Last night we officially discovered the bar scene in Hanoi. After a long day of lectures, Vietnamese language lessons and stuffing our faces with delicious cuisine, some of my friends and I ventured out into the "Old Quarter" to find a bar.
Obstacle 1: Getting there
We decided to take the bus. Turns out the bus doesn't run past 9 o'clock. It was 10:30. New plan. Take taxis. There were about 12 of us, so 3 of the compact-not-American-body-capacity-size taxis would do.
Obstacle 2: Telling the Taxi driver where we want to go
We don'k speak Vietnamese. The taxi drivers didn't speak English. Problem. Turns out one of my post cards had a picture of the lake near the old quarter, and my fabulous photographic memory served me well in remembering what the name of the lake was. However, in Vietnamese, the meaning of words changes if you say them in certain tones, and since we're so unsure of ourselves when we speak, we end every phrase in a higher note because that's what Americans naturally do when they're asking a question. So I'm sure I was probably saying something like "I want to eat the rusty fence" instead of "Take us to the lake", but apparently he understood. We got to the right place, in 3 separate taxis with 3 different foolish Americans trying to explain to 3 poor Vietnamese taxi drivers where to go. So go us!
Obstacle 3: Finding a bar
Most of the bars in the old quarter are in fancy restaurants that our starving-college-student budgets cannot accomadate. So alas, we're aimlessly walking farther away from the populous areas to find a cheap little place where we can drink. We find one finally, it's closed. (or maybe it just rejects Americans who travel in obnoxiously large groups and are really loud and annoying, who knows). People are getting restless. One of our own almost gives up and buys a beer on the street (you can do that here) We push on. We find a bar! It's called Salsa, and it's Spanish. I'm so in.
Obstacle 4: Not knowing what kind of Alcohol is in your drink
I orderd a Cuba Libre. I have never heard of this concoction, but when in Vietnam, do as the touristy travelers do. I also order a tequila shot, and I'm served a place with 3 tiny lime slices and plenty of salt. 3 limes? Incentive to order more tequila? I think so. And I did. The rest of my comrades ordered all kinds of things that we had never heard of (probably because none of us are 21 and don't go to bars back home, not so much because we're in Southeast Asia, but maybe a little of both) We do some Vietnamese cheers, some Spanish cheers, and sometimes we just slurp our drinks haphazardly while gawking around at the decorative elements in the tiny bar.
Obstacle 5: Not knowing what language the cute bartender speaks
The cute bartender was not particularly Asian looking, but not particularly Western looking, but I was determined to say hello. But how? Think, Jill, think...maybe Spanish? We are in a Spanish bar, it would be too good to be true. But it's worth a shot (especially after a few Cuba Libres) So I ask, in English, "what languages do you speak?" He rattles off like 4 or 5. Typical for anyone who doesn't live in the US. So dreamy. I continue on in but now in Spanish, "where are you from?" "Paris" he says. Super dreamy. Everyone's waiting outside. I say I have to go. We shake hands. La la, perfection.
Obstacle 6: Getting back to the guest house before the gate closes at midnight
Very Cinderella-esk. We cram 5 of us into a small-not-American-body-capacity-size taxi while others take the motorcylcle taxis home. (In Vietnamese, the word for moto taxis is "embrace" because you have to hold on for dear life when you ride with them through the crazy streets of Hanoi) I was not in the embrace mood, so I smashed my 5'7 frame into the back of the taxi, and proceeded to giggle at how awkardly close I was to all these people that I didn't know a week ago. Life is funny. We make it back alive. Turns out the gate doesn't close at midnight afterall. But it was much more climactic thinking it did. So no one really minds. We're "home".
Success: Having an awesome first night out on the town in Hanoi
:)
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Exploring Hanoi
Today was a jam-packed day of touring the city of Hanoi. (And I apologize in advance for all the spelling mistakes I'm about to make while describing things) First I went to the Mosealeum that was constructed for Ho Chi Minh, the most well respected Vietnamese leader in the country's history. It reminded me of seeing something very intense in Washington D.C., like the tomb of the unknown soldier because there were guards with guns protecting the embalmed remains of Ho Chi Minh's body, and the dress code was strict, as well as behavior-this was a no nonsense kind of thing. A very intense start to the day at 8:30 am.
