They’rrrrre Baaaaaack!
Twas Fleet Week here in SF and the Blue Angels are paying their annual visit! YEAH!
The Sounds and Sights of Freedom!
Poetry at Rest
…and she’s mine. MINE! WAHAHAHAHAH
Think I’ll let him pass…
Hmmm. If I see this bike on the road, best to let it pass…
11K!
11,000 miles! Time for a beer!
All about Bia Hoi
Where are all these people going, quick quick?
Why they’re heading to Bia Hoi Corner, a part of the Old Quarter where three streets converge and there’s a bia hoi stand on each point.
Now what is bia hoi? Well, it’s a locally produced brew that gets distributed daily to the various bia hoi stands in Hanoi. It’s a local tipple, costing the grand sum of 2000 dong (that’s 12 cents US). That’s right, 12 measly cents! Cinguliar charges that much to receive an SMS! You can find that much in your car underneath the seats. You can find that on the street back home (cuz 12 cents dun buy much). But in Hanoi, it can purchase one cuppa bia hoi!
So how does one try? You approach, grab a chair to sit on and motion for “one”. Whoever’s on duty will pour you one and charge you. If you sit for a while and fit in, you can easily run up a tab of 10,000 dong! 5 beers at 2000 dong each. Break the bank can! It seemed on my visit (twice in one day) that bia hoi stands are the centerpoint of the neighbourhood.
Besides seeing more close calls that any other intersection in Hanoi (maybe they’re thirsty and thinking about getting a drink?), there’s street theatre. 7 times I was approached to buy overpriced bootleg Lonely Planet guides. Twice, I was approached to purchase some fried donuts.
And once, the Hawker Control unit (AKA shakedown squad) came by and made a LOT of people scatter.
The man who owned the stand I was drinking at motioned me to move my bike from in front to the sidewalk across the way. Good customer service! Try finding that in San Francisco where some places seem in cahoots with the parking nazis! In the end, I spent a total of 5 hours that day at the bia hoi stand. The first 3 hours, I stumbled upon it and enjoyed. Then a few hours later, I wound up there AGAIN with a couple of blokes from the hostel. How much did I spend? 26000 dong. That’s a buck sixty four! What a deal!
Joyful Anarchy with Motorbikes
Wealth = mobility and Hanoians luurve their motorbikes! For the last two days in Hanoi, I was one of them. For the sum of US$10/day, I hired a Honda 125cc bike (helmet and gas not included) and puttered around much of the city.
I decided to take the splurge after a day of walking around the old quarter and wanting to see more. Also I was not a big fan of walking or trying to ride the bus. First reaction of most of my frens was “are you insane?” Here’s a short clip of Hanoi traffic and how to ride in it.
Replace 7/8 of the bikes in the video with urban assault vehicles and reduce the driver skill level by 9/10ths and you’re in San Francisco! Goods get transported on them. Families go out on them. People eat on them. Mobility, yeay! (take THAT Muni!)
And as for crossing the street, what worry? Just pick an opening, make eye contact and walk at a constant speed. We will see you and ride around you. Don’t make any sudden changes in your path, OTW you may be hit…
Peace Dividend
On the grounds of the Army Museum in Hanoi is the usual collection of war booty, equipment and exhibits. There’s also a coffee shop that serves light meals and all sorts of coffee. It’s very popular with young Hanoians, more popular than this museum memorializing “the American war”.
So there’s a gaggle of girls having green tea smoothies with their motorbikes parked nearby in the shadow of a MIG-21. That’s the peace dividend.
Motorcycle Tip
We’ve been having some really odd weather here.
First it’s been really cold and it rained today. It also hailed while I was riding my motorcycle back to the house. What did I learn? I can ride in the rain (must buy a rainsuit) but I kanna ride in hail. At all. I nearly ate it three times in four blocks…
Wienermobile
I woke up early this morning to drive some frens to SMF. I should mention that it was HELLA COLD this AM! This was parked next to my car.
I looked for the Honda sized car o’ ketchup to go with it to no avail…
You always remember your first …
…motorcycle!
Ten years ago, I purchased a second hand Honda Elite (Freeway) 250 from a guy who had bought it at a lien sale. It was in a dark, dank garage, chained to a post and had definitely not been taken care of.
“I was going to fix it up and ride it but I don’t have the time and I need the space in the garage” was the reason why he was selling it.
I paid the guy and had one of my friends follow me on the 280 as I rode to SF Moto to have it repaired and fixed up. When I got there, I was told that it was a miracle that I made it there in one piece, let alone taking it on the freeway. Something about missing hub bolts…
That was an expensive visit, because it needed a battery, new tires and a major tuneup. But it was worth it because the Elite got me around the City, was great with gas and had enough “git up and go” to survive in San Francisco with all the mentally impaired drivers and tourists that we gotta deal with here. Going up and down the hills of San Francisco with or without passengers was never a problem nor was a quick jaunt over the Golden Gate Bridge. We went through a lot together, including an engine transplant and being in pieces for just over a year as I ran short on time to get her running.
After the new used engine was installed and tuned, she ran like a new bike. Quieter and faster. But earlier this year, I picked up a Suzuki GS500. Figured it was time to graduate to a proper motorcycle. And as these months have passed, the Elite got less and less saddle time.
Finally, it was time to let go. I sold my Elite today to a fellow motorcycle/scooter rider who understood the meaning of “backwards brakes” and no gas gauge. I love riding and my SV. But I’ll always have a silly grin on my face when I’m passed in traffic by someone on an Elite 250, because I’ll be seeing myself zooming by.
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