Today busy Doi Can was snarled for a while by an elaborate funeral procession. In front was a small tourist van with large windows through which the coffin was visible, bedecked with lighted candles. The back doors of the van were open, and it was trailed by a long file of people with white headbands and gauzy white garments over their clothes. The throng was followed by five or six vans and cars filled with additional mourners. All the vehicles had large floral medallions made up of red and yellow flowers attached to their front grills. The lead van was moving at a slow walking pace, so that the line of mourners could keep up. This of course slowed traffic on this busy street to a crawl. The cars and trucks behind the cortege were stuck and could only creep along with the procession. The intrepid motorbike drivers were under no such constraint, and a constant stream of them were pulling around and diving through the procession, honking wildly as the whole crowd made its way down the street. This interplay gave the scene an odd vibe--stately and solemn, yet at the same time frenetic and celebratory.
Later, as we walked down our alley, a motorbike zipped by carrying a bride in full regalia, she hanging on to the bike and her tiara and veil with equal determination.
So life goes on in Hanoi.
P.
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