Enjoying life as a lady of leisure

TUESDAY 4th October

    This morning I spent a couple of hours wading through a heap of worksheets and lesson plans sorting out what I want to hang on to, what to pass on to Tony and what to throw away. Doesn't seem like much, but at least it's a start. I'm not sure if it's feasable to even try to pare down my stuff so it fits into only one suitcase, even though I haven't accumulated much. Gene and Becki tell me it's cheaper to pay for an extra suitcase than to cough up for several kilos of excess baggage, so that might be the way to go... I'll see how much I come back with after tripping around with Katie...

    All up it was a pretty gentle day washing, reading, relaxing and skyping. Katie and I checked out the Hotels on our itinerary and booked a cooking class at a school in Hanoi called Hidden Hanoi that looks great (fingers crossed!). 

    Late in the afternoon Tinh came over so I could check his CV. Xuan came too. After sorting that out we talked to Katie on skype for a while. It had been raining on and off all day, but the rain eased off to a light sprinkle, so we walked down Van Cao to the Bun Cha restaurant on the corner.

Cheery restranteur, Tinh and Xuan.

The weather has cooled off so everyone is rugged up - except me! I love not feeling hot after all these months! We had  a delicious meal...

Fresh and oh so tasty Bun Cha

To think I would have missed out on enjoying this street food but for the friendship of my church class boys. I always walked past because I was unfamiliar with how to order and what to order... and the sad reality of sitting by myself to eat.  Now it's all good!

No more 'Nigel No Friends' for me!  

    After dinner we walked home and played darts for a while. This time Xuan reigned supreme and was undefeated. Mind you, Tinh had never played before... as for me, I have no excuse... just not accurate enough!

WEDNESDAY 5th October

Today was my last regular church class. So I took some photos. The numbers were down by the end of the lesson because we went way overtime, but here they are (after I gave them an Aussie flag sticker each).

This lovely girl gave me this vase of flowers which she made - with the request that I come back soon

    Helle was waiting for me when I got home, (later than I planned...). We picked up Maritha, Dorothee and Caroline and headed off to Harbour View Hotel for lunch. Everything was decorated for a huge wedding between a Danish man and a Vietnamese girl later in the afternoon, so we got to look around and ooh and aah at the gorgeous decorations

The foyer at Harbour View

The main banquet room

There were dozens of fresh roses on every table

and several personalised tables decorated the hall.

 

This is Dorothee with Sathia and Ushi Narayanan. Sathia is the General Manager of Harbour View.

This is the colourful little gift shop in the Hotel foyer...

When we went into the Dining Room we were joined by Birthe, Becki and Gene. There was a tour group booked in for lunch, so we enjoyed the benefit of the buffet lunch prepared for them

Becki and a waitress

Becki and Caroline

The dessert selection

We had a lovely lunch with plenty of lively conversation... I will miss these girls. Maritha, Dorothee, Helle, Birthe, Ushi and Caroline

(Becki and Gene had already left to go to work). 

After a very leisurely lunch I went with Helle and Birthe to Parkson, where they bought some warmer clothes for the change in the weather. We had a fresh orange juice, bought some hot bread from Helle's favourite bread lady outside Big C and I got home at about 5pm!

Khanh came over later and we went out for another street-food treat I haven't had before...

Bánh cuốn (literally "rolled cake"). It is a roll made from a thin, wide sheet of steamed rice pancake filled with seasoned ground pork, minced wood ear mushroom, and minced shallots. Fried onion is sprinkled on top. It was served with the dipping sauce called nước chấm with a pork sausage floater and a minced pork meatball, and of course the wonderful fresh green salad. YUM.

We tried to watch a movie from Khanh's laptop, but couldn't get the connection to the TV happening, so we ended up talking to a German lady friend of his on skype. I was pleasantly surprised how much German I remembered from 45 years ago in high school!  Shame they don't speak German in Vietnam... I'd be speaking 'Vietnamese' by now... ah well, maybe next time I come I will learn it... maybe. Everyone that's not Vietnamese reckons it's impossible to learn because it has 6 tones.. more than Chinese, even!  But I know lots of 3 year olds that have no trouble speaking Vietnamese......

