riding in the rain

On December 28, I packed my bags, ready to depart Hanoi and relaunch my motorbike exploration of Vietnam, this time on my own.  I’ve come to really enjoy the traditional Vietnamese breakfast of beef noodle soup called pho.  The night before, I discovered a little gem of a restaurant that only serves pho (pho - it’s not just for breakfast anymore!)… and the best I’ve had my entire time in Vietnam.  The restaurant is one room only (save for a tiny, bathroom sized kitchen) down a very narrow hallway just off the street.  Except for their sign out front, I never would have known it existed.   

The delicious spices from the previous night’s dinner were still practically on my tongue and I needed a last fix before hitting the road.  

After filling my tummy, I started loading up the Fonda (my motorbike).  This time, I was better prepared for a motorbike tour with warmer clothes (including an extra winter coat to wear on top of the one I had purchased the week before) and I was heading south … or at least not into the wintery north.  My first stop was actually east of Hanoi by 100km … Hai Phong, near Ha Long Bay which had been high on my list of places to see in Vietnam.

Hanoi and the Ha Long Bay area were in the midst of a three day rain forecast and I had been advised that in the rain, one can’t see much in Ha Long Bay.  Thus, my decision to stop in Hai Phong first and from there launch to Cat Ba Island where I could do some hiking and cross off another “trip to do item” … climb a mountain … and of course, take a boat to Ha Long Bay.  

goat vendor in transit

As I was loading up my bike to start my trip, a young Vietnamese guy named Cong who worked at the hotel where I stayed asked if he could ride with me to Hai Phong.  He explained that he had a friend getting married there in the evening.  I’ve always wanted to be able to pick up hitchhikers at home because I thought it would lead to interesting and unexpected adventures. Of course the safety factor always stopped me.  On a motorbike though, things are different and I love giving rides to strangers.  So naturally, my response was, “Of course!” 

I don’t know if it was because Cong was being chivalrous or because he thought as a foreign woman I might not be a good motorbike driver, but he offered repeatedly to drive.  I knew that getting out of Hanoi, I would need to stop and consult my maps numerous times whereas he knew the way so I didn’t mind letting him take the wheel.  The upside for me was that riding in the back gave me a chance to photograph while driving.

chicken vendor and son

The drive itself had the potential to be miserable.  The overcast skies in Hanoi gave way to slight drizzle about 45 minutes out of town.  The drizzle gave way to a full out rain although thankfully not a downpour.  During all of this, Cong insisted on driving, taking the brunt of the weather.  I managed to stay warm and dry in my many many layers of clothes.  He finally relented and allowed me to loan him my scarf and rain poncho, but drew the line at using my leather driving gloves although his cotton ones were soaked. 

I was appreciative not only for the rain reprieve but for the ability to photograph while we drove.  I was able to keep my camera out and relatively dry.  I ended up capturing what I think is one of my best “motorbike cargo” shots … a bike hauling five live goats (another favorite was a second bike with a cage full of chickens). 

Apparently my motorbike battery was still on the fritz, because when we stopped for gas, the Fonda wouldn’t re-start and Cong and I had to walk the bike a couple of kilometers to the nearest mechanic.  Thankfully, that was during the drizzle stage of the rain.  Evidence of inspired ingenuity is rampant throughout Southeast Asia.  My motorbike situation was no exception.  The mechanic didn’t have the proper battery for my bike so he attached two extra wires to the old battery contacts and sold me a new non-fitting battery.  If the Fonda doesn’t start, I simply hold the wires to the new battery contacts while starting the bike and va-voom … I have power.  This field-expedient fix, he explained via Cong, would get us to Hai Phong where I could trade in the new non-fitting battery and purchase the right one for my bike.  Interesting.  I was glad to have Cong with me to translate as well as to convince me that I wasn’t being “taken” by being sold a non-fitting battery.  

the Fonda undergoes minor outpatient surgery

At some point during the drive, Cong invited me to come with him to his friend’s wedding.  I was delighted at the invitation, but was concerned I didn’t have the appropriate clothes.  I was prepared to go buy a dress, but Cong looked through my clothes and, after declaring a number of items “unsuitable,” finally assembled and ensemble that he determined would be “suitable”:  my black jeans, a semi-dressy little black top, my white coat and some silver high heels that I bought for my birthday party a few weeks ago.  I was dubious since he was wearing a suit, but it turns out he was right.  The girls sitting at our table were almost all dressed in jeans and dressy sweaters.

