Hanoi 3

Hanoi is a city of a million motorbikes and no visible traffic rules...traffic lights seem to be mainly decorative. The never ending stream of bikes, honking cars and motorbikes mysteriously parts as you set foot on the street without looking to the left or right...an experience in faith...faith that the local person you are following will guide you safely across, faith that the cars and motorbikes will actually swerve to avoid you...faith that the sidewalk on the other side is attainable. At one point, I found myself letting out a shriek as I stood petrified in the middle of the street, with a car mere centimeters away from my belly, another one almost touching my behind, and a horde of motorbikes about to engulf me...not for the faint-hearted pedestrians like me.

The city also has quite a few quaint little lakes around which people gather to exercise, gossip, walk, take their wedding pictures, and watch the world go by.