THURSDAY 6th October

This morning Khanh picked me up and took me to the Post Office to pick up a parcel of CD's from LifeHouse that P. John Hardy had sent me... 6 months worth of key messages - but I only have a few days before I'm off travelling with Katie, so I will bequeath them to Lynh - I'm sure she will put then to good use. 

Next we went to the Hang Kenh Communal House. It was built in 1717 and is really beautiful. I pulled out my camera only to find I'd left my memory card in my lap top so I couldn't take any pictures! This one I down-loaded off the net

but it doesn't come close to doing it justice. As we walked around I stopped beating myself up, because I will definitely bring Katie here to see this. Then I will take many photos for my blog... it's a place Hai Phong must cherish.

Next stop was the Du Hang Pagoda, built in 1672. Again, all I have tonight is a pic from the net

We had a fairly brief look around, since I didn't have my camera. The three storey buiding was marred by huge modern banners that completely obscured the top two floors. I hope they are removed when we return, for it looks very tacky today.

It was drizzling lightly and quite cool when Khanh dropped me home at noon. It's amazing how cool it is today when you consider it was really hot just last week. I spent the afternoon skyping Katie, blogging and having a snooze. Khanh came back at 5 with some Bánh Bèo...

A neat little package wrapped in banana leaf... steamed rice flour cake and minced pork, dipping sauce... and yup, it was delicious!

It occurred to me when I was typing up these last few days just how very tame life in Coffs Harbour will seem! If it wasn't for my precious family and my gorgeous grandchildren I think I'd find it very mundane after this lot!

Unemployed... Hanoi - just because I can!

SATURDAY 1st October

Today being the first day of my month dedicated to travelling around Viet Nam and relaxing, I loaded up my backpack, walked to the bus station (5 minutes away) and caught the bus to Hanoi. It tosts 65,000 dong ($3)  and takes about two and a half hours ... long enough to take a nap...

When I got to Hanoi, I jumped on a No.22 bus and rode for an hour (15c) to meet Lina. She is in Hanoi for two weeks doing an intensive block of study for her next degree. We then took a taxi to the Silk Village... I finally got to go to the silk village! Several times Helle and the girls have gone there, but I was always too busy working to join them. The shops are a treasure trove of silk clothes, scarves, bags, etc. etc.

It was great shopping with Lina, she kept bargaining for a better price wherever we went. In one shop she bargained 450,000d down to 330,000d! $16.50 for 2 pashminas, 1 silk scarf, 5 embroidered silk wallets and a couple of tops for Jordan and Bailey.  And she taught me to offer half in the markets, bargain a bit, then turn away if they don't come to the party. Invariably, they will call out and agree to the low price rather than miss out on the sale altogether.

We dropped in to the silk factory to watch the looms at work. It's off the main street, and you first come into a courtyard shaded by a huge tree and lots of hanging orchids. It must look amazing when they are in bloom.

On the wall by the door is a lattice covered in silk-worm cocoons... reminds me of when we were kids in Roseville with our silkworms and mulberry tree leaves.

Inside, there were a dozen wooden looms clattering away, making silk cloth in various colours and designs.

It must be quite a skill setting up the looms for each pattern, for the thread is so fine and the patterns so delicate.

You get a bit of an idea what a racket the looms make in this video - I was shouting about being in a silk factory and you can't hear me at all

After our shopping spree, we took a taxi for a short way, then caught a bus to the Old Quarter... a very cheap way to get around if you have local knowledge! I was talking to Lina on the bus - she was standing and I was sitting, so I raised my voice... too loudly it turns out - the conductor Shhh'd me! How mortifying!

