The temple of literature

Molly and Kayo visit HaNoi!

Molly and I in front of the pillar pagoda

Pillar pagoda

Action shot -- we are confused as to where to go

crazy scary steps

Mike and I on top of the HaNoi wall

Entrance to the temple of literature

along the side of a path in the temple of liteature

Mike looks like a gangster in all the pictures I took of him

temple of literature

DELICIOUS BUN CHA! No one spoke English, we didn't order -- they just brough us food and it was so so good

Molly enjoys her meal

Ice cream and sad things

Its very unfortunate, but two of our close friends have decided to leave Hanoi. They are heading back to Minnesota for a while, and Mike and I are really going to miss them!For those of you who remember when I worked at the daycare in New Rochelle, it seems as though things may be headed in a similar direction here.

Sorry no photos, but a little update -- about 10 of us went to an ice cream buffet tonight, I had about 7 scoops which was great! Their coffee was particularly good. On the walk home we saw our first scooter accident. No one was seriously hurt, I don't think they were going very fast but there were a few plastic pieces strew about the road.

Good bye Eric and Laura, we are going to miss you!

Honey Jars

Just got this from my mom, 5 jars of honey from our beehives already!!! I AM SO ENVIOUS

Some animals are more equal than others

Today Sara and I decided to shake off the cobwebs and explore the city a little bit. Our original plan (emphasis on ‘original’) was to eat at a recommended Korean restaurant, and then head to the Old Quarter to do some bargaining. But of course, things rarely go according to plan…

We did make it to the Korean restaurant easily enough. It was across the street from the Daewoo Hotel, an aging, once-prominent haunt of Korean businessmen, diplomats, and celebrities. The restaurant’s signage is on Kim Ma (a busy thoroughfare), but is actually tucked away in the back of an alleyway.

The inside of the restaurant was small and underwhelming. Added to that were the high prices of the dishes. But, we had trekked this far, and we’d be damned if we were going to storm out over a fifteen dollar piece of BBQ. And let me tell you, we sure were glad we didn’t. The moment after we ordered (Sara got the beef, I got pork belly), the banchan started flowing…

There was kimchi, spicy bokchoy, a strange tofu-scallion concoction, a bowl of seriously intense dried fish flakes, garlicky green beans, and, most importantly, our delicious bowls of spicy clam soup. Shortly thereafter the meat, lettuce leaves, garlic slices, and spiced oil arrived, and we feasted until our plates were clear, and then we feasted some more (since they kept refreshing our empty plates). We left blissfully contented.

Our original plan was to visit the Old Quarter, but we decided to walk towards a small lake/park that caught our attention just down the road. As we got closer, we noticed a flock of swan boats on the lake surface, and a small, picturesque bridge leading to an island. We decided to investigate. As we got closer, it got more and more crowded. Where were we heading? What was so special about this place? Then, we got stopped!

“Tickets please.” Huh? Two ladies we had barely noticed were sitting there with a bucket of torn ticket stubs. “Tickets!” the ladies exclaimed again as they pointed to a little shack set off to the right. Not even knowing what we were buying tickets for, we purchased them anyway (they were only twenty cents!) and headed into the park.

There were kiddie rides, and people selling candy and toys and all kinds of goodies. There were children running and screaming and laughing. There were long winding paths and giant concrete structures everywhere. And then, we saw the map.

We had inadvertently walked into the zoo.

It was dusty and overcrowded, and had the unmistakable air of being ill-equipped and poorly maintained. The animals lived in big, ugly concrete cages with little in terms of amenities. Some of the monkey cages were absurdly small. People fed and pet animals without repercussion (except for the threat of catching a bite on the hand).

Bustle

Posing

Peacock fountain

Looking happy after being rained on by a wet canopy

I wasn't alone in my misery

Narrow island section

Fun for the whole family

Really?

Dehydrated and tired, we headed out of the zoo, satisfied having checked off the underwhelming experience from our list.

Until next time,
-Mike