Advertisement
Published: February 23rd 2006
Edit Blog Post
Greetings Everyone,
Time to update you again. After a 55 minute flight from the airport of Da Nang, we arrived yesterday in Ha Noi . The weather in Hanoi is just like spring in Seattle, misty and High temps in mid 60s, but fully 25 degrees cooler than our weather thus far.
We were greeted by our new driver and tour guide. The hour ride to our hotel took us through a lot of rice paddies and city areas. Our hotel is in the Diplomatic Quarter with 56 Embassies in the area. Since this is the capital of VN we have noticed a stronger military presence, seeing guns on soldiers for the first time.
We have noticed a number of differences between Hanoi and where we have visited thus far. First the architecture is different from Ho Chi Minh City and Hue. A lot of French influence from the turn of the century, and the stark gray of the Russian influence. Secondly the dialect is distinctly different here.
For all of the dog lovers, it is true,..... A lot of restaurants serve dog meat as entrees. Our tour guide told us that there are actually farms that
will raise and slaughter dogs to be made for dinner. These dogs are usually "normal" looking dogs that do not have much value to people. So the little Shitzu should be safe, not much meat on the bone!
Before checking in to our hotel, our guys took us to the best buffet place called "Sen". They serve authentic Ha Noi foods. The servers were dressed in traditional Hanoi costumes. This lunch brought back a lot of childhood memories for Michelle.
After we checked in, we toured the History Museum of Hanoi. Lots of prehistoric artifacts as well as relics from the various VN dynasties. Tom found it interesting to read Ho Chi Minh's Independence Declaration from France had several references to the American Declaration of Independence.
Next we visited the Hoan Kiem Lake, in the center of Hanoi. The lake is about 1/3 the size of Green Lake. In the center of the lake is a temple which plays a significant role in Vietnamese lore. According to the legend in the 17th Century King Le Loi was fighting the Chinese. One day a giant turtle appeared in the lake. This turtle had a sword that possesed superior powers. The turtle gave the sword to the King which enabled him to defeat the Chinese. Sometime later on a clear day the King was cruising the lake. The turtle reappeared asking for the sword back. The turtle took the sword then dove back into the lake never to be seen again. There actually is a giant turtle on display that was pulled from the lake.
We had another wonderful 8 course dinner that cost each of us about $8.00.
After dinner we went to the World famous Water Puppet show. Our tour guide upgraded our tickets to second row center. This show will be hard to describe but I will try. Imagine a complex puppet show on and in the water, with the performers operating the puppets from poles under the water. Very colorfu, describing local history and customs with live traditional Vietnamese music as the background. Don't worry, we have the CD to show you.
After the show we had a quick drink and retired back to our hotel.
This morning Thursday the 23rd of February, we set out from Hanoi for a three hour drive to HaLong Bay a UNESCO World Heritage site. The drive was very interesting. We drove through lots of farmland and rice paddies. Cemeteries and war dead monuments are in every town of any size. We drove through a couple of coal mining towns that were black with coal dust. Along the way we were on the lookout for signs that said Thit Cho, of Thit Cay which meant dog on the menu. Suprisingly we saw quite a few including at least one that also served Meo which means cat.
We stopped at a ceramic factory where Tom invented a new game. Anytime we stop where local items are for sale, one of the workers will stay right with you hoping you will buy something. The faster you walk the faster they have to walk to keep up. Pretty amusing!
We are continually amazed by what people can carry on their scooters or motorcycles. Today we saw a motorcycle rider carying a small live water buffalo and another motorcycle carrying 4 live pigs ( two on their backs with their legs up and one each side where you might put a saddle bag).
We stopped in Halong City to have a seafood lunch across from the bay. We had clams, squid, cockles, and stuffed crab. Anytime you have a meal with access to the sidewalk you leave yourself open to all the street hawkers selling their wares.
HaLong Bay on first view is spectaculor! Imagine a bay ringed by multiple Mt Si s some coming right out of the water. We'll tell you more after our boat trip tomorrow.
It probably would be helpful to give you an idea of the people here as it may not be what you think. Even though this is a communist country and "Uncle Ho" is everywhere, Vietnam is driven by the dollar. In every shop prices are quoted in American dollars as well as the VN Dong. There is not much mentioned about the War except when you visit a site that was damaged and then, just in passing. Tourism is huge here and you can't go anywhere without seeing large tour busses with European and American tour groups. Everyone has been extremely friendly wanting to know about America while being as helpful as possible. Here is just one example of which we have many. I burned my leg on the exhaust of a scooter the second day in Ho Chi Minh City. Nothing serious. This morning we asked the doorman of our hotel where there was a pharmacy so I could get some antiseptic and a bandage. When he saw the small burn he knew what was needed and ran ( yes ran) down the street and around the corner before we could give him any money. About 5 minutes later he came running back with everything we needed. We could only guess what was a fair price so we gave him money for that, plus a nice tip.
It is time to close this for the day. I can hear live Vietnamese music coming from the lobby so I need to check it out. Before I go, here are a few more Vietnamese Rules of the Road:
Rule #10 The man with two full size refrigerators on the back of his motorcycle is NOT going to stop at a red light.
Rule #12 It's quite reasonable to go the wrong way up a one-way street.
Rule # 15 Just because you have four on the bike and are going the wrong way up a one-way street, it does not mean the police will stop you.
Until next time,
Tom and Michelle
Advertisement
Tot: 0.1s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 7; qc: 44; dbt: 0.051s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Scott Wolff
non-member comment
Rules of the road
The Rules of the Road, along with today's scooter picture, give the clearest sense of your travels in VN. This is clearly the trip of your life, Tom!