2nd Uprising - Hanoi
A brave peek through the hotel window saw morning light fall upon a city devastated by Yagi. The rain had eased but the streets were littered by fallen vegetation and the odd parts of buildings. Fatpap had again pre-booked a 5 hr personal city photography tour for 5:30am this morning but as you’ll imagine that was cancelled the night before. There would be 3 rescheduling attempts in the days to come but alas they never eventuated. So with the morning free it was without question that Train Street might bring forth the promise of a trains appearance.
No trains again today but the Egg Coffee was just as good and thankfully there was little to no rain.
The route down to Train Street took much longer today with trees literally everywhere and footpaths mostly inaccessible. The devastation was incredible with one report citing 30-40 percent of all trees in the city being uprooted. On the ground this seemed feasible but more astonishing was the manner in which the city coped with the disaster. No matter what, life just went on. With limited resources, all and sundry chipped in to help remove what they could and the Hanoian people went about their daily lives with their usual smiles and happy disposition.
Over the coming days the tree removal process would increase significantly with council bringing in trucks and machinery assistance, however today was a labour of love with nothing seeming to deter the Vietnamese spirit.
With the rain still scarce, some quality time was spent exploring the quarter waiting for the DJI camera store to open. It was decided last night to buy a new Gizmo as it was only the second day on tour and it was a much needed piece of kit. That was a simple process in the end with the longest part uploading all data to the camera and syncing with the iPhone.
The city was far more active today in the aftermath of the typhoon with most stores trading and the expected street hawker harassment coming from every corner. By chance Fatpap stumbled upon St. Joseph's Cathedral at the end of the Nhà Thờ Street. A late 19th-century gothic revival church it serves as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hanoi. Named after the patron saint of Vietnam, construction began in 1884 in an architectural style resembling the Notre Dame de Paris and was one of the first structures built by the colonial government of French Indochina. Opening in December 1886 it is the oldest church in Hanoi.
Hanoi transport method #1
Hanoi transport method #2
By chance just around the corner sat a conclave of restaurants and specialty stores where a local lunch and a few beers was had for only $3.80. What a bargain. Continuing on the unplanned wander yet another read about attraction was discovered purely by chance. Ta Hien Street, more commonly known as Beer Street, is a stretch of road claustrophobically lined either side by endless bars and restaurants. At night the place is apparently chaotic but by day a welcome solace from the bustle of the Hanoi streets beyond.
Ordering a first beer, and turning briefly to take a photo, out of all the people in Hanoi Fatpap bumped into Pasqual whom he’d met the day before at Train Street. With neither possessing any concrete plans for the day, that one beer quickly turned into 8 before the heavens opened up with torrential rain. What should have been a sign to retreat, only forced us both undercover to share a table with 2 American girls for another half-a-dozen beers or so. In the end Fatpap caught a motorbike back to the hotel for a quick change of clothes before venturing back out for dinner.
From exiting the taxi there was a serendipitous meeting with Elyse - one of the American girls met earlier that afternoon - in the street. Like what are the bloody odds? A funky little street restaurant was found serving the most delicious crab noodles, and only a few hundred metres further on a street-side bar managed to conjure endless scotches as the world passed by under a clear night sky.
Hanoi was quickly coming back to life.
