I must say that after almost a week in Hanoi, Singapore seems a little alien and strange. When I reached there, I couldn't decide if I liked it or not. But I know I was glad that I decided not to bring Ace along because the roads are uneven and there was alot of walking to be done. If Ace had gone along, I think my biceps and Max's biceps should get much bigger and stronger in no time at all :)
But my thinking changed when I came back to sgp...
With the sights, smell and feeling of Hanoi fresh in my mind, when I went out for lunch and saw alot of school children having lunch at the hawker center and suddenly I feel that the singaporean kids are really a lucky bunch.
We have nice schools to go to, we have TV, aircon and every luxury you can possibly think of, we have a great transportation system that takes us everywhere we want to go, most singaporean families own cars and dun have to squeeze a family of four on a motorcycle.... For a moment, I wish I DID bring Ace along so that he could see for himself how 'wealthy' he is and how much he has and thus learn to treasure all the things that he already has in his life.
But of course, I wouldnt say that the people there are unhappy. I guess they are happy just the way they are and they are marvellous people who teach a good lesson about LIVING BEYOND LIMITATIONS.
- They dun follow traffic rules. Zebra crossings and traffic lights just act as a guide. Everyone doesn't stop for pedestrians.. they just horn at you and try to drive around you.
- The vietnamese are CREATIVE people. They really think that you can transport ANYTHING in a motorcycle. And I mean ANYTHING! We have so far seen people carrying the following on their motorbikes: a coup of chicken, a 2 meter tall ladder, machinery, a family of FOUR, three big pots of Hai Tang flower, a huge photo frame
- They always drive on the opposite side of the road. Road signs, traffic signs are just but things tat show you who has the right of way. They dun really mean you have to stop.. this is the reason why most tourists have a petrified look their first day there while they try to cross the roads.
- Vendors are creative there. They sell you pineapples, shoes, knick knacks, souveniors, travel books, lighters, ao dai, a ride on a ciklo or a bike from one place to another and they even sell you a photo opportunity by forcing their bamboo with two balancing baskets on you.
- They dun think it is important to use the door in the toilet even if you had one. I once went into the toilet and saw the horrible sight of a woman, sitting on a squatting toilet bowl with her legs opened wide and her you know wat facing me while she just peed merrily.
- They don't pronounce their "s'es.
'Excuse me' is 'KCuse me'
'Mushroom' is "mucRoom"
"Vietnamese" is "vietnameeee" - Anyone can start a business. Just get some tables and chairs and bring some pots and pans and you can set up a road side stall. The most impressive thing is that they can sell a different thing every single day and it doesn't bother them that a business needs consistency or branding. Typical hairdressers are male with a chair and a mirror hung on a tree.
- You can cook anywhere you like in vietnam. No, you dun need a proper kitchen. I have seen a hair salon owner (hair salons are usually just space with two chairs inside), box up a pan in one corner of her shop and she just uses a eletric gas stove to start frying BEEF!
- The only thing that they seem to be organised in is their streets. The different streets actually specialize in selling diff things like: cups, alchohol, electrical appliances, wedding stuff, stamps, paintings, vegetables, meat, altar and worship related stuff.
- They have no need for perfect translation on TV. In vietnam where Korean and Chinese dramas are a huge hit, the generally just use ONE FEMALE VOICE to translate all that EVERYONE in the show is saying.. and you can hear the chinese or the korean original soundtrack softly in the background so that you know who said what. Talk about training your eyes, ears and mind co-ordination...
- They wear pajamas when they go out on the streets shopping lor! Who said pajamas are only made for sleeping? They can be a fashion statement too!
Here are the pictures of my trip... (You can click on the link to read about my musings about the trip)
Day 1: http://verityy.multiply.com/photos/album/125
Day 2: http://verityy.multiply.com/photos/album/126/Hanoi_Day_2
Day 3: http://verityy.multiply.com/photos/album/127/Hanoi_Day_3
Day 4: http://verityy.multiply.com/photos/album/128/Hanoi_Day_4
Day 5: http://verityy.multiply.com/photos/album/129/Day_5_in_Hanoi
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