Learning By Losing (Direction)

Man, it's been a wild day-and-a-half (I guess... time isn't making sense right now). The last post here was thrown up fairly quickly as a "we're alive, please don't call the embassy" courtesy, and sadly this one has to go up quickly as well. I have to zip over to the 'ol Hanoi Daewoo to meet Andrea for lunch in just a few minutes, and since I'll be taking a moto taxi (called "cuddle taxis" in Vietnamese, because, well, you cuddle the driver) this may well be my last living act. The Xe Om, as they're called, are just that much fun. Oh, and speaking of Andrea, this conference thing is kind of a big deal, as the picture below proves. Signs like this are all over town.


Anyway, I'm finally getting my grips on this town. Well, the old quarter anyway. Which is no mean feat, considering it's a rabbit warren of winding streets, agressive scoot drivers and an architectural hodge-podge that really lacks distinguishing landmarks. How have I become more comfortable getting around? By getting lost first. Last night, as Andrea succumbed to the first sin of jet lag (5pm bedtime) I took off looking for a power adaptor. It turned out I didn't even need one (I'm an idiot) but the 6 hours of blind wandering has done wonders for my navigation (and language) skills. Today when I went to buy plane tickets for Cambodia, I wandered out of the Old Quarter (accidentally finding the Uncle Ho-saleum)and got lost again, but a Xe Om ride to Hoang Kiem lake brought my bearings back instantly. And all for one dollar and a little terror. I haven't been properly lost since.

Speaking of Xe Om terror, lunch with Andrea (and a little pre-meal colon-clenching on the back of a Honda Wave) beckons, so I'll have to cut it off here. I'm having an amazing time and our travel arrangements for Cambodia are taken care of, so there's plenty more blogging to come. I'll at least post some pictures later this evening. Until then, Tam Biet!

Arrived!

Well, after over 24 hours of travel, we're in Hanoi. The usual chaos of arriving and checking in is behind us, and its about time to go do some exploring. Actually, we still have to brave the mad, mad, mad traffic one more time to get Andrea registered for her conference. Which happens to be located way across town. Which means another wide-eyed, white-knuckle ride on Hanoi's wild streets. While we endure that ordeal, here are a few photos for you to enjoy.

Andrea preps on the plane
As good as traffic gets. Which is why our driver is texting.

Plenty more to come!

Eff It Dude, Let's Go To 'Nam

Ok, so the weather isn't this nasty anymore. Still, I'm ready to ditch town. Which is where having a hotshot historic preservationist for a girlfriend comes in. Andrea will be presenting her research on Olympic development in Beijing at a Forum UNESCO conference in Hanoi, and I'm tagging along. In fact, we leave this evening. So for two short weeks, this blog will once again be updated with pictures and thoughts from our travels. This week I'll be posting from Hanoi, and starting next Friday I'll be coming at you from various parts of Cambodia. Also, be sure to check out Andrea's blog, The Sustainability Gap.

Yes Please

Please God, let this happen.

Best. Vanity Plate. Ever.

My Other Bike Is A GMC

My daily rider is a 70's Peugeot Carbolite. I recently picked this up to fool around with. Didn't even notice the stickers until after I'd bought it. Ugh, I own a GMC!

Holy Statism!

Tip of the hat to Reason Rough Cut.