On our third morning in beautiful Halong Bay, our alarms were set for a 6:15 AM Tai Chi session on the sundeck. Tai Chi is the art of movement in warrior-like poses, think crouching tiger hidden dragon, and it's said to improve balance and circulation. It's like karate but in slow motion. On top of a moving boat with novice Tai Chi-ers and really happy hour recover-ers, I'm sure it was a quite a sight!
Following Breakfast/Brunch #1 of the day, we we were whisked to the Sung Sot Cave, the "Surprise Cave." Miss K, our Bhaya tour guide, proudly let us know that it is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. I may have made the comment that most caves are simply dark, wet, and more dark. This was true about Sung Sot, but it really was beautiful inside. Greens and blue hues were reflected across the limestone walls, and stark shadows were cast from the stalagmites and stalactites. Miss K carried a laser pointer to highlight the meaningful shapes created by the nooks and crannies of the cave walls. If you squinted just right, you could see dragons, big bellied Buddhas, and fingers. While traversing the cave we climbed 300+ vertical steps. When we exited the darkness, we were witnesses to a magnificent panorama view of the Bay.
(This is where you should expect that panorama picture togo, but Melissa and I are still in search of a good PC to upload our pictures from our "real" cameras. We'll let you know when we update the blogs with new pics. Unfortunately, we didn't have our phones with us in the cave and for a few of the other sections!)
Following Breakfast/Brunch #2, it was time for a bittersweet departure from the Bhaya Classic II. We were joined by two Kiwi's (my new favorite term for someone from New Zealand) who happened to be well-travelled, business savvy, app sharing, vegan, and insta-friends. Our shuttle back to Hanoi left us feeling more warm and fuzzy inside. Check out Happy Cow for all our veg-loving readers, and GrabTaxi if you're looking for the Uber of Southeast Asia!
A few days of R&R in Halong Bay was the antidote that I needed for Hanoi (Melissa didn't). Back in Hanoi, we spotted a banh mi cafe along our wandering path that met our standards of cleanliness and vegetarian menu items. A banh mi sandwich was a must on our Vietnamese cuisine list, since they're already so good in the U.S. Making a picnic lunch out of it near the Hoan Kiem Lake seemed like a good idea until the heat set in. The lake was lovely, peaceful, and surrounded by people enjoying it even in the middle of a weekday. After a brief relaxation period sitting on a bench where the ceramic could cook an egg, we scarfed our sandwiches to search for some A/C.
Luckily, the Vietnamese Women's Museum was just down the street. They should really advertise the quality of their air conditioning system as a marketing ploy. This museum was on the top of the list for these two feminists. We were curious to see what this museum had to say about the role of women in Vietnamese culture. Military, fashion, and traditional customs were all explored from a female perspective. A few of the signs were good for a chuckle.
Women have a very defined role in traditional Vietnamese family life particularly outside of cities where women raise children, gather crops, and create skillful embroidery. Some tribes are paternal; this means a newly wed couple goes to live with the groom's family. Maternal tribes send the couple to the bride's side. The unique customs of the tribes were rather interesting, such as rubbing sesame paste on a pregnant woman's stomach. Women are honored for their significant contribution to the war-torn history in Vietnam, a country that has endured a variety of "visitors" for hundreds of years. The most moving part of the museum was watching a video about women who come to the big city of Hanoi for a few weeks at a time to sell goods on the street. They return home for just a day at a time and only after making about $20 - enough to sustain their husband and children for another two weeks. Our next purchase was from a woman sitting on a street corner, but I wish we could do more.
The rest of the day was spent wandering the twisty-turny streets of the Old Quarter, which seem to have little order to them except for the type of goods that are sold. The Silk Road is a favorite among tourists, where authentic Vietnamese silk linens and clothes are sold for next to nothing in American terms. Then came the jewelry road, then the kitchen equipment, then the birthday party supplies stores...it was endless. Melissa got some lime ice cream on a stick at a stand with no English words written or spoken. It was a small victory and worth the effort!
An American guy sat at the next table at dinner, which was a fabulous Vietnamese vegetarian place, and the fact that this man stood out tells you how many Westerners are in this city. He had just moved permanently to Hanoi four days ago for work, and his salary is $160/month. He had lived in another city in Vietnam and in Hong Kong for six years, so while Asia was nothing new for him, it was apparent that he was still getting over the shock of this transition to Hanoi. I think he'll do better than me. When we were struggling to get the waiter's attention, he asked for our check in perfect Vietnamese.
