety can blow you away; make you laugh or cry. As a result there are times they are the best guides in the world because they see things that we don’t and no amount of money could buy that. We have quickly learnt that this insight into differences should probably also always be a reality check to us on how different this life we are living is to what we have lived previously.
This is one of the reasons that we find ourselves experiencing apartment living for the first time ever in the relative “normality” of a gated international city – as parents we consciously decided that all the differences were too much for our kids to cope with initially but will review this at some stage later.
Having said all that, we are definitely alive and well and coming to grips with our new life and all the adventures that lie ahead of us. Sitting on the back of a motorbike taxi driving round the lake near to where we live, going about the business of being a domestic god, I now soak in all the smells, noise and sights and realise how much this city has grown on me in the short time I have been here....maybe it’s time to go off to the old quarter and buy one of those tee-shirts with “I Love Hanoi” on it!!!