Vietnam. Back to the future or forward in the past?

When the passion for the East opens up for you all facets of Thailand - tourist, business and Aboriginal-native - was disappointed to notice that as not cool, and new variations of Thailand is not, and if they appear, then very, very long. Some connoisseurs of exotic immersed in prolonged depression and trying to brighten their existence movies with Jackie Chan. And those who are ready for new challenges, take and discover a new country. For example, Vietnam. Is what we already knew about Vietnam and the Vietnamese? Virtually all the key moments, such as Ho Chi Minh, balm «Asterisk» , fried herring and sneakers Reabouk , - are familiar even to those who travel in their passion not commit grand trips more Karavayevo experimental field. But if and tsimus, as they say, Odessa's Jews, that Vietnam - is not something there Italy, where everything is simple and clear: Bella - a beautiful and confused - no comments. Vietnam - a fine thing!

So, where usually begins «Today» journey abroad? Right - to obtain a visa and collect luggage. I do not know whether you'll be the happiest man on earth because the word «Visa» and the word «Vietnam» - two antagonistic concepts. For those who do not believe my own eyes, I repeat in other words - the only document required for entry into the communist paradise is maroon-red passport booklet Russia. This news did not lead you into a state of mad excitement, and you still do not shake in a taxi in the direction of «Sheremetyevo 2»? Well, it's the fact that your travel bags can be a little easier by ruthlessly left at home toothbrushes, shampoo, razors and other belongings, a chronic bachelor's decent, but not quite the life of the subject, it is able to lead you in the blissful state of mind. No, no, I do not suggest you become a Robinson Crusoe by growing hair on all possible places and clear teeth on the trunks of bamboo and small squirrels. Surprise in the fact that the service «Vietnam Airlines» quite able to outdo the boudoir of Paris Hilton. Judge for yourself: full lunch menu, individual brush-shampane-balzam and most courteous flight attendants, grown in special nurseries, which grow the most beautiful woman on Earth.

Arriving in Hanoi

, by fate the capital of a small, very friendly country, you can safely get on public display super expensive camera, trimmed with diamonds with the British Crown camcorder and other urgently needed items of luxury. Can imposing hung them like a Christmas tree and safely wander the back streets and lanes at any time of day. The only thing you risk - running into muffled laughter behind him, but no more. Look around: the clean streets, little pioneers run on sidewalks, trembling with the tips of the red tie in the wind, the slogans «Party - after intelligence and conscience of the era» of each post - if your plane accidentally pierced the space-time continuum and ended up in Soviet-era city of «A I go, walk across Moscow ». What kind Kriminale can speak in a country where only the majestic glass-steel HUGE hulks shopping center but flashes of advertising lights remind you of what sort of time you are!

And then ... then decide for himself what kind of recreation is most acceptable for you in this time of year. If your soul needs all night long rave - your home for the whole period of leave will be Hanoi, with its mad mix of traditional Vietnamese pagodas and monasteries, the colossus of concrete and steel, and exquisite French Empire inherited Vietnamese inherited from the colonialists friendly. Two days to acclimatize, and - forward!

Do you care about history - hence, first in

Museum of the Vietnam War

, where he stands with photos ingenious executions, invented by Vietnamese guerrillas against Forrest Gump, Young Pioneers - grandchildren, Ho Chi Minh grasp the basics «patriotism». The echoes of that war, in which Vietnam was just a springboard for the revels of the two superpowers, you'll still long to meet along the way - the disfigured face chemical weapons, legless cripples and other horrors. If there is irrepressible desire, you can visit the trail Ho Chi Minh, where guides will tell you clearly and show how the guerrillas were hiding in a whole pride of underground villages in which the terrible trap unwary opponent found himself, and which aroused the curious metamorphosis of the human body bamboo grenade.

However, if the soul is inexplicably not accept the brutality - then leave the place of military glory to American retirees, whom silently hated Aborigines, by the way, in Hanoi is very, very much. And he goes delight the soul and body in the famous Hanoi zoo with marvelous lotus in the middle of the pond and funny chimpanzees. Or the numerous Buddhist temples, where you can make a wish, write it on paper, and tied to a special candle, but you can just ship bought for a modest fee for employees of the cult of the bird, so that it brought you happiness. Then, as usual, followed by enthusiastic photo on the background of «Notre Dame de Hanoi», to the last stucco on the front of suspiciously reminiscent sung by Victor Hugo The Hunchback of Notre Dame, lightweight and unobtrusive shopping (after all, you have not forgotten where all sewn Adidas, Reebok, Kenzo and Gucci) and a deep dive into the depths of night life baby metropolis that combines traditional and trendy in the least, by the way, this does not suffer.

If in the process of active rest you will forget about food - it will be one of the biggest mistakes in your life, for lack of any travel to Vietnam to easily brightens up the local cuisine, which, strangely enough, not part of the mythical fried herring. But it includes a huge amount of seafood most of the first degree of freshness. They are trained on your eyes, and also served piping hot, not producing at the same obsessive odors taverns, koimi permeated the air of Thailand.

total genocide

lobster, lobster, shrimp and other decapod crustacean, accompanied by the same rice, beer and wine in a noisy group of friends, will cost you 30 dollars evergreen. Yes, it was a miserable 30 bucks, which house you easily keep in the bar to come home again thoroughly dinner. Here is a feint ears will not work. All of the above ingredients together with a pleasant dinner sized portion of soup appalling that you, among other things, be able to prepare themselves by throwing the «Chinese Samovar» whatever you please, turn the fruit of labor of any fitness center in an elegant cylinder, but again only for the next evening, for seafood, how not cool, - eating nutritious, but light.

As an alternative to marine invertebrates offer meat dishes, noodles, soup, fruit - every whim for just money. Want witty? Please! Want more sweet - no problems. People looking for an exotic but they will find, not leaving without addressing their most bizarre gastronomical needs. No kidding taste the dog halflive duck egg or a cobra, which shares the ritual specialists conjure immediately before the tourists, making the proud beast into a set of chips, kebabs, or infusions of blood, bile and other questionable taste value products.

They ate the soul require rest and relaxation, feel free to keep the path to the coast, in one of the many SPA hotel, where your body has repeatedly ascend to the summit of bliss of health care procedures.

The only thing that might initially dampen any movement in the country - is itself a direct movement. Imagine, if you stirred up a big forest ant, and then slowly and ants crawling on a bike. About this picture several times to visit your brain in the process of overcoming an eight-200km distance. Average speed in Vietnam - 30 kilometers per hour. Cult transport - motor scooter. If you want to ride, how that word applies to the Vietnamese movement alone - rent scooter. Want to get the comfort of a taxi - sit behind the driver on a scooter. Do you want to carry a haystack or a box of fruit - you take the cargo scooter. Not a country, and an amusement park, by God, where so well remember carefree childhood, in which «Be Ready - Always Ready» bore the karmic sense, the trees were large and delicious ice cream. The main thing is to take this country for what it is, and not be an American - for obvious reasons they are not very we, although in the back and not spit.

Speaking of ice cream - oriental organism Vietnamese extremely poorly tolerate lactose, so ordering a portion of cold delicacies, be ready for surprises, chief among which is the fruit ice. And finally a few more words about the ice cream - at the airport duty free in Hanoi, sells HyperCheap refrigerators. No one will say, why?

Sergey Yaskevich
http://traveldin.blogspot.com/