You got to love Hanio, Vietnam! The people here are pretty rude and pushy, think NY city, but shorter. Its definely takes a while to get use to this place. When I first got here I just wanted to leave, because everyone is ripping you off and doing it as rudely as possible. Worst, people in Hanio get physically violent fast here. If you will not pay their new price, most likely, they are going to grab or push you around. Luckly for me I am 6' 3" and out weigh them by atleast 90 pounds, so atleast I have little intimination factor. So do not worry about me, but everyone has some kind of story about someone grabbing them or chasing after them.
The only bad thing that happen to me was I got hit by motorcylce. People drive like kamakozes here and accidents are every minute. It is much like the movie Mad Max, but no one where helments or that much leather. No I was not badly hurt. The guy swerved to miss another motorcyle, car and few people and almost ran me over, but luckly missed. However his steel cage on the back of the bike smashed into my right arm. I might get lucky and get cool scar out of it; one can only hope.
To add to the craziness of Hanio Tet starts tommorrow (Vietnams New Year). So think Christmas and New Years all at once. For 4 days everything stops for national holiday, so you can imagine the craziness of everyone trying to get all the last food and presents. In the middle of all that is me just trying to figure out how keep out way; it's great.
For all the negitive I could keep on throwing out about Vietnam, some how this place grows on you like fungus. You start to laugh at people trying to ruthlessly rip you off and the rudeness of the average person becomes normal. I just smile all day long as I refuse to pay more money and push way the guy trying to steal my wallet; this is great. Yeah, you do go little crazy.
I decide to do Vietnam alittle differently than last few countries. Instead of runnin around the whole time I am just focusing in on Hanio and around Siagon. In know, I am missing so much, but I it is nice to be in one place and figure out how it works.
So for the last 6 days I have lived in Hanio and plan to stay another 4 before I leave. I live in the old quarter on Hang Be or as I like to call it, on the corner of Shoe alley. There must be 30 shoe places on my street corner. Ladies eat your heart out.
On the important side, I have already found my favorite coffee shop and once I sit my coffee comes with out me saying anything. It's a great place with splend black coffee (5000 dong) that has already turned my teeth 4 shades of yellow, since I started drinking there. My favorite part is no white people come near this place. It definely from the outside has keep out feel with it always dark and smoked filled with the same crowd all day. I wonder regularly if the vietnam mafia is sitting around me, these guys carry more money than I do. Which makes the scene even funnier, of this huge white guy who is way too big for his chair, reading his Bible, surrounded possible by the mofia. What a great way to start the morning.
Also the artitecture is great here. It's all old colonial french buildings with character coming out it's ears. So in the mornings I walk around a different part of city trying to find cool buildings. However, I am starting run out of areas because the rest of Hanio unfortunely, was flatten during the war and replaced by the normal modern buildings. Got to grab a beer before dinner!
Oh I almost forgot my favorite part about Hanio, the beer corner! On one corner you have 5 places that sell a pint of beer for 2000 dong (there is 16250 dong in a dollar) or 8 beers for a dollar. Yeah, I am going to miss that when I leave.