Hanoi is going through a summer heat wave and 40 degree days means walking out and about is likely to result in heat stroke for me and probably back spasms too, carting about a squawling, sweaty little bub. Which presents a conundrum because I think both of us are getting cabin fever hanging about at home. Thank god for air conditioning… that miracle contraption which is contributing to the death of the planet… ironic. Unfortunately there’s not much by the way of thunderstorms either, which despite wind, lightning and thunder, don’t bring much in the way of heat respite. Still, I love a good storm.
Which I can safely say from my apartment eight floors up. It is a different story if you live in a house here, which often leak and where the kitchens are at sub-basement level. Also if it happens to flood, not an uncommon occurrence in Hanoi, the drains overflow and the roads become canals. Is it the French or the Vietnamese who are responsible for the crappy drainage systems? In the 2008 floods – the worst in 100 years or something like that – the city was submerged for about 5 days. It started raining on a Friday morning and just didn’t stop. I was on my daily commute to work, a few kms from home, watching the roads disappearing into murky waters ahead of me with some concern. I began to have visions of pushing my motorbike all the way home once the engine conked out. So I made a u-turn and headed for home. Unfortunately, the already chaotic traffic of thousands of bikes only got worse, and I finally had to put my foot down. Literally I mean. Into about a foot of greeny-brown sloshing water. Oh my favourite shoes!
But I was one of the lucky commuters and got back in one piece. All too many were seen pushing their motorbikes along the streets that day. By night, the rain hadn’t let up and the streets were deserted. My crappy camera didn’t do much justice but this was taken by Vietnam News just near my place…
