Mister Anh.... What can we say? Thankfully one of the best drivers in Vietnam!
The drive from Hanoi to Halong was 3.5hrs of interesting terror! The houses - being built or abandoned (couldn't tell the difference), 4 stories tall, one room wide and often free standing, rural scenes - women working in the fields with the conical bamboo hats is typical not stereotypical, smog and rubbish and dust which we are starting to see beyond.
But everyone's favourite things:
The weirdest things that are carried on the motorbikes: from carpets, gas bottles, mattresses, bird cages, a 2m pane of glass, but the winner: about 40 separate water filled plastic bags containing GOLD FISH!!
The things you see for sale by the side of the road (think Vietnamese Monash freeway)..... Cheap sunglasses, ladies on bikes with bread sticks/rolls/baguettes, shoes, but it was the racks of business suits that had us most perplexed! And never a customer seen!!
The traffic separation on roads is NON EXISTENT! Even if on the rare occasion there are painted white lines everyone uses any spare space usually on the opposite side of the road! There are school children on bikes, hundreds of scooters, cars, buses and trucks all sharing these sometimes narrow roads. It was not uncommon for the minibus to pass a car who was passing a truck despite the oncoming cyclists and truck!! A few squeaks came from Mum (in the front seat) and Cam 'assumed the brace position on more than one occasion.
Looking forward to the calm waters of Ha Long Bay.
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