Good-bye Seoul, Hello Hanoi

Thursday, February 4th
Last night was the first night that the hostel wasn’t full. It ended up being only one other girl and three guys sharing a room. I, of course, was exhausted by the time I returned home. I had made plans to meet Steph in the morning and see a few last sights in Seoul before heading to the airport. I slept well, but was once again awake very early. I’m trying my hardest to get my body on Asian time, but I’m having some difficulty. This morning, I forced myself to sleep until 7:30. I quietly packed and got things in order. Mary does not like to get up before 9, so I waited until 8:45 to knock on her door for coffee and toast. Steph met me closer to 9:30 and we were off! The first stop was the Namdaemun Market. I had some things I forgot at home to pick up, and the market is a great way to observe the culture and feel of the city. We had made plans to head towards one of the palaces for an 11:30 tour. Today was much, much nicer than yesterday, so we were feeling up to being outside a bit. The palace is a UNESCO heritage site, so it’s beautifully preserved. The highlight of the tour was the Secret Garden towards the back of the grounds. I can only imagine how magnificent it would have been during the spring and summer. After the palace, we went to Insadong for a vegetarian meal. The dish was noodles with spices and vegetables and was so spicy it hurt. I absolutely loved it! The spices and flavor was superb. I’m surprised Steph doesn’t eat there every day! I hadn’t found exactly what I was looking for at Namdaemun the first time around, so we headed back. I bought everything I needed in record time, so we had some free time to wander through the streets and take in the sights. I made it back to the hostel with plenty of time to finish packing and catch my shuttle to the airport. While grabbing my pack, the other girl in the hostel struck up a conversation. Lin was absolutely wonderful and from China. I regrettably told her that I wouldn’t make it to China on this trip. Her response was to give me a red ornament in celebration of Chinese New Year. I hope she’ll be able to come visit or we’ll meet up somewhere in the world. I love meeting people in the hostels! It’s such a great group of people who choose to travel and stay in hostels.
I caught my shuttle without a problem and entered the airport amid the apparently thousands of others flying today. I made my way to Asiana Air and stood in line for a ridiculous amount of time. I have never seen so many people carrying three or more bags per person. I wandered through the Seoul airport and made my way to the gate to read. I was getting incredibly tired, so I opted to veg out while waiting to board. The flight to Hanoi was uneventful, and I quickly fell asleep. I was lucky enough to be in the front row of coach, so I had lots of leg room and could stretch out. There was a little girl sitting next to me who had rarely seen white people and spent the entire flight staring at me. She was absolutely adorable, and I was tempted to bring her home with me. I need to get over feeling self-conscious, especially since I am just starting my trek through Asia. I arrived in Hanoi and was giddy with anticipation. I was totally unsure of what to expect for the customs experience in Vietnam. Instead of meeting a Communist blockade and having to navigate the murky waters of describing why I should be allowed to enter the country, I passed through security and customs without pause. I ordered a taxi from the information desk and paid an exorbitant fee for a car into the city. I paid the fee for the very simple reason that it was late and I was in a completely foreign city.
The trek through the countryside to Hanoi was beautiful, even though it was completely dark outside. I arrived at the alley of Jenny’s house and walked down. Had her house not been next to the house of the US ambassador, I would have been much more nervous about walking down a dark alley. I rang the bell and was so excited to see Jenny descend the stairs! I got the grand tour of the house and immediately fell in love with it! The house is tall and narrow, and Jenny’s room is on the fourth level. Each level has one room that opens to the beautiful staircase. The top floor is the laundry room with a balcony for drying. I met Jenny’s roommate and the two Americans who were visiting. Jenny and I stayed up late chatting and catching up. I am so excited to spend the next two weeks exploring and spending time with her.
Friday, February 5th
Jenny had to work today, so I slept in and unpacked. YJ, Jenny’s roommate, took me to find a money exchange and grab lunch. During the motorcycle ride, I encountered the chaos that is traffic in Hanoi. There is no rhyme or reason to the flow of traffic and it appears that everyone is going to crash at any moment. I cannot imagine crossing the street, let alone driving through it. My first experience with Vietnamese food was a hot pot with seafood. The servers brought an open flame grill with a pot filled with broth. The entire plate of raw seafood was dropped into the boiling broth. The plate had shrimp, fish, frog legs, squid, and oysters. I tried the frog legs, which honestly taste like chicken. I spent the afternoon with Michael and Jo going to the Hanoi Hilton. It didn’t take much time to go through the museum, which was heavy on the communist propaganda. The entire museum focused on the history of the prison under French control and the torture of the Vietnamese that occurred. There was a small room of artifacts from the American pilots who had been held at the prison. Basically, the message of the prison was that the French were terrible to the Vietnamese, but the American prisoners were treated wonderfully while under communist Vietnamese control. After the museum, we attempted to see the water puppet show, but the only tickets available were at 9:15pm. I opted to go home and meet up with Jenny. When she got home from work, a nap was on the agenda. The next thing I knew, it was almost 10pm. We woke up and headed towards the 17 Saloon to meet some of Jenny’s friends. The bar was a fabulous collision of Texan stereotypes and Vietnamese hipsters. After the saloon, the group went to Solace. It is a night club on a boat on the river. There is no longer a river, but the boat sits in the muck and is filled with the movers and shakers of Hanoi. We saw a ton of ex-pats and had an all-around grand time. It was a late night finished with fried rice and spring rolls.