Then it was off to a Bhuddist temple, then a Daoist temple, then the Museum of Ethnology to learn about all the different ethnic groups that comprise the population. Very fascinating stuff, but back-to-back it can be a little overwhelming to see all of this stuff. I really enjoyed the religious temples; they were so ornate and and beautiful. Viet Nam doesn't really have one major religion; the people kind of take something from all different spiritual teachings and mix them together to form one big, metaphysical cornicopia of beliefs. Amen to tolerance. The temples seemed especially peaceful and calming too; I think it's the savory inscense that's burning outside each place. It was really neat when I heard a Vietnamese guide speaking in Spanish to some other travelers in one of the temples too; I had the guts to go up to them and ask where they were from, in Spanish (hooray!) and the man answered "Barthelona" with the lisp. :) It was a nice heartwarming Spanish accent that made me miss Granada. How cool that I got to use a little bit of Spanish on this trip too. That made my day.
I've got to say that the food here is a whole different ball game. Everything is new, the tastes, the smells, the textures, and especially the presentation of food. It's not everyday you get a fish served to you with the head still attached (unless you're in Viet Nam apparently). I've been attempting to try new things, but after getting so sick on the plane, it's hard not to be hesitant. My favorite dish has been crispy noodles with veggies and tofu, and another tastey one was pork cooked in a carmelized sauce, Mmmmm. Oh, and the coffe is AMAZING. It's like an espresso shot with sweetened condensed milk, iced. It tastes like something so fancy that it couldn't possibly have come from the little corner store that has plastic lawn furniture for chairs, but it did. This stuff is heavonly, I mean it-if you ever find yourself in a Vietnamese restaurant, try the Cafe Su Da. I've had at least one of these every day since discovering it on Sunday (okay so that's only 3 days...but so what) and I'll probably be a junkie by the time I have to leave.
And lastly for today, we got to have a little exchange with some Vietnamese University students today, which was WAY cool. You get to talk candidly, one on one with someone completely different than you about anything you want. This is the best way to learn about a different culture by far. I spoke to a 23 year old guy who goes to the University of Technology and we had quite the interesting conversation. All the Vietnamese students spoke English, and we Americanos attempted to peace together some discernable form of Vietnamese nonsense every few minutes, but mostly we stuck to English. According to my friend Phong (definately misspelled), Americans have bodies that are "beautiful, strong and good for sports", haha! And I was sure he'd say we're all fat since every Vietnamese person I've encountered is about a foot shorter than me and weighs 80 pounds. (Slight exsaguration...major misspelling of exsaguration) But seriously, Vietnamese women especially are so tiny, and some clothing stores only sell things in one size! And it's not Jill size, I'll tell you that much. But it was really neat to talk to this kid about normal 20-something stuff: free time, fun, dating, politics, education, travel, la la la. I came away from it realizing that maybe we're not so different after all. And that seemed like a pretty fitting end to the day.
As always I hope all is well at home and thanks for reading about my ridiculousness :) Ciao!
Jill
Then it was off to a Bhuddist temple, then a Daoist temple, then the Museum of Ethnology to learn about all the different ethnic groups that comprise the population. Very fascinating stuff, but back-to-back it can be a little overwhelming to see all of this stuff. I really enjoyed the religious temples; they were so ornate and and beautiful. Viet Nam doesn't really have one major religion; the people kind of take something from all different spiritual teachings and mix them together to form one big, metaphysical cornicopia of beliefs. Amen to tolerance. The temples seemed especially peaceful and calming too; I think it's the savory inscense that's burning outside each place. It was really neat when I heard a Vietnamese guide speaking in Spanish to some other travelers in one of the temples too; I had the guts to go up to them and ask where they were from, in Spanish (hooray!) and the man answered "Barthelona" with the lisp. :) It was a nice heartwarming Spanish accent that made me miss Granada. How cool that I got to use a little bit of Spanish on this trip too. That made my day.
