7:05 AM: written by Ethan
It was dark in the windowless hotel room as I awoke. Not sure where I was, I rolled to my side. Seeing Frederic lying comatose on the adjacent bed and smelling the tropical moist air, I realized: this must be Vietnam. I got out of bed and, half asleep, I got ready for breakfast and trudged down the staircase towards the hotel’s dining room-lobby. We were offered the choice of either a continental breakfast of eggs and bread or a bowl of pho, chicken or beef. