.. good morning Vietnam !

.. ahh, my very first morning in Hanoi. Rainy and very cold. I woke up to the sound of motorbikes honking as early as 5 in the morning. I have been trying to snap pictures everywhere i go, in fact been snapping away since my arrival yesterday, but had to do it in such inconspicuous way because i am with my director all the time and want to make myself look like a kampung boy.

.. arriving in Hanoi, was such a culture shock to me that i would not be able to describe and depict everything in this one single post. I don't even know where to start! Guess i'll just put it up in sequence as i experience it .. and do pardon me if the images are not clear, all taken from my trusty phone and shaky hands (also moving vehicles, thats where the most action happen !

.. my arrival in airport, while waiting patiently for my luggage, which finally arrived after 40 minutes, i spot this pack of airport officials queuing up to get out of customs, Vietnamese ladies in their traditional costume, and boy oh boy, salute to the person who had first designed it! Body hugging, and the side slits cut up so high which i think reaches their belly. More of this to come once i get pictures of vietnamese nightlife .. lets move on to my first morning which was really filled with horror during my ride to the office ..

.. as everyone would have heard now, Vietnam is well feared for its traffic. Thousands and thousands of bikes flock the streets, which was really chaotic to me. I've taken this in the morning rush hour today from the car i was in. These bikes we're everywhere, coming at you from all directions, yes even riding up head on towards you, on your lane, and avoiding you at the very last moment. They are even on the pavements !!

.. they have this holy grail of navigation system that i think i would have a lot of difficulties adapting to, even with such chaos, no accidents seemed to ever happen. With their thumbs positioned on the horn, car drivers and bikers alike, just went honkers .. peeet peet, pon ponnk, peet peeeet .. 18 hours a day. They honk you if you're blocking their way, they honk you if you're too slow, they honk you if they wanna change lanes .. they honk at everything !! It was hell trying to cross the roads, but to the locals, it was so easy. They just walked into traffic, step by step, ignoring all bikes around them, and somehow they will survive .. I've even seen one auntie walking diagonally across a very very busy cross junction while juggling a huge basket on her head while sending sms on her phone ... WTF !! I'm sure they would pawn the game Frogger.

.. and look at this, they can carry anything on their bike, everything .. and i think i am gonna start a compilation of pictures just on this alone once i capture enough. I've seen chicken, pigs, tables, air conditioner, eggs (a lot of eggs), chairs .. practically anything that the bike is able to support the weight. Skills beyond imagination, through the hectic and chaotic traffic!

.. i'll have to stop this now, given the short period of time i have in writing this. There is still so much to be shown, yet so little time to put it up. I have not even started on their food, hawker food, their peddlers, .. a lot of other stuffs which i don't think i would have enough time to put it up each day as i experience it. Do check this space again, i would indefinitely keep it updated whenever i have chance and internet connection.

.. ciao