May 12, 2009
The time has flown by fast and furious lately. We have seen so much in so short a time that I hope I can sort it all out. Our last stop in Vietnam was Halong Bay. As we were sailing into the harbor, some large shapes caught my eye out the window. I went out on the balcony only to see a couple of huge rock spires sticking up in the ocean. As we went along we were treated to one large rock spire after another of all different shapes and sizes. The experience of going by all these amazing formations took my breath away. We then arrived at the port of Hong Gai, the closest port to the capitol city of Hanoi.
Our first day in this amazing place we actually took a bus for 2 ½ hours to Hanoi. Our expectations were low because many had told us that North Vietnam would be depressing, especially compared to the South. How wrong they were. The drive in was fascinating as we drove through village after village and in between beautiful rice fields. In each village we could see some of the local daily life of the North Vietnamese, so while we had expected to catch up a little on our sleep, we spent most of our time looking out the window. As we came to the outskirts of the city we did notice some of the concrete block structures that many associate with a communist country, but the further we went into the city the most interesting the sights became. We crossed some pretty bridges and saw many sleek modern buildings and some classic Asian and European style ones as well.
Driving into the city center we were greeted with some magnificent vistas, especially across the scenic lake that is right in the center of town. We made our way to a five star hotel, the Intercontinental, for a lavish spread of Vietnamese food. I mean this hotel was at least twice as nice as the best we had seen in Saigon. In the hallway were photographs of foreign dignitaries who had visited Hanoi (and I guess that hotel) including people like Chairman Mao from China and George Bush. In the middle of the lunch, one of ship passengers, indeed one of the few African Americans on the ship, got up a made an impromptu speech. He described how he had been a soldier fighting in Viet Nam and what he hoped for now was peace between our two countries.
After lunch our first stop was the tomb of Ho Chi Minh, located on a huge square Ba Dinh which we walked across. Of course we had hoped to be able to go inside the mausoleum, but it was only open in the morning, and, of course, we were there after noon. So we walked by the guards to the presidential palace. Actually the palace was the former French Governor’s residence and it is a grand looking building in French style classic architecture, befitting a head of state. Our guide proudly told us that Ho Chi Minh only spent one night in the palace because he felt that he should live more modestly. So the next two houses we saw were the ones where he lived most of the time that he was in charge. Both were near tranquil lotus ponds and fit in well with the surroundings, and the second, where he lived most of his years as president, was a teak structure actually up on stilts, modeled after ethnic hill tribe homes. It had a large open meeting area underneath (where it was said, he planned the strategy with his officers against the Americans up until the time of his death). Both quarters were indeed unpretentious, although quite comfortable with a nice view of the ponds. I did have to admire the man for practicing what he preached.
Further along our walk we came to the One Pillar Pagoda, a rebuilt shrine indeed resting on a single pillar, and then to the Temple of Literature and first national university. This is a unique structure with several ornate multi-roofed entrances leading to 5 garden areas with lily ponds in the middle, culminating in the Men of Letters courtyard, surrounded by stone turtles, and the Temple. The turtles are worn on the heads because they are said to give good luck to anyone taking an important university exam. Even while we were there students came by and touched the heads of the turtles. The temple itself has a number of statues in it, with the central one being of the master Confucius himself.
After our visits in this area, we stopped at a busy shopping district right across from the large Hoan Kiem Lake in the middle of the city. Again, this lake provides an attractive scenic focus for the city, including striking bridges crossing it and monuments around it. In the middle is the Ngoc Son Pagoda perched on a tiny island. We walked around the shopping area, which had a few souvenir shops but mostly, surprisingly, shoe stores. Shoe store after shoe store, selling mostly sneakers looking very western in style. We did also see one of the Vietnamese puppet shows which we had been sorry to miss in Saigon, but it started well after our departure time. We considered buying some of the unique puppets we saw for sale in the stores, but they were large and heavy so we decided against it. We crossed a very busy street, using the same technique we learned in Saigon of simply charging into the traffic at a steady speed allowing the traffic to snake their way around us.
After walking around the lakefront a bit, we went back to the bus meeting location and boarded the bus for the trip back to the ship. As it was becoming dark, the trip back was also fascinating, viewing all the activity in the villages we again passed through. Most shops in the villages were still open and we could also see people in their living quarters, usually right above the shop, eating their dinner or watching television. There is a bathroom stop midway in both directions associated with some kind of merchandise. On the way in it was a pottery factory with a factory outlet stores attached. They had the cutest little teapots that we saw no where else in our travels. Did we buy one? I will leave it to your imagination. The place we stopped on the way back was overpriced so we simply looked. Second day in next update.