I've got to say that the food here is a whole different ball game. Everything is new, the tastes, the smells, the textures, and especially the presentation of food. It's not everyday you get a fish served to you with the head still attached (unless you're in Viet Nam apparently). I've been attempting to try new things, but after getting so sick on the plane, it's hard not to be hesitant. My favorite dish has been crispy noodles with veggies and tofu, and another tastey one was pork cooked in a carmelized sauce, Mmmmm. Oh, and the coffe is AMAZING. It's like an espresso shot with sweetened condensed milk, iced. It tastes like something so fancy that it couldn't possibly have come from the little corner store that has plastic lawn furniture for chairs, but it did. This stuff is heavonly, I mean it-if you ever find yourself in a Vietnamese restaurant, try the Cafe Su Da. I've had at least one of these every day since discovering it on Sunday (okay so that's only 3 days...but so what) and I'll probably be a junkie by the time I have to leave.
And lastly for today, we got to have a little exchange with some Vietnamese University students today, which was WAY cool. You get to talk candidly, one on one with someone completely different than you about anything you want. This is the best way to learn about a different culture by far. I spoke to a 23 year old guy who goes to the University of Technology and we had quite the interesting conversation. All the Vietnamese students spoke English, and we Americanos attempted to peace together some discernable form of Vietnamese nonsense every few minutes, but mostly we stuck to English. According to my friend Phong (definately misspelled), Americans have bodies that are "beautiful, strong and good for sports", haha! And I was sure he'd say we're all fat since every Vietnamese person I've encountered is about a foot shorter than me and weighs 80 pounds. (Slight exsaguration...major misspelling of exsaguration) But seriously, Vietnamese women especially are so tiny, and some clothing stores only sell things in one size! And it's not Jill size, I'll tell you that much. But it was really neat to talk to this kid about normal 20-something stuff: free time, fun, dating, politics, education, travel, la la la. I came away from it realizing that maybe we're not so different after all. And that seemed like a pretty fitting end to the day.
As always I hope all is well at home and thanks for reading about my ridiculousness :) Ciao!
Jill
Friday, May 16, 2008
Arriving in Hanoi!
I just got in to Hanoi, VN last night! The travel time to get here was just over 24 hours, and I feel like I'm lost in some sort of space/time continuum with the time changes and jet lag and all. In true Jill-traveling fashion, things did not go perfectly smooth en route to Asia, (i.e. I lost my lunch on the plane...multiple times, oy vey) but alas I'm still here in one piece. :) I don't know if it was the bad Chinese food I ate at Chicago O'Hare or just the 12 1/2 hour flight time to from Chicago to Tokyo that did it, but whatever it was, my stomach didn't agree. At least I feel better now! And enough with gruesome details about air sickness..
We're staying at a guest house in Hanoi, which is like a cheap hotel. The weather is nice, it's low 80's and humid, but there's a nice breeze. The streets are a hustle/bustle of mopeds, bicyclists and cars and crossing from one side to the other is madness (there are no traffic signals or stoplights!) But at least I know I'm sure to have an adventure every single day, haha.
I had Pho Bo for breakfast this morning, which is a soup with rice noodles, green onion, chives and salty broth. Delicious! If anyone has any Vietnamese food recommendations - please let me know! I have no idea what anything is really since I only know how to say Hello, Thank you, and I'm sorry in Vietnamese. The bare essentials for survival, haha. I'm currently at an internet cafe typing this, and then I'm off to explore the city for the rest of the day! We're going to a beautiful lake this evening and then tomorrow I'll probably see some of the many museums. I'm so excited to be here! I hope everything is well back home. :)
We're staying at a guest house in Hanoi, which is like a cheap hotel. The weather is nice, it's low 80's and humid, but there's a nice breeze. The streets are a hustle/bustle of mopeds, bicyclists and cars and crossing from one side to the other is madness (there are no traffic signals or stoplights!) But at least I know I'm sure to have an adventure every single day, haha.
I had Pho Bo for breakfast this morning, which is a soup with rice noodles, green onion, chives and salty broth. Delicious! If anyone has any Vietnamese food recommendations - please let me know! I have no idea what anything is really since I only know how to say Hello, Thank you, and I'm sorry in Vietnamese. The bare essentials for survival, haha. I'm currently at an internet cafe typing this, and then I'm off to explore the city for the rest of the day! We're going to a beautiful lake this evening and then tomorrow I'll probably see some of the many museums. I'm so excited to be here! I hope everything is well back home. :)
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
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