The traffic!

So far we haven't mentioned the Hanoi traffic.....chaos!
After finally figuring out the road rules I hired a scooter. The rules are, apart from being no road rules, drive mostly in the middle of the road (just in case) pass when something else is coming head on or for variety pass on the inside, occasionly drive on the wrong side or backwards down a one way street, fit as many people, pigs, chickens, ducks or what ever on the bike, traffic lights are for beautification (dunno what red means), only look straight ahead and beep-honk-parp-blare your horn at anything that moves - if you get peeped-honked-parped either pass or be passed and only drive with 4 million other scooters in the same square metre of road. If you are a road worker spread some dirt around on the road and hit it with your shovel. Oh did I mention you need to beep the &^%$#$^ horn? Some how it all works (like Italy without the agro!).
One of the amazing things we have discovered is the art of crossing the road. After our initial terror in Ha Noi realising that pedestrian crossings mean absolutely nothing, we are now just like the locals. As long as you stride out confidently, do not make eye contact and look straight ahead, somehow the traffic just manages to weave their way around you. A bit like Outram where you can walk in the middle of the road without getting run over - well, maybe not quite the same.