Saturday, February 6th
We slept quite late today and didn’t have anything incredibly pressing on our agenda. YJ, Jenny, and I went for a late lunch at a Western place. I had hash browns with cheese and peppers. So great after a late night! After lunch, Jenny took me to her favorite massage place. The massages were cheap and so great! By the time we were done, it was almost 5 and we headed back to the house for another nap. Jenny woke me up and we left around 10 to grab dinner and check out an artsy Japanese place. Today was super relaxing and an almost perfect experience. I love the feel of Hanoi.
Sunday, February 7th
Yet another morning of sleeping in! I am getting used to this lovely schedule we have. Today was destined to be a day of wandering and eating. Our first stop was the hidden café near the Hoan Kiem Lake. I tried coffee with yogurt, which may sound disgusting, but is quite delicious. It was hot today, so anything cool was a treat. The café overlooked the lake, but was found only after walking down a hall between two small shops. We chatted while watching the traffic below. Jenny and I walked to the café, so I slowly was becoming acclimated to crossing the street. However, I still feel as if every time I cross, I may die. I think it will get better, but I’m not totally sure how more people aren’t hit crossing the street. We stopped by the tailor and dropped off my pants to be altered and I ordered another pair to be made out of linen. I love the idea of having a tailor…maybe I’ll have more stuff made before I leave. After the tailor’s, Jenny and I went to get Avocado Milkshakes. I was apprehensive, but it turns out that they are delicious. At first, I assumed that the milkshake would be similar to an American milkshake, but instead of milk, ice cream, and chocolate, I found myself drinking a concoction of coconut milk, condensed milk, and avocados. I could eat them every day! We ate our milkshakes while sitting on miniature plastic stools outside a tiny shop surrounded by tons of Vietnamese. Each of the streets in the Old Quarter specializes in the goods sold. There is Silk Street, Lock Street, Milkshake Street, Plastic Street, and Sim Card Street. The idea of specialized streets is slightly confusing, but does make shopping quite easy. After milkshakes, Jenny took me on a tour of the Old Quarter, so I could get a better sense of the area. On one street, we found a woman selling omelets with herbs. After sitting down, Jenny ordered an omelet for us. Instead of an omelet, the vendor took two eggs and cracked them into small bowls. Instead of a hardboiled egg, I found myself staring at a veiny, fertilized duck egg. I watched Jenny to see if she would eat it. I knew that if she ate it, I would have to try it. I was growing more and more nauseous as I sat. I knew I could not swallow any of it, but I was nervous about offending the vendor. Luck was on my side, so I was saved from having to eat the fertilized duck egg. Jenny finally communicated that we wanted an omelet. A fresh herb omelet was made, and it was absolutely delicious! Gotta love those street vendors! After the horror of fertilized eggs, we found a small spa and got manicures and pedicures. They were cheap and the place was tranquil. The city is always bustling and the traffic seems never-ending. Jenny wanted me to experience the lemon tea, so she took me to a café near the cathedral. Since it was Sunday, I got to see the people gathered for mass. People were on bleachers outside the church and some even sat on their motorbikes to participate. It is still a danger for people to attend mass, since it is not governmentally authorized. The tea was deliciously sweet. We sat on the plastic stools again, only this time the crowd surrounding us was very young and hip. Apparently, the cafes around the church are the place to meet and gossip. We met a young, Vietnamese officer and his friend, who is a local TV personality. We ended the day at the Museum Café near Jenny’s house. Since we had been grazing and sipping all day, we opted for a light dinner. We had spring rolls filled with duck and fried greens. Dessert was a fruit cup with condensed milk and ice. I adore the desserts and fresh fruit that is everywhere. Such a nice change from the cold of winter in Wisconsin!
Monday, February 8th
Jenny worked all day today, so I was left on my own. I started the day on a xe om, traveling fast through the city towards Ho Chi Minh. I wanted to spend the morning at the mausoleum complex. I arrived and found that Uncle Ho needed extra rest, so the mausoleum was closed for the day. I entered the grounds of the old French Palace and wandered through the beautiful gardens. I checked out Uncle Ho’s old house and his house on stilts. I found it a bit surprising that the man of the people had beautiful cars in his garage. There continue to be amazing contradictions in Vietnam. I walked towards Jenny’s work and checked out the art museum on my way. It was such a great museum housing collections spanning the history of Vietnam. My favorite paintings were the lacquer paintings. I absolutely adored the museum, even though it was ridiculously hot outside. Jenny had texted me that she had a work meeting, so I headed towards KOTO for lunch. It’s a restaurant that trains street kids for work in the restaurant industry. The food was superb and it was dining for a cause at its finest. I had a lovely, quiet lunch complete with fresh fruit. I cannot get over being able to eat tropical fruit every day. It is one of many perks to being in Southeast Asia. After lunch, I went to the Temple of Literature. The temple was built as a university ages ago and was a quiet place amidst the chaos of the city. I spent a couple of hours there before meeting Jenny for a coffee. I found the UNESCO headquarters and we trekked to a nearby German restaurant for a mango milkshake. I took a taxi home and spent the afternoon resting and relaxing. In the evening, we went to a Chilean movie at the Cinemateque. I loved the movie and the theater had a little café in the courtyard. Our dinner consisted of macaroons from the French bakery near Jenny’s house. I love Jenny for many reasons, but the fact that the size of her sweet tooth rivals mine is great. The movie traced two families and the drama that surrounds a modern family in the aftermath of the military regime. Yet another beautiful and adventure filled day in Hanoi!