We've blogged about the mopeds and the traffic before. We've taken literally hundreds of photos. Indeed, when you visit Hanoi, one of the most striking elements is the moped culture. People just don't walk around here - they ride their mopeds... everywhere. One way street and you want to go the other way? No problem, that's what sidewalks are for. Have a couch to move with a couple of lamps and can't borrow your buddy's truck? Just throw it on my moped and take a seat behind me! The food market only has about 2 feet of clearance between stalls? No worries - your moped will fit and you never need to leave your seat!
Today, when we thought we'd experienced it all, we found ourselves in the mother of all moped frenzies - rush hour in the southern part of Hanoi on Duong Nguten Tai. An absolute sea of humanity on mopeds. The analogy of any thing or person in the road not moving being like a stone in a rushing river is a perfect description for how you feel. Imagine your worst traffic jam, but instead of cars, it's all mopeds. Simply amazing!
These pictures DO NOT do it justice, but maybe give a small sense of what it is like:
They actually stop at an intersection? Holy smokes!
ReplyDeleteAwesome!!!! I want to go! It looks fun! Love, Lisa
ReplyDelete