Archives for January 2012

First pretty, then informative, and followed by delicious.

After visiting Ho Chi Minh’s stilt house we strolled over to another popular spot, the One Pillar Pagoda. I didn’t know this at the time but the temple was built in 1049 by the Emperor to demonstrate gratitude over the birth of a son. I just thought it was pretty.

Next we walked over to the Ho Chi Minh museum, which details the country’s struggle against foreign powers.

Tip: Go upstairs! We started on the main floor and quickly grew a little bored reading newspaper clippings and journal entries. Luckily, Mike made us climb the stairs to where the interesting exhibits reside. From now on I might just start visiting the second floor of museums first. (The interesting bits at the Gandhi museum are upstairs too.)

By this time we were ready for some lunch. We grabbed a taxi (that completely overcharged us) and went to KOTO, a not-for-profit restaurant. KOTO’s mission is to reach out to young people in poverty and teach them useful culinary skills. (KOTO stands for “Know One, Teach One.”) I highly recommend visitors to Hanoi eat at KOTO. Not only is their mission very noble, the food was delicious.

xo, jill

“Uncle Ho’s Stilt House”

On our third day in Hanoi it seemed about time to do some proper sightseeing and get acquainted with Mr. Ho Chi Minh. Our first stop was at his mausoleum. Ho Chi Minh requested to be cremated with his ashes spread across Vietnam but the exact opposite happened. His body was embalmed and is on display inside the mausoleum. Really. Unfortunately, (or fortunately?), we visited on Monday when the mausoleum is closed to visitors.

Next we passed by the European architecture of the Presidential Palace on our way to Ho Chi Minh’s stilt house.

The stilt house is said to be where Ho Chi Minh lived from 1958 until his death in 1969. The house is very simple with only two rooms and no toilet. The area underneath the house served as a conference room and reception hall. Realistically, Ho Chi Minh probably didn’t live here during the war. When you consider how heavily the area was targeted by American bombs, it just wouldn’t be smart.

Nonetheless, it’s still a charming place.

xo, jill

with puppets.

On Christmas morning we took the opportunity to sleep in a bit. Someone (me) was feeling a bit grumpy and homesick so the day got off to a rough start. Anyone else get caught off guard by homesickness? You think you’re doing fine and then suddenly realize where all the sourness is coming from? Fortunately, the rest of the day was much more pleasant.

We stopped into a nearby bakery for a few Christmas treats. I had the chocolate pie I had been craving the night before and Mike had his first of many gingerbread men. Then we were off to the water puppet show.

Water puppet shows are a very popular attraction in Hanoi. The practice originated in the 11th century in villages around northern Vietnam. The puppets are controlled by long sticks under water with the puppeteers hidden behind a screen. To the audience it appears as if the puppets are moving over the water independently.

The puppeteers came out for applause.

Tickets need to be purchased at least a day in advance and are available in first or second class seating arrangements. The show is relatively short, about an hour, and worth the $5 admission.

Big chunks of our day and evening were spent tracking down a suitable internet set up to web chat with our families. It took forever to find a computer with Skype, a camera, and a microphone. Plus, our families are in different time zones so we required multiple visits to the internet “cafe” (just three computers on a landing). Of course, all the fuss was definitely worth getting to see and talk to loved ones.

We also visited the night market where we entered a little booth to make this holiday greeting.

(Don’t get too excited. “Marry” is just a misspelling. We’ve no big news to share.)

xo, jill

…for the perfect meal, of course!

Our goal on Christmas Eve was to find the perfect meal. We didn’t want to eat Vietnamese food. We wanted to eat Christmas food. And there had better be some mashed potatoes!

We got a few leads from our hotel and blogs of places that serve Christmas dinners and went out to explore. Unfortunately, most places were serving a very expensive ($40+)* set menu featuring lots and lots of meat. Not so good for me.

The search was long but it really wasn’t too bad. All around us the Christmas spirit in the city was beginning to grow. Finally, we found a place (about a block from our hotel, so basically right where we started!) that was just right. We sat outside (brr!) on a balcony overlooking the church. A huge crowd of people had gathered to listen to Christmas music and see the Nativity.

It was interesting to note how the Vietnamese people celebrated Christmas. For us, we’d be inside celebrating with our families on Christmas Eve. In contrast, the Vietnamese people took to the streets in large groups with their friends. They also have a habit of dressing up small children as Santa Claus. Loved it.

After dinner we shared an apple pie dessert and some pretty yucky hot chocolate. We took another walk around the neighborhood and then we settled in for a movie in our cozy room.

xo, jill

*Remember, you can eat in Vietnam for pennies.

Goodbye galoshes.

We arrived in Hanoi on Christmas Eve feeling grateful for the dry weather. The temperature was a bit chilly but the sun was out and shining. It turns out that we picked a pretty great hotel. The room was a good size but felt cozy, the bed was large and comfortable, and the DVD player and computer didn’t hurt either. The only weird feature was the glass wall separating the bathroom from the rest of the room. Decorative etchings served to provide a little privacy, but it wasn’t much. Did I mention the toilet and the computer were right next to each other? If one person was on the computer and the other person was on the toilet, you’d be facing each other with only a slight blur of glass for separation. Thank goodness no one got the traveler’s d.

Moving on.

After a little rest we ventured out to Hoan Kiem Lake and visited Ngoc Son Temple. It’s not obvious from these photos but the temple is on an island in the lake. Visitors reach the temple by crossing a bright red bridge.

After the temple, Mike and the Lonely Planet led us on a walking tour throughout town. It was fairly fast-paced for the most part so I took most of my photos from the hip and on the move. A few still managed to turn out.

Once we returned to the hotel we began to research and plan how to spend our Christmas Eve evening.

xo, jill

Three in one.

The afternoon portion of our tour in Hué involved three different tombs. I think. Once again, I’m a little hazy on how it all went and which photos belong to which location. I promise the rest of Vietnam isn’t so hazy!

So let’s get this wet and rainy Hué tour wrapped up.

We booked a late night flight from Hué to Hanoi but when we arrived at the airport it was empty. The flight was canceled due to thick fog. Our taxi brought us back to our hotel and we were quickly assured we’d have a room for the night… down the street. The hotel was full so we were sent to an “equal” hotel that was … um, not equal. Oh well, it was only one night. Our flight was rescheduled for early the next morning. Unfortunately, all the to and fro with the airport cost almost triple our hotel stay.

We were pretty happy to leave Hué for drier weather in the north.

xo, jill