Got up at 8 to meet the others for breakfast and try to get my body on some kind of schedule – still v. tired though. Chinese steamed dumplings for brekkie, as well as the usual Western offerings – very tasty. Around 11 am a bunch of us met up to walk into the city centre and hit Hang Gai (the main street for silk shopping).
The first thing any visitor to Hanoi must notice is that the traffic is unlike anything you have ever seen before. Nobody pays the slightest attention to any road rules – people just go wherever they feel like it and it’s unbelievably chaotic. And the number of mopeds and motorcycles is unreal – I think I saw more today than I’ve ever seen in my whole life. The volume of bikes, plus the lack of attention paid to road rules, and the fact that almost no one wears helmets, means that the number of traffic accidents is staggering. Last year, in Hanoi alone, there were apparently 18,000 traffic-related deaths. I can tell you, sitting in taxi cabs is a harrowing experience – best not to look outside the vehicle. And as for crossing the street, you’ve just got to pluck up your courage, look for a lull in the traffic, then cross at a steady pace – then the drivers just swerve around you.
Managed to walk, without being killed by a mad motorist, over to the Hoan Kiem lake (a major city landmark) and the Old Quarter, which is the most picturesque bit of the city and has the best shopping. We went to one particular silk shop that others in the group (who have been to Hanoi before) recommended – it’s not the cheapest, but is quite good quality. Apparently there’s a lot of poor-quality silk out there, and you get what you pay for. Anyway, Hanoi is teeming with beautiful things made of silk – every variety of clothing, scarves, ties, quilts, cushions, purses, wallets, curtains, sheets – you name it. And needless to say, prices were very low.
Bought a number of Christmas pressies, then we headed back to the hotel around noon as I wasn’t feeling all that well (headachey and tired). Had lunch and a bit of a rest, before meeting up at 2pm with my shopping guide. The former secretary in my office at work is a former native of Hanoi, and last week she put me in touch with her friend Thao, by e-mail. Thao and I had arranged to meet at the hotel this afternoon, so she could take me out shopping.
Well, we had a brilliant afternoon. P. and H. joined us for a bit, as we went to a number of shops and went a bit crazy buying gifts. The places she took us were all really nice (silk, jewellery, lacquerware), and unbelievably cheap! It was great shopping with her because I knew she’d take us to nice places where we wouldn’t be gouged as tourists.
Around 4.30 P. and H. went off on their own and Thao next took me to see some tailors, as I want to get some clothes made up. First, we went to a shop where I ordered an ao dai (the Vietnamese national dress) to be made for me. I picked out beautiful blue and green patterned silk – they are going to rush my order for me so it will be ready by Thursday afternoon (because I want to wear it that night at our farewell dinner here). The entire outfit is only costing me the equivalent of US $35! And this woman who’s making it is apparently the best ao dai tailor in Hanoi! Insanity!!
Afterwards, we went on to another tailor, so that I could have my favourite shirt copied. I’d bought some linen and cotton-linen blend fabric earlier in the day (in white, pink and red). The second tailor had a look at my shirt, and will keep it in order to copy it. I bought the fabric for the three shirts at one of the more expensive, tourist-oriented shops, for US $48. And the cost for making all of them up? US $10. Yes, that’s right. TEN DOLLARS to make three shirts with collars, long sleeves, buttonholes, etc. I actually felt bad, paying so little – but Thao said that this is a fair price in Hanoi.
Got back to the hotel about 6.30 this evening, met up with some of our other Vietnamese and Filipino participants (who’ve just arrived) then had dinner with the rest of the group. I’ll meeting my Hanoi counterpart in a half-hour’s time, to go over a few details for the opening of our workshop tomorrow, then it’s off to bed for me – feeling very tired again after the day’s shopping exertions.
I’m typing this on my laptop, and I’m going to go down to the lobby now to try posting these entries to Blogger – apparently the lobby has wireless internet now, which is super convenient.*addendum* It works! I love wi-fi!
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