Hai Phong wedding

When we arrived, I thought that we had somehow missed the wedding ceremony and were only attending the reception as everyone was already assembled at a banquet hall.  I guess I was expecting to see a church wedding or some sort of religious ceremony, but I was later told that since the couple wasn’t Christian, they simply hold the ceremony and the reception together.  So I did actually witness a wedding … I just didn’t know it at the time! 

The bride and groom were holding a receiving line when we arrived.  We congratulated them and then went upstairs to join Cong’s friends who were very kind and welcoming.  Thirteen of us sat at a table.  By my calculations, close to 500 people were in attendance at this obviously very upscale wedding.  Twelve different dishes from simple soups to elaborately prepared fish and giant prawns were presented for our sit-down dinner.  At some point while we were eating, the lights abruptly went out.  A man with a microphone assumed the position of announcer and spotlights circled wildly.  I felt like I was at a Chicago Bulls basketball game at the announcement of the lineup.  And, along those lines, that’s the way the bride and groom were presented.  

wedding dancers

As they walked down the middle of the room on the red carpet, volcanos of sparklers erupted on the tables.  The spotlights followed the newlywed to the main stage were they were applauded by all in attendance.  The parents of the bride and groom made similar appearances and joined their children on stage.  Poems were read and toasts were made - all in Vietnamese of course so I couldn’t understand anything.  I think in retrospect, that this may have been the actual wedding ceremony but I’m still not completely sure.  Then the lights came back up and everyone resumed eating as the bride and groom circulated around the banquet hall. 

Cong's friends at the wedding

In most ways, the reception was very similar to those in the US.  There were obvious Asian twists.  Of course, the foods and serving styles were different.  One of the dishes was roasted chicken.  The chicken was cut up into into parts so it was easy to eat with chopsticks.  At least that was the theory.  I’ve always had a tough time eating chicken off the bone with a knife a fork.  Doing it with chopsticks was no easier.  All parts of the chicken were served, including the heads.  At first, I thought perhaps the heads were just for looks in the same way that we Westerners serve whole fish with the head.  I was almost immediately proved wrong as the daintiest girl at the table gracefully took a chicken head with her chopsticks and began munching away, starting with the beak.  Probably it’s no worse than eating fried crickets, worms, spider legs or snakes - all of which I’ve had on this trip.  Nonetheless, that night I didn’t add another item to my list of weird foods I’ve eaten.  Another difference in eating styles was that chicken wings were eaten bones and all.  I’m not sure my teeth could have handled that but knowing this solution might have eliminated my struggle with separating meat from bone with chopsticks.  

the bride and groom invite me to join their group photo

Another interesting difference was the entertainment.  As the bride and groom circulated, several groups of women got up on stage and danced.  They weren’t quite “pole dancing” but the style was certainly a bit less “refined” (and therefore very comical to me) than I would have expected for a wedding.  After the groups of dancers, a man named Viet Hoang, an apparently famous Vietnamese singer from Hanoi, took the stage and performed Ave Maria and O Sole Mio.  The crowd went wild with applause and a number of them brought him flowers.  I had the feeling that he may have upstaged the bride a bit, but surely she knew what she was in for when she booked a famous singer to entertain at her wedding.

The reception was cut short as many of the attendees departed early to watch the final soccer match between Thailand and Vietnam.  The game ended up in a tie which meant Vietnam won the AFF (Asian East) Cup for the first time in ten years.  Although I knew there was a game, I was oblivious to the significance at the time as I sat in my hotel room and “scribbled away” on my laptop while Cong watched the game on TV.   He went nuts at the end, which I thought was strange given that the game was a tie, but eventually figured out what was going on and went out for some drinks with him to celebrate.  As on Christmas Eve, Vietnamese were roaring through the streets on their motorbikes flying large Vietnamese flags and just generally going nuts.  It was fun and festive and, I felt, a great start to my solo roadtrip.

If you would like to enjoy a bowl of pho with me in Hanoi via video, click here. Experience the excitement of a Vietnamese wedding - click here.