the 27th and the 28th..

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Well well well!

Yesterday we took a flight from Vietien that was a balmy 39 degreesish at 11:30 yesterday afternoon, and headed to here, Hanoi where it rains, and it is about 25-30 degrees, quite a nice change!

When we got here, we went to the oldest resturant in Hanoi. There we ate Fish with noodles and veggies, and I am not one to like fish, but this was amazing!

The rooms here are so very nice and have a bath in the bathroom! It is like home being here. No squatting to go to the bathroom! That took no getting use to; using a real toilet that is =P

This morning we got up and had a really nice breckfast, and i gorged myself on pineapple; PS if i were in Vang Vien, that would have been Pine Apple, or Water Mellon. Yes, anyways! After breakfast, we took a good 35 min walk over to the Ho Chi Mihn mousaleam; yeah i cant spell, get over it =P. It was insane! We had to walk in 2's, and if you stepped over these lines in the presession, then they would blow a whistle at you! Following this, it was like going to a funeral actaully, you could not talk once inside this big massive stone place. Now if you asked me what i did today, i would tell you this, I saw a dead body! So Originally his wishes were to be that he be creamated, however, they loved him so much that they "pickled" his body... It was really creepy! Walking though there i thought that he would all of a sudden sit up and gasp for air; but no that did not happen! But honestly, he looked like a sleeping man rather then a dead one. He would be 40 years dead. He died in Sugust of 1969... Oh and to add to the oddness... he gets a 3 month holiday from Oct - Dec, and goes to Russia to get his skin touched up! Sick hey? But in a way, ver facinating how they have so called "honoured" him.

Once outside of there, we got to see his house, and then the place that he built just th year before he died, and that was his house on stilts. THAT was a beautiful building, and outside of that there was a pond full of Coi fish... apperntly those fish cost somewhere in the $1000 range?

So get this! When we were in there, there was this group of Korean men that would NOT stop staring at us, and then one comes up and snaps a picture of me and Helen! I was like what the heck! And Erin told us that it is normal.. Now i know how they feel when we come into their country and take pictures of them, however i am polite enough to ask.

When we left there at about 11, it started to rain, but Helen, Sarah, Steve, Ollie and myself wanted to get some eats. So we went to this resturant that has cooks and servers that were once street kids. it is pretty cool. It was called KOTO; Know one. Teach One. The food was amazing too.

Then we went to the literacy place... sorry i am having a brin fart as to what it was called, and i dont want to go wake up my roomate to get my book. But it was outdoors and I will tell you more about it in my next entry in a few days so that i dont give you the wrongfacts. But it was umm wow...

So a new expirence for me here, and i think that everyone in the group would agree, is crossing the roads! You cannot even being to comprehend how much traffic there is here! Bikes, truckes, Taxies, Cyclos; that is a bike that there is the bike in the back, and then you sit on a chair like thing in the frot and they drive, and just cars... and they dont stop, and they weave in and out of one another and around you! So this is how it works... you WALK and DO NOT STOP! If you stop, you are more likly to get nailed by someone!

After that, we took about a 2 hour senic walk to the water puppetts show! That was SO SO SO differnt. It is exactly waht it sounds like; there is a theater, and a stage with props, however the stage is water... then there are people behind the curtain that control the puppetts.... I dont know how to explain the rest, but it is a very old traditional thing here.

Then i came back here at about 4 and crashed till 7. I am still a little under the weather, and for those of you who know what "the bark" is, well i have it in full! I cannot stop coughing!

And now i just got back from dinner and it is 11pm and i am going to head to bed because i have to be up really early to head over to Halong Bay.

I will blog in a few days when we get back, but we are on the bay for 2 days!

Miss you loads,

xo Tay

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Comments

[Irene Bodnar]

Vietnam
Ah! So you have begun to "surf" the traffic! It is so easy coming home and crossing streets after experiencing the crazy Asian traffic. Try riding a bicycle there! You will love ALL of Vietnam, I'm sure. Halong Bay was one of my favorites. Enjoy

[Margo]

Halong Bay is Beautiful!! Have a blast! Are you sleeping on the boat or on land? If you're on a boat I hope it's a ratless one!!! :) I'm loving your entries!