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Published: March 4th 2009
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Today we spent the day with our local tour guide, Tuan, and received 8 hours - the Cliff's notes- on Vietnamese history 101. The day began with a trip to the Museum of Vietnamese Ethnology. With only 2 weeks to spend in the country, this stop is a nice way to become acquainted with the different ethnic groups that make up the country of Vietnam. For John, it added alot of context to understading how Vietnam came to be what it is today. Tuan gave us not only a history lesson, but also various details about culture, education, politics, and religion to name a few. You know, all those subjects to be avoided during polite conversation and dinner parties.
As an transportation engineer and wannabe city planner, the lawlessness of the zoning and road safety was fascinating. It was so interesting to discover a billboard that showed Hanoi's traffic statistics for all to see. The number of fatal crashes for the day, the past week and past year are shown via electronic signs to warn drivers of the consequences of their crazy driving. Something tells me that the guilt trip isn't working. I really believe that there is no
way to prepare yourself for crossing streets here. It is like nothing you have ever experienced. Our thought was that perhaps they should offer training sessions in NYC for Americans. You could cross streets only when lights turn yellow and do your own version of human frogger. If you make it to the other side unscathed, you are ready for Vietnam. We were feeling silly about our discomfort with this phenomenon when we met a couple that has been traveling the world for the last few months. They arrived last night and are leaving with us tommorrow, claiming to be overwhelmed by this place. On the up side, you've never felt so many rushes of adrenaline in one day.
We made our next stop to the One Pillar Pagoda. It was built by the Emporer Ly Thai Tong in 1049. According to the legend, the emporer had a dream in which a female buddha, sitting on a lotus flower, presented him with a baby boy. The childless emporer soon married and his new wife bore him a son. To show his gratitude, he ordered the construction of the pagoda on a single pillar to resemble the lotus flower, standing
in a lotus pond. Our guide said the 1 pillar was damaged and reconstructed numerous times since the 11th Century. The most terrible damage was its burning by the French in 1954.
We also toured the Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university, dedicated to Confucius. This served as the center for higher learning for more than 7 centuries. With its beautiful grounds, Tuan described over and over how each detail was instructed with attention to "balance" and the "yin - yang" nature of the universe. The building behind us in the picture is Khue Van Cac, "The Constellation of Literature". The upper half of the structure features 4 suns, shining in the 4 cardinal directions.
We had a lovely lunch at a restaurant called "Know One, Teach One". This is a training school for orphaned and disadvantaged children to learn the hospitality industry. The meal was yummy and the service impeccable.
Today was very overcast, foggy, and at times misted heavily. One of my most vivid memories of today will be the strong smell of incense burning in the wet, chilly air. At each of the sites today, offerings to ancestors were being made by many people,
hoping that their prayers will travel with the smoke from the burning incense, up through the air, to their ancestors in paradise.
Our final stops were to Tran Quoc Pagoda, featuring a multi story tower, full of buddha statues that get increasingly smaller as each level was added (See photo), and to St. Joseph's Cathedral, a sign of French influence and the focal point for the city's Catholics. Whew! Tired feet earned and many new lessons learned.
Tomorrow morning we will leave Hanoi for Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We will not have computer access for 2 days, and will continue to share our adventure when we reach Hue, in the central part of the country. Thank you for sharing in our travels. We miss you Q and K! Good night.
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Sharice
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I'm loving this!!
You have done so much today! It's noon here and I haven't even gotten outta bed yet. I love these pictures and this seems really exciting. I'm going to try to keep up with your adventure, vacation vicariously through your travelblog! Erin I just left you my life story on Facebook! :-D