a little communist haven

I am writing this from a little super cute cafe around the corner from my apartment called Cộng Câphê which translates as communist cafe. A little haven far from the bustling old quarter it has quickly become my favourite little spot for grabbing a coffee, chilling out and watching the world zoom by along Triêu Viêt Vuong. The walls are decorated with a rather eclectic mix of photos, war posters and other artifacts and memorabilia in the theme of Việt Cộng, the political organisation and army who fought against America in the Vietnam war. There is even a miniature aircraft suspended from one of the walls! My favourite part is the little mezzanine area which you reach by climbing up a wooden ladder-esque stairway. The floor up here is covered with cushions and is great for losing yourself in a book or relaxed people watching. Late mornings merge into lazy afternoons and

as evening approaches it transforms into a great night spot to get a

drink. The music is mellow and downbeat and perfect for whiling away the hours when you need a break from the oppressive heat outside. I can't help but smile at the other Hanoians around me as I sit cross-

legged, sipping on my extra strong vietnamese coffee, safe in the knowledge that the door man at the front is keeping watch over my bicycle.

cà phê for the soul

It hasn't taken me very long to become completely addicted to Vietnamese coffee. My collegue at work, Diep tells me that the beans get their characteristic taste from the rich volcanic soils in the Buôn Ma Thuột highlands where the coffee is grown. The resulting flavour is dark, rich and intense - ideal one might say - and perfect for my regular heat-induced energy slump. cà phê đen nóng (black hot coffee) is served 'filter over the cup' style so your coffee brews and drips through. A filter with smaller holes leads to a much stronger coffee mmm. The coffee that I particularly cannot get enough of is known as cà phê sữa đá (milk coffee with ice) a recipe unique to Vietnam. It is made by pouring chilled, whisked and brewed black coffee over a small measure of condensed milk served over ice. One of the best parts is how amazing it looks in the glass with the dark caramel froth, the rich brown coffee centre and creamy condensed milk at the base. It's quite a shame that you have to spoil this art form through mixing it up together! However, as soon as you take a sip, you get over it and are pretty much in icy cool coffee heaven, yum! Needless to say, I will definitely be sending a package home!

not so critical mass

Eager to meet some other cyclists to take to the road with, I joined a Biking group which meet up for cycle rides around the city and sometimes beyond, usually on a monthly basis. Armed with my head torch and beer money i set off having roughly memorized the route to our meet up point at the Opera House. This lead to a few back-tracks and u-turns but eventually i found a group of cyclists and assumed I was in the right place. There was a great mix of locals, expats, travellers and newbies like myself. As i chatted and exchanged stories the group of bicycles around me gradually increased as more and more people arrived, creating a critical mass type atmosphere. I also met a girl from Holland, Matilda, who it turns out is my next door neighbour, which inevitably lead to one of those 'small world' discussions! Amid the buzzing of fellow 2-wheeled new friends, a whistle sounded, instigated by a lycra-clad Vietnamese guy named Linh signifying that it was time to set off. It was fun cycling along talking to people and almost escaping from the chaos on the roads around us. We cycled north through the city up towards Tay Ho (West Lake) where the roads open up a bit away from the bustling maze of the Old Quarter. Around the West Lake is a popular hang-out for the more affluent Vietnamese and is also home to a lot of the expats here. After cycling for about 20 mins we stopped to let everyone rejoin the pack and then found a nice little grass spot (hard to come by in Hanoi) to catch our breaths and get a drink. Feeling quenched and refreshed it was not long before we were back on our bikes to continue on our 'circumnavigation' of the lake. The little track around it provided a car-free route for a short while but was also riddled by a series of bumps and potholes...head torch to the ready! We cycled round at an easy pace discussing random topics ranging from bicycle goggles to UK politics, conversations adapting and resuming as you moved between different people you had been speaking to earlier on. The final bit of the track was a bit 'off-road' but luckily the only casualty was someone's pedal. We made it back onto the main road and headed on to a late night watering hole for a celebratory drink, the 'sore-bum' sufferers eager to give their tender glutes a break! The ride home was made easy owing to the fact that Matilda and also John, another Van Ho local knew the way. Lucky for me as I had little idea of where we had ended up. We had a peaceful journey home with not much traffic (makes a change!) on the roads. As we said our goodbyes we decided it would be a fun idea to arrange a Van Ho Street Shindig, as there is quite a little social network in our area. I'll let you know how it goes...

me myself and BIcycle

Having acquired a bicycle I am much more mobile and not reliant on 'Xe om' motorbike taxi's which will take you anywhere around the city. A good way to travel as long as you agree a reasonable price before embarking on your journey. However given the chaotic road conditions here i.e. rules need not apply vehicles navigate with only a mere whisker of clearance leading to a great fear for one's kneecaps in addition to holding on for dear life as they perform a meandering dance in and around each other!On my first journey this led to much squeezing in of my knees and inevitably cosy-ing up to the driver. Needless to say i am much happier on my little bicycle keeping to the side of the road and trying to avoid getting in the way. The fact that there are no official road rules in place means that any time you want to cross a road, turn against the traffic flow you basically have to go out on a whim into the streams of fast approaching drivers. Hmm easier said than done, but i'm slowly getting used to it and it is fair to say that the Hanoian's are very skilled at winding their way around slower moving traffic. It makes for a very entertaining commute and instills great satisfaction when you do manage to carry out a skillful maneuver without pissing off too many people!

Van Ho III - my new home

So, i have just had my first weekend in Hanoi. After a long journey over nearly 3days with minimal sleep i arrived in the buzzing hubbub of Vietnam's capital city. The taxi ride from the airport was going smoothly until the car decided to die mid-route. Not really having much of an idea what was going on i was bundled out and put into a new taxi to take me the final leg of the journey to 'So 18, Van Ho III' my new home. I was eagerly greeted by the landlords who showed me to my apartment. They were very friendly and although they cannot really speak english, they managed to explain all the housekeeping essentials. This involved 'Thang' showing me how to turn on and off a light about 5 times (very entertaining!). They live with their son (who can actually speak some english) on the ground/1st floor and rent the floors above as apartments. Feeling super hot and exhausted i decided to have a shower and spent the next hour lying on my bed under the air conditioning with both fans on....well it was 35degrees!!I'm sure i'll get used to the heat...eventually!

Good Morning Vietnam

Finally made it to Hanoi after my little 'hip' delay!