"The world is a book, & those who do not travel read only one page" St. Augustine

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page" St. Augustine

Thursday, February 24, 2011

HANOI & HUE

(Saturday) It was cold and muggy when we woke up in Hanoi today. The city was already alive by the time we made our way downstairs for breakfast. The breakfast at the hostel was very simple. It included baguettes, jam, fruit and coffee. We ate a little bit but were not very full. No worries though. Today was a free day, and we intended on eating our way through our walking tour. We walked through Hanoi's Old Quarter. First on our food stop was donuts. We tried some sugar, sesame and something else. I have no clue what was inside of it.
The streets were full of merchants. The sidewalks were nearly non-existent as the vendors set up along them. When there was free space, motorbikes used them to maneuver through traffic. Being a pedestrian is not very safe in Hanoi. I had such anxiety trying to cross the streets! We went to Lake Hoan Kiem which has a historical significance. We took pictures at the Huc Bridge and continued walking the streets. We passed the shoe makers, the floral markets, home goods, etc. Each street houses the same genre of shops. After a while, we stopped for some Vietnamese drip coffee with sweet milk. It's so delicious and hard to sip on because you want to drink it in one gulp! I absolutely love the coffee, and I don't drink it black. Sweet milk has to be my new favorite thing. I thought it was only used in baking and was I wrong! We tried some weird gelatin concoction in a banana leaf. It was pretty awful. Much to our surprise we found a frozen yogurt shop. The four of us were like little kids in a candy store. There were so many toppings so we made colorful yet clashing desserts. We continued walking to the market. Here we tried different dried fruits. They were interesting, and I did not have the urge to buy any.
For lunch a few of us headed back to the hostel. There was half off pizza which sounded really appetizing. We ordered a few different ones and decompressed. I was so tired after walking around in the gloomy weather all day. It was fun, but I was tired. Five of us tried to go to a few museums in the early evening. We were told they did not close until 7pm. We were turned away at the gate at 4:23 because they closed early on the weekends. I really wanted to see some of the museums and learn a bit more about the war and communist government here. I did get a whistle blown at me three times in this early evening. When I tried to take a picture of some security they reached for their pistols. Oops! Won't make that mistake again. A few of us walked around again and enjoyed some Bon Myu (meat sandwich with 5 different meats, sauces, herbs, etc), Bhan Bao (dumplings), and grilled corn!
For dinner our whole group went to Quan an Ngon. This is a pretty famous restaurant that serves food from every region in Vietnam. There are different "street vendors" situated throughout the restaurant. Madeleine, Isabel, Luke and I decided to order eight different foods to share. Everything was good and some better than others. Of course we stopped for dessert on the way home because Hillary found pistachio ice cream on the lake. What splendid news! Hillary and I LOVE pistachio ice cream. When we were rock climbing the two of us were in a group and did a great dance to express our passion for pistachio ice cream. Although we tried to go out tonight, so many of us were exhausted that we returned to our hostel and went to sleep!

(Sunday) Today we went to the Museum of Ethnography. The museum was very nice and had a variety of artifacts that represent the different types of Vietnamese. There were clothes, tools, household items, musical instruments, etc. It was really great to walk around. Outside were different houses. Many of them resembled ones we stayed in with our home stays. After this we went to the Temple of Literature. It was so busy and overwhelming. We were supposed to get a guide, but there was an hour wait. Therefore, we walked around by ourselves. I enjoyed some of the architecture before leaving.
We all ate lunch at a place called KOTO which stands for Know One Teach One. The concept is similar to Baguette and Chocolate in Sapa. It's a non governmental organization that employees street kids and also provides an educational experience for them. I absolutely love this concept. I think I may have found my calling :)
We went to see a water puppet show. It's an old tradition that used to be performed in rice fields. It was very interesting. I was surprised with the amount of detail that was displayed. I thought it would be very basic, but it exceeded my expectations. There were old ladies next to us who were very loud, however. they talked almost the entire time in outside voices. Manners seem to be a bit different while traveling.
After the show we had free time. I mostly hang around the guest house. Four of us went to dinner at a street cafe. We had passed it the previous day when our noses had guided us down an alley thanks to the smell of garlic. What can I say? Garlic is the best ingredient in cooking. Sam and I split two meals. We ordered some crunchy fried noodles with beef. My favorite was the garlic shrimp we ordered. It was perhaps one of the best shrimp entrees I have ever eaten. I wish I had bread to dip in the remainder of the sauce. After our stomachs were satisfied, we headed to the train station and took a night train to Hue.







 (Monday) We arrived in Hue in the mid-morning. After checking into our guest house we ate at Cafe on Thu Wheels. The service was so great as well as the food. We only had a short time before we headed out for our Moto tour. We had a great four hour tour through Hue which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There's so much history and beauty. The motorbikes took us through rice fields, villages and historical sites. The views were amazing. We rode through the hills with views of the mountains and rivers on our side. I absolutely loved being on the bike. I haven't been on the back of a bike in a long time. This was a different experience though. My arms were not wrapped around some guy who has no significance in my life. I was not keeping my parents up worrying about where I was. There was no highway with paved roads and street lights. Instead, my hands were in my pockets to keep them warm. My head was turning left and right to catch a glimpse of all the beauty I was passing. It's such a liberating feeling. I love the wind blowing through my hair and the rush of being on a motorbike. For once, I felt like part of the Vietnamese traffic instead of just an intruder. It was excellent.
For dinner we went to a Japanese restaurant that also helps street kids. The food was good. I was hoping to speak with the owner, but he was not there. It was back to bed for us shortly after dinner. It was a splendid day.



















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