The next morning was mainly a hunt for Vietnamese desserts because we're as much food-tourists as we are sightseeing tourists. There were two on the list that were left - coffee with yogurt, and che. The hunt for coffee was tough because the guidebook recommended a cafe that, unbeknownst to us, required customers to go through a silk shop to reach it. Thankfully, there is no shortage of coffee shops in Vietnam. The only limiting factor are the ones who have an English menu yet don't ooze a touristy vibe. After quite a hunt, we found one that met all requirements, except that they didn't serve iced coffee. A blueberry yogurt smoothie suited just fine on this very hot day :)
And just across the street was a restaurant that served che! Che is a dessert of sweet corn, red beans or banana soaked in a sweet, thick coconut milk soup. There were some other unknown jellies in the mixture too, and the nice server had to help explain how to eat it. Bananas and coconut milk sounded most appetizing, and it was delicious.
Along the wandering path were several shops selling coffee beans. Mysteriously, many of the beans had labels featuring a small rodent. Melissa had read about famous Vietnamese coffee that is produced from weasel excrement. Well, the saleswoman wasn't picking up on the subtle hand-language that tried to ask the question of where these beans came from. Melissa bravely tasted a sample of the coffee, and reports that it was amazingly tasty. We would've been tempted to buy a bag, or at least thought about it, until a Google search told us that most weasel-coffee on the streets is fake. Poo to that!
We also planned on spending Friday morning at the Vietnam War Museum.
Anticipating this museum felt similar to when we visited Auschwitz on our first trip international together. It's sobering, but it's a real part of history that cannot be ignored. Unfortunately, the inside of the museum was closed to visitors, but we were able to explore the outer grounds. The outer grounds are flanked with military artillery. There are massive tanks, rows of missiles the size of motorbikes, and several helicopters and planes. A crashed B-52 plane stands as monument in the middle of the grounds. We both felt uncomfortable as we realized most of the equipment surrounding us was US captured artillery. To land in Vietnam on Memorial Day and then spend the week on holiday is a true privilege. We make light of a lot of our travel experiences, but we whole-heartedly acknowledge that this trip was unfathomable just a few decades ago. To our family and friends who have served or are currently serving our country: Thank You.
The Temple of Literaure was also on our agenda. While the spring weather here is a heck of a lot hotter than back home, it still is graduation season! A procession of high school graduates donned their caps and gowns. Many of the girls were in white dresses, and the men were in dark suits underneath their robes. The cultural similarity to Western graduations was as close as it gets. Where did this tradition begin? In addition to the "big kid graduation," a group of young toddlers turned their cherished diplomas into swords and trumpets. It was adorable!
The museum was the most peaceful escape we found from extreme hustle and bustle of Hanoi. Greenery, flowers, and water surrounded us. Signage throughout the walkways taught us that Confucius had some 3000+ students in his life. Somehow Melissa and I had never discussed our favorite and most influential teachers, and I very much enjoyed the stories that followed. There's a very good chance a few of those teachers are reading this blog! :-). One of the other cool things we saw were these massive stone blocks with carvings. They looked a lot like tombstones, but they were actually the "stones" awarded for earning a doctorate. I don't know if I'd cherish stones more than my piece of paper... It's what you do with it, not what's on it!
(^Literally a picture of a picture. Melissa exists! Apparently we took no pictures on our phones of her for the duration of this post.)
The literacy museum and lunch in the upper tier of the Rainbow Cafe were refreshing breaks from the streets. We enjoyed some simple vegetable soup, tofu and vegetables, and Banh Mi bread. Banh Mi bread has a crisp crust like a chip, but a soft and airy inside. It is reminiscent of a baguette (and Vietnam was occupied by the French for many decades, so this makes sense). It's fantastic for slurping up every last droplet of garlicky broth. Mmmmmmm. There are only so many noodles a girl can eat, and I've about maxed out... until dinner- at least!
All in all, Vietnam was a fantastic travel experience. We were definitely the outsiders here. A teen girl in the Temple of Literature pointed to her camera as we passed. We thought she wanted us to take a picture of her group. We quickly realized she wanted a picture of her standing with Melissa! In the airport back, a toddler in her stroller looked at me with a smile, tapped her hair twice, then reached out to touch my skin. The only ginger she must know is the one that flavors her soups!
The next major city on our agenda is Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. We had a quick overnight in Bangkok instead of sitting in the airport for a long layover. We figured we could find a better meal in the city than in the airport, and a good meal we found! I had my favorite dish of the trip by far. It's called Tom Khaa Soup. My taste buds didn't know what was happening. An explosion of coconut and lime flavors filled my mouth. By the end of the dish, I had a pile of things I spit out as I quickly learned the hard way they were not edible. It's like the equivalent of bay leaves and pickling spices in my dad's homemade pasta sauce, except this was ginger (we think), strange leaves, and a few stringy things. Hopefully I'll be able to replicate these amazing flavors back home... Good thing there's a cooking class in our future!
Love,
A & M
Ps: The next stop on our flight from Hanoi to Bangkok would have been Doha. Do you know what country holds the city of Doha? We guessed really wrong. A prize will be awarded to the first person to comment correctly! Prize at discretion of the Curly Girls and if we think you googled it first!
