Travel day. I
slept pretty well again, did wake up in the night but didn't get stuck staying
up. Woke up a little before 6:00 and started packing up. Had a shower and a
shave, ate an orange, some leftover donut holes from the previous day, and some
bread for breakfast. We left the flat a little after 7:00 and walked to the
designated meeting spot. The bus was late, and that made me anxious until Ann
got a text saying they were still on the way. Bus was pretty nice, we sat in
the front seats. Lots of traffic to get out of Hanoi, it was about about 2/3 of
the way towards picking up it's passengers when we got on. Linh was our tour
guide, pretty nice young guy. Lots of rice paddies along the highway once we
got out into the countryside. On the bus Ann noted that the snacks I had taken
from our Airbnb were probably offerings to the little shrine set up there. So,
I likely now have bad juju I will need to overcome. We were both ready to get
off at the first stop, a temple that was fairly pedestrian. Ann talked a little
with one of the other tourists, Sarah, from England. Back on the bus and over
to a stop by our lunch place. Before we ate lunch we took a short bike ride,
apparently to build up our appetites. Bikes were rickety but it was nice to
pedal for a change. Back to the restaurant, we had a private room for our group
and a buffet with lots of vegetarian options (food wasn't too hot). We talked
to Sarah, Lucia (from Peru, currently a foreign exchange student in Singapore
from Amsterdam), and Win (from Brussels). After lunch we drove to the Trang An
Water Complex and got into boats for a two-hour boat ride paddles by a guy in
the back of the boat. We were with two ladies from Italy, spoke to them a
little about our upcoming trip. The boat ride was pleasant at beautiful at
times, although the day was overcast and hazy. It took too long for me and Ann.
After a while, we just wanted it to end. There was a funny Gilligan's Island
moment when the rower stopped rowing and we got very close to the shore. Made
it back, everybody gathered back and walked to the bus, then we drove to the
last stop, Mua Cave, a 500-step climb to a hilltop overlook. Ann stayed at the
bottom while I hoofed it at brisk pace up to both lookout points. The way up
was easier for me than the way down, especially near the tops, where the steps
were very uneven. Saw a goat on the way up, and the views at the two overlook
points were quite beautiful. I made it back down without mishap and joined an
for a celebratory drink. Linh arranged for a taxi to take us to our hotel, the
Trang An Garden Resort, and the bus took the rest of the tourists to their
respective destinations. Hotel room was really nice, among the best we have
stayed in, even had a private pool (a little cool for the evening). We walked down
to the nearby main road and had a pretty good dinner, lots of food, for about
$15, including cocktails. Vegetable egg rolls were fresh-made and fantastic,
drinks were so-so. I was full at the end of the meal, we walked back, and I
washed some clothes to get them started drying before Monday morning. Was a
very busy day for us both, a reminder of how our normal vacation style differs
from organized group tours. Notes from the tour:
- 77M motorbikes in country of 100M people. Just in Hanoi, it's 6-7M for 9M people.
- Dioxin (Agent Orange) survivors were at first rest stop, making embroidery paintings.
- Hoa Lu was first capital city for 40 years (968-1010). Chinese ruling Vietnam for 1000 years before French. Chinese Lunar New Year in always the same as Tet.
- Six different ways to pronounce vowels in Vietnamese.
- Only one emperor, after that there were kings. Fear of Chinese invasion led to choice of Hua Lu. Hanoi chosen after rapprochement with China.
- 60% of population today is still working in rice fields and agriculture.
- Red River flows through Hanoi, delta is good for rice farming.
- Temples and pagodas are different. Temples are places to worship heroes of Vietnam, pagodas are religious places of worship of Buddha. Can pray for material goods and prosperity only in temple, have to bring an offering. Smoke from incense carries our prayers to Buddha. Odd number of sticks only, for good luck.
- Special animal symbols: Dragon - power, Phoenix -
beauty, Unicorn -
wealth, Turtle - long
life
- Vietnamese
special unicorn (satyr) - dog with dragon's head. Dog because of attentiveness
to the house and its owner, dragon for power.
- Themed streets
seen in Hanoi: Hardware, Cloth, Funerary
supplies, Beer bars, Train Street
- 500 steps to the top by the dragon on the ridge.
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