The time has flown by fast and furious lately. We have seen so much in so short a time that I hope I can sort it all out. Our last stop in Vietnam was Halong Bay. As we were sailing into the harbor, some large shapes caught my eye out the window. I went out on the balcony only to see a couple of huge rock spires sticking up in the ocean. As we went along we were treated to one large rock spire after another of all different shapes and sizes. The experience of going by all these amazing formations took my breath away. We then arrived at the port of Hong Gai, the closest port to the capitol city of Hanoi.
Our first day in this amazing place we actually took a bus for 2 ½ hours to Hanoi. Our expectations were low because many had told us that North Vietnam would be depressing, especially compared to the South. How wrong they were. The drive in was fascinating as we drove through village after village and in between beautiful rice fields. In each village we could see some of the local daily life of the North Vietnamese, so while we had expected to catch up a little on our sleep, we spent most of our time looking out the window. As we came to the outskirts of the city we did notice some of the concrete block structures that many associate with a communist country, but the further we went into the city the most interesting the sights became. We crossed some pretty bridges and saw many sleek modern buildings and some classic Asian and European style ones as well.
Driving into the city center we were greeted with some magnificent vistas, especially across the scenic lake that is right in the center of town. We made our way to a five star hotel, the Intercontinental, for a lavish spread of Vietnamese food. I mean this hotel was at least twice as nice as the best we had seen in Saigon. In the hallway were photographs of foreign dignitaries who had visited Hanoi (and I guess that hotel) including people like Chairman Mao from China and George Bush. In the middle of the lunch, one of ship passengers, indeed one of the few African Americans on the ship, got up a made an impromptu speech. He described how he had been a soldier fighting in Viet Nam and what he hoped for now was peace between our two countries.
After lunch our first stop was the tomb of Ho Chi Minh, located on a huge square Ba Dinh which we walked across. Of course we had hoped to be able to go inside the mausoleum, but it was only open in the morning, and, of course, we were there after noon. So we walked by the guards to the presidential palace. Actually the palace was the former French Governor’s residence and it is a grand looking building in French style classic architecture, befitting a head of state. Our guide proudly told us that Ho Chi Minh only spent one night in the palace because he felt that he should live more modestly. So the next two houses we saw were the ones where he lived most of the time that he was in charge. Both were near tranquil lotus ponds and fit in well with the surroundings, and the second, where he lived most of his years as president, was a teak structure actually up on stilts, modeled after ethnic hill tribe homes. It had a large open meeting area underneath (where it was said, he planned the strategy with his officers against the Americans up until the time of his death). Both quarters were indeed unpretentious, although quite comfortable with a nice view of the ponds. I did have to admire the man for practicing what he preached.
Further along our walk we came to the One Pillar Pagoda, a rebuilt shrine indeed resting on a single pillar, and then to the Temple of Literature and first national university. This is a unique structure with several ornate multi-roofed entrances leading to 5 garden areas with lily ponds in the middle, culminating in the Men of Letters courtyard, surrounded by stone turtles, and the Temple. The turtles are worn on the heads because they are said to give good luck to anyone taking an important university exam. Even while we were there students came by and touched the heads of the turtles. The temple itself has a number of statues in it, with the central one being of the master Confucius himself.
After our visits in this area, we stopped at a busy shopping district right across from the large Hoan Kiem Lake in the middle of the city. Again, this lake provides an attractive scenic focus for the city, including striking bridges crossing it and monuments around it. In the middle is the Ngoc Son Pagoda perched on a tiny island. We walked around the shopping area, which had a few souvenir shops but mostly, surprisingly, shoe stores. Shoe store after shoe store, selling mostly sneakers looking very western in style. We did also see one of the Vietnamese puppet shows which we had been sorry to miss in Saigon, but it started well after our departure time. We considered buying some of the unique puppets we saw for sale in the stores, but they were large and heavy so we decided against it. We crossed a very busy street, using the same technique we learned in Saigon of simply charging into the traffic at a steady speed allowing the traffic to snake their way around us.
After walking around the lakefront a bit, we went back to the bus meeting location and boarded the bus for the trip back to the ship. As it was becoming dark, the trip back was also fascinating, viewing all the activity in the villages we again passed through. Most shops in the villages were still open and we could also see people in their living quarters, usually right above the shop, eating their dinner or watching television. There is a bathroom stop midway in both directions associated with some kind of merchandise. On the way in it was a pottery factory with a factory outlet stores attached. They had the cutest little teapots that we saw no where else in our travels. Did we buy one? I will leave it to your imagination. The place we stopped on the way back was overpriced so we simply looked. Second day in next update.
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