From the bus stop, we walked around Hoan Kiem Lake to go to the hotel

There were so many foreigners we played 'spot the Aussie'

It's so peaceful and beautiful, you just want to sit and relax.

Lina had booked me into Thang Long Hotel in Cau Go street for only $14 a night - right near Hoan Kiem Lake, in the thick of things. My room was small, and on the third floor, but clean and very quiet.

See those little shoes under the bed? They are for the bathroom... once you have a shower, the floor is all wet. But I had to laugh - the soles are air filled, so every time you step into them they give a little squeak of protest, and when you take them off they made an even longer squeaky sigh of relief :)

After I had a shower and freshened up, we went downstairs, across the road and down a little way and found a street stall selling Bánh Khúc (Mung Bean Dumplings)...

 ... now on my list of favourite Vietnamese foods

This is no frills street food Vietnamese style

It's a ball of sticky rice with a filling of pork and a mung beans and greens mix that tastes quite delicious, with a sprinkling of ground peanuts and salt. The pattie is pork and green rice and other ingredients ... Bánh Khúc doesn't look special, but it tastes amazing!

We perched on little plastic stools and had a little feast. I'm so greatful that Lina took time to spend the afternoon with me - I never would have tried this food if I was on my own.

Lina wasn't feeling very well, she'd had food poisoning earlier in the week, and it was still too early for the night markets, so she headed back to the Uni and I went up to my room and watched a bit of telly with my feet up. After a couple of hours I ventured out and walked down to the night markets.

I did the walk-away routine and bought a nice leather wallet for a few dollars.

By then it was 10ish and I was thirsty so I went into a cafe overlooking the water fountain and thoroughy enjoyed an extravagant watermelon smoothie and an ice-cream sundae while I watched the passing parade.

... western food doesn't sit as well as Vietnamese food... I couldn't finish it.

SUNDAY 2nd October

After a good night's sleep I headed across the road and had Bánh Khúc for breakfast. Then headed off for a stroll around the lake...

It was early, and the road was closed for a series of running races. There was a beautiful cool breeze blowing and the weather was just perfect ... the cool of the morning.  I walked down to the Hiệu sách Thăng Long Bookshop, looking for an anthology of Vietnamese poetry. I didn't find exactly what I was looking for, but I did buy an English translation of The Tale of Kiều. It is an epic poem in Vietnamese written by Nguyễn Du (1766–1820), and is widely regarded as the most significant work of Vietnamese literature. I also bought a small volume of poems by Hồ Chí Minh: Prison Diary.

 

There were lots of old people out and about getting their morning exercise and meeting up with friends

I shared the park bench with this lady for a while as we just sat and enjoyed the view.

There were families out and about, too...

    Everyone walking here keeps an eye on the water, hoping to get a glimpse of the huge 500 year old turtle that lives in the lake. For centuries, Hanoians have been fascinated by the mysterious turtle (actually it's a tortoise) that lives underneath the tranquil waters of Hoan Kiem Lake, passing down stories about the beloved creature from generation to generation. According to a tale that dates back to the 15th century, King Le Loi, also known as Le Thai To, the founder of the Le Dynasty, was given a magical sword, which he used to defeat the northern Ming (Chinese) aggressors. He found a holy turtle during a cruise on the then Luc Thuy, or green lake. The turtle told the King to return the sacred sword now that peace had returned. Le Thai To unsheathed his sword and threw it to the turtle, who grabbed it and disappeared into the depths of the lake. He later named the lake "Hoan Kiem" (Lake of Returned Sword).

    Named Rafetus Leloii after King Le Loi, this ancient turtle has become an integral part of the culture and history of Ha Noi. The Vietnamese add a title to his name, Cụ Rùa , which means great-grandfather the turtle. To many people, the turtle in the lake is not just a normal turtle – it is a sacred being. Many put a picture of the Hoan Kiem Lake turtle on their altars for worshipping.  The Great Turtle in the lake belongs to a soft shell species measuring nearly two metres in length and weighing over 200 kilos. They reckon it is 400-500 years old.

