Jarrod and Sara’s Site

 Hi everyone!  Sorry not to write for so long.  Jarrod and I have picked up the pace a lot since arriving in Vietnam.  We have a lot of ground to cover on our way from the north to the south.  We arrived in the capital of Vietnam, Hanoi, January 4th after a quick one hour flight from the capitol of Laos, Vientiane.  It was quite a change going from Laos which was so quiet, not very developed, and so laid-back, to Hanoi, which is the complete opposite.  As soon as we got out of the shuttle and stepped onto the curb, it felt like I was hit in the face.  It is quite loud with horns from the trillion motorbikes zooming past at amazing speeds and people yelling over the noise.  There is a shop or noodle stand on every single centimeter of space on the sidewalks, so you have to walk single file in the street while avoiding motorbikes, bicycles, people, and a car every now and then.  No thoughts of romantic honeymoon strolls down the street here.  The people are more aggressive and constantly approach us to buy souvenirs, fruit, or asking for rides on their motorbike taxis, never settling on a no answer until told the fifth time in a rude way.  I had a hard time feeling like a walking pocketbook and that I had to be mean to people just to say no.  That only feels worse when you find someone who is genuinely being nice and helpful, but you just snapped at them to leave you alone.  I have realized that this is just not the city for me, however, Jarrod is much less sensitive than I (big surprise).

 We spent our first day enjoying rice noodle soup for breakfast.  Pho is a traditional breakfast food and although it doesn’t sound like it would be great for breakfast, it was so good on a chilly, dreary morning.  We tried Vietnamese coffee and found it really nice.  It is similar to coffee made with a French press, and drips into the glass right in front of you.  Served with a little sweetened condensed milk, delicious.  After a caffeine fix we headed into the busy Old Quarter to explore.  There are lots of little alleyways and streets thanks to old French colonization so it is really easy to get lost, but you eventually find your way to the lake in the middle as a landmark.  There are different streets for anything that you want to buy: shoes, clothes, yarn, toys, religious trinkets, silk, tin-boxes, gravestones, jewelry, and herbs.  The food market had the usual fresh fruits and vegetables, and tons of seafood such as eel, squid, crabs, fish, and even a turtle (which upset me I won’t lie) still squirming in plastic buckets.  In the afternoon we walked out of the Old Quarter into the central part of the city and visited The Temple of Literature dedicated to Confucius and scholars of literature.  It was a beautiful setting with lots of plants, ponds, and sculptures, and there was a pretty young couple having their wedding photos taken.  By this time we were exhausted and on sensory overload, so we headed to the local five story mall for some western familiarity and actually watched the movie ”American Gangster” on the big screen.

 The next day was more walking around and exploring.  We took a short break to rest our feet at the Water Puppet Theater in the afternoon.  In the past rice farmers used to put on shows when their rice fields had flooded, carving puppets out of fig trees and telling stories based on their daily lives and mythical creatures.  The shows are set to traditional Vietnamese music using about six instruments.  It is really different the way the puppets are danced on top of the water with sticks hidden underneath.  The puppeteers stand behind a curtain and are about waist deep in the water too.  The kids loved it.  We wished we could have understood what they were saying.

That evening we enjoyed some Bia Hoi before dinner.  Small plastic chairs are set up on street corners in front of shops, and women serve keg beer at unbelievable prices.  It cost 2500 dong per beer, which is about six beers for a dollar.  Needless to say Jarrod was very pleased and we enjoyed a few…  It was a nice way to sit and watch the city quickly pass by and I actually relaxed a little bit.  One little girl about five years old came with her parents.  I was really surprised when she approached two large European men also enjoying a few drinks and practiced her English a little saying “Hello, how are you?”  Then without pause, “I am fine thanks!”  It was really cute and I thought her quite brave to talk to the men who must appear so odd looking and so tall.

Jarrod and I hope you are all well!  Go Pats!  Love, Sara and Jarrod