August 15, 2007

• the break-up

   

  HANOI, VIETNAM | HILTON HANOI OPERA, 2F è

  

  in some ways, leaving you is a bit of a relief.

  your high speed, traffic-clogged streets make every crossing a near life-or-death situation.  constant solicitation for moto and cyclo rides test my thinning patience.  twice i’ve been swindled, once by a wired ATM and again by a rigged taxi meter.  the water has made my stomach rumble, insides tumble.  and the once-nice guys who showed us hoa sua refused to back down and turned from helpful guides into unwanted pests.

  you’re a bit corrupt, a bit behind, and–quite frankly–exhausting.  but, as with any relationship, we had our good times, didn’t we? 

  the immense history of the hoa lo prison and the ho chi minh memorial sites, including the embalmed ex-leader himself, entombed in a modest grey structure open only in the mornings to the public.  delicious noodle soups like bun bo and pho for as little as $1.25 a pop.  vibrant colors of curvy and narrow streets in the old quarter, of dancing water puppets, of tired, sometimes dilapidated french-inspired architecture.  a swim and kayak surrounded by 3,000 limestone formations jutting out of emerald green waters in halong bay.  and the views of hoan kiem lake, from all cardinal points, from nearly all possible times, and the brief visits to art shops, bohemian galleries, continental cafes, and ice cream parlors.

  there was good in there, there was.

  but in a few hours, off to laos, and so ends our time together, hanoi.  i hope we’ll still stay friends, and i’m sorry our romance didn’t quite work out.

  lets be in touch.

  
  
  

   

  • 6:44 pm
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