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Published: August 9th 2013
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The weather gods smiled on us today and we stayed dry! It was pretty humid but we'll take that over rain any day.
After a rather slow start this morning, we headed out by taxi to the Temple of Literature. Driving is something that I usually like doing, but I really am glad that I'm just a passenger in this town. There is no way that I could adequately describe just how totally bonkers the traffic is around here, but I'll try. Vehicles just go wherever they want! Road signs are non-existent but we've seen a few traffic lights and they seem to be ignored by many drivers. Even one-way streets seems to be a matter totally open to interpretation. At junctions, there are no obvious rules as to who goes where and who goes first. The general approach is that if you get to a spot in the road first, then you own it. And if you are heading to a spot in the road other drivers somehow seem to accept that you have a valid claim to that spot. The key seems to be to absolutely commit to your driving decision so that others drivers can anticipate your
movement. Any form of hesitation would likely end in someone's demise. It also seems that size counts around here. Busses beat trucks beat SUVs beat cars beat three-wheelers beat mopeds beat bikes. Not sure where pedestrians fit in the hierarchy but again commitment to a decision is the key when crossing the road. In London, there would be hundreds of road-rage attacks every day, but somehow here the people stay amazingly calm. Must be some kind of Budhist zen karma thing!
Anyway, back to the Temple of Literature. It's a big old temple built around 1050 and former place of learning. As with many of these temples the architecture is stunning. The details are all the more amazing when you think about the age of these places and the fact that the work was done by hand.
Lunch followed in a cool little Vietnamese restaurant that the hotel recommended called KOTO. It's a non-profit that teaches teenage street kids skills over a two year program that should land them jobs in restaurants upon graduation. Great food and a nice ambiance, all in a great cause. I have to say that I'm loving all the local Asian food and
have been pleasantly surprised at the kids' willingness to eat local stuff too.
Next up was the Museum of Ethnicity. Vietnam apparently has 54 distinct ethnic groups, although the largest, the Viet, make up over 80% of the population. The indoor displays weren't all that exciting but the outdoor collection of traditional buildings for a number of the ethnic groups was certainly a hit with the kids. Lots of climbing around various wood buildings, tree houses and homes on stilts.
Last stop after supper was the water puppet theatre. Puppets on sticks in water, with the operators behind screens on the watery stage. All very clever but I think it was a bit late for two very tired kids!
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