So there I was strolling along, when I noticed some people pointing and there it was! It's hard to see in the photo because it was only just breaking the surface with its nose, but it's huge..

You can see it better in this video... Da-daaa!

    I stopped off at Thuy Ta Cafe on the lake for a cuppa and a mille feuilles and headed back to the hotel to put my feet up. On the way I stopped to get my shoes polished by this nice friendy shoe-shine boy who spoke good English. Big mistake.

He had asked for 50,000d but he'd agreed to do them for 20,000d, so I sat down on the window sill and we chatted away happily.

This lady was selling sweet little donuts

    Next thing I knew he pulled out a skewer and poked it through the white edge around the bottom of the shoe and began to sew around the shoe ... "fixing" it... except that they're Colorados and certainly didn't need "fixing"! Once he'd started I figured I'd have to let him continue or I'd have holes in my shoes.. Half an hour later we were still arguing that my shoes didn't need fixing and they were going to last for years without his intervention and I had told him I didn't want them "fixed", but he had gone ahead regardless... He reckoned his work was worth $10 at least (200,000d)! I ended up very begrudgingly paying him 50,000d and stormed off saying "This would never happen in Hai Phong!"... The first and last time ever I feel sorry for a shoe-shiner.

    At 1:30pm I met Lynn Rees at the water fountain. I met Lynn and Des the first time I came to Ha Noi in March. They are Aussies teaching at a language school in Hanoi. They have taught in India and China over the last six years and thoroughy enjoy life in Hanoi. They live on the square next to St Joseph Cathedral. 

To get to to their apartment you walk down a narrow dark passage that twists and turns... past the neighbours' incredibly tiny kitchen...

... and the pet monkey...

... up the stairs... looking over the railing you can see the way in...  no space wasted in the middle of the city

Then we came to Lynn and Des' apartment

It's two storey - living room and tiny kitchen downstairs, with a lovely bedroom and bathroom upstairs

and a terrace as well

We had a bread roll and a cuppa for lunch and after a while headed out through the twists and turns of narrow streets and laneways to go to their favourite Pina Colada bar, where we sat and chatted, watching the world go by. Traffic seems to be quieter in Hanoi... in Hai Phong motorists blast their horns constantly, but we sat in that lane for more than an hour and the riders didn't toot at all.

When we headed back the square in front of the Church was full and there was a procession in full swing. Lynn said October is the celebration of Mary and the Rosary and it seems that was the reason for the ceremony. We watched and took photos

gorgeous banners

The ao dai's worn by the choir were exquisite.

a giant rosary

 

and lastly the statue.    

    We went our separate ways then at 7pm Lynn and Des came to my hotel. We walked down the bustling street, forced onto the road because the street food stalls were doing a roaring trade on the footpaths. We made our way to Tandoor Indian Restaurant. The food was fabulous... fresh roti, chappatis, chicken korma, Bengali fish curry, and a vegetable mix I can't remember the name of. Too busy talking and eating to remember to take photos (sorry!). But I did get Des to take a pic of us leaving...

Unfortunately on the walk home someone jostled into Lynn, slit her bag and stole her camera. It was done so smoothly she didn't even realise what had happened until after she got home. She carried the bag over her shoulder... I have a bum bag that I keep under my shirt... one time that it's good to have a big belly... you dont notice the bag so much and it can't be reached.

It was lovely spending time with Lynn and Des. I do hope we get to cross paths  again... maybe next year in Hanoi?

MONDAY 3rd October

I had a lazy morning and ended up watching a movie on TV before checking out at 9.30am and catching a taxi to the bus station. I jumped on a xe-om at the bus station at Hai Phong and got home at 12:30.  What a great couple of days!

I had a chat to Tony, unpacked my goodies and began blogging. Dave Spencer was on skype from Tanzania, where he's working in an orphanage and loving it, and later Katie came on line. And so passed the rest of the day  :)