The Red River from Long Biên bridge.
Today was Laurence’s final day here. We’re both sorry he’s leaving, but he’s really feeling his health is at risk, and is concerned the longer he stays the greater the risk, plus the heat and humidity is really too much for him.
Laurence wandered around in the morning, while I stayed back trying to keep up with this blog, and planning my next stop, which will be Ninh Binh, about 30 miles south. While he was out and about, Laurence bought a couple of pair of sneakers, which say Nike, and look like Nike, but who knows if they’re actually Nike. They certainly were an amazing price. $38 for two pair.
Once we reconnected, we took a walk through some of the shopping areas, as Laurence wanted to buy a couple of hats (95 cents each), and I wanted to get a couple of things, including a fan for Elana, who specifically wanted one. For that, we went to Pho Hang Quat, or Fan Street. Ironically, there were no actual fan shops on Fan Street, but I managed to get one anyway.
Laurence was definitely feeling pretty fatigued and worn at this point, and needed to get out of the sun as soon as possible. We found a small coffee shop and sat for a while, and then headed back to the hotel. We passed by Long Biên train station, and there we parted ways, with Laurence going back to the hotel and I decided to revisit the Long Biên bridge, and specifically wanted to see that part of the bridge that crosses the Red River.
That actually seemed impossible, as walking directions said that the bridge was closed to pedestrians due to repairs along the pedestrian sidewalk (which of course mopeds and scooters also use), and said the walk to the point closest to the Red River was 9O minutes. I could see you could walk along the railway itself, as I saw a local doing, but that seemed insane as this is a live working railway. Instead, I walked here and there and everywhere in the pretty intense heat, until I finally found a way onto the pedestrian walkway, which was officially closed with a gate, but nothing actually stopping me from entering. So I did. I could see the sidewalk running alongside the track was broken up for reconstruction, but nevertheless walkable, so I started along the way, walking northeast along the sidewalk.
After a while, still incomplete, new concrete had been poured and there were workers sleeping or relaxing beneath makeshift sun screens giving shade from the very hot midday sun. I wondered whether they would tell me I shouldn’t be there, but I instead got a bunch of hellos and waved on.
I continued walking on the half reconstructed sidewalk for about ¾ mile until reaching that section of the bridge overlooking the Red River, which is about ½ mile wide at that point. Immediately before the bridge, which runs about 1½ miles, crosses the river, to the west (my right), there is open farmland, followed by dense groves of banana trees. This area is Bãi Giữa (the Middle Bank), but it is more well known as Banana Island. Steps lead down to a small, almost hidden community next to and in the grove, on the banks of the Red River.
The river is a shipping route, although not this far inland, around 750 miles long, flowing southeast, starting as the Yuan River in Southwest China and eventually spilling into the Gulf of Tonkin, in the South China Sea.
To the east, about ½ mile downstream, you can see the Chươgng Dương Bridge carrying traffic across the river, and connecting the Old Quarter to the more modern areas of Hanoi, where there are more high rise buildings.
Pretty satisfied with my small adventure, I headed back along the bridge, enjoying the views of the Old Quarter from this side, and went back to the hotel.
Laurence was still resting up, but now I had to really get down to the task of planning what was ahead, taking account of the fact that it would be just me now, flying solo. It took me a couple of hours, actually, but after pondering the general itinerary we had, I decided that I really didn’t have enough time to spend in places I would be visiting en route to Da Nang, so made the draconian decision to not fly down to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) from Da Nang, and subsequently return to Toronto from Ho Chi Minh, but to instead fly back from Da Nang to Hanoi (it’s a 14-15 hour train journey otherwise), spend an additional night in Hanoi, and fly to Toronto from there (of course, I had to pay an additional cost to change ny flights).
Now on my own, or I will be as of tomorrow, I thought I would stay an extra few days, and have more time that way, but then remembered I have an appointment I have to be back for on May 14, so I kept the same return date, even though now coming back from Hanoi, instead of Ho Chi Minh. That’s a shame, as the additional few days would’ve been great.
Having done that, which took quite a while, including figuring out logistics, I then re-mapped my trip for the next couple of weeks, and figured out where to stay in Ninh Binh and for how long, as well as how to get there on Thursday, and booked my room, as well as a bus, which will pick me up at the hotel.
This is a public holiday week, and I quickly learned that public transport books up quickly this week, and especially this holiday weekend. I learned that I should immediately book the train from Ninh Binh to Huế, about 360 miles south, running down the east coast along the South China (or East) Sea, about a twelve hour journey.
Too late. I should have booked earlier, but who knew? I could not get a seat on any train for Sunday, May 3, which was the day I wanted to travel to Huế. so changing my plans again I was easily able to get a seat on the train for the following day, May 4. This means I’ll be in the.Ninh Binh area longer than I’d planned, but I’ll figure that out and what to visit once I’m there.
By now Laurence had headed out for a walk, and we met up around 5, walked a little more, and then grabbed something to eat at a nearby small restaurant, with a very nice but pretty scattered waitress/manager. But the food was pretty good. After that, we went to a small coffee shop opposite our hotel, where Laurence had his last cup of local coffee and his last Hanoi Matcha (a type of green tea), and then we went back to the hotel, where Laurence made his final preparations before we headed down to the lobby and waited for the 9:30 taxi to take him to the airport. A final quick hug, and into the taxi Laurence went, and our fates were sealed. Laurence on his way back home, and me in Vietnam. Who’da thunk?
I wrote a bit, and then to bed. Tomorrow, I get picked up at 8 for my day trip to Hạ Long Bay.