My first 24h in South-East Asia

Even before physically setting my feet in Asia, I already had this gut feeling that I would have a memorable and pleasurable experience. I flew with Singapore Airlines, on the new Airbus A380, the largest passenger airliner in the world and also the one that had an engine explosion last year (yikes!). Despite the airliner's reputation, it was the quietest and most enjoyable flight I've experienced in years! Singapore Airlines is the best (no, and I wasn't paid to say this), certainly the best I've seen in years! Friendly flight attendants that pass on warm towels to wash off before meals, reasonable leg room and good food. I felt like the year was off to a good start.

My arrival in Hanoi is more like a mediocre quality photograph: opaque and out of focus. I was overcome by a heavy case of fatigue and sleep-deprivation and my body was mostly functioning on autopilot. Walking through the airport and approaching the customs officials, the surroundings felt familiar, like that day in the autumn of 2004 when I first landed in Saint Petersburg's Pulkovo airport. Very similar feel and architecture, something certainly in common with Russia's past. I wouldn't go as far to say that I could "feel" the Socialist system, but I certainly saw a similarity to Russia's old infrastructure. Strangely enough, it felt reassuring. I guess the only difference is that the customs official actually smiled when handing me my passport, something you wouldn't see in any ex-Soviet state today.

This was also the first time that someone was waiting for me with a large sign with "Viktoria Dijakovic" written out loud. It felt awkward, but the driver was kind and put me straight as ease. The conversations were scattered as he tried to chat in broken English, but he quickly asked if I spoke Russian, given the Slavic tone to my last name. I smiled and nodded. He was ecstatic. He recounted his years in Russia, in Ukraine and in Georgia as a factory worker. I had a hard time following him as his Russian was only slightly better than his English, but I could not bare to stop him as this seemed to have made his day. All of a sudden, he pulled over and stopped on the side of the road. I gave a blank stare as his intentions were not clear, but smiled again when I realized that he was searching for a tape: Russian folk music sung by Vietnamese singers! What an entertaining welcome!

As soon as we arrived at the hotel, I rushed to the room only to find that it had no windows and was saturated with a nauseating smell of humidity. I was too tired to care. I showed and crawled into bed. It was 14:30 in the afternoon.

Midnight: my stomach woke me up with a grumbling sound. I didn't feel like going anywhere but when I discovered that the hotel had nothing to offer, I halfheartedly got dressed and went out into the street. I walked a couple hundred meters and noticed some people sitting on tiny plastic stools in the middle of the sidewalk. They were eating the Vietnamese national dish, Pho and were practically crouched over the equally tiny table. I sat down and looked at the girl that seemed to be working there. I nodded and she disappeared only to come back an instant later with a boiling bowl of pork noodle soup: a true delight! Now that my stomach was satisfied I could go back and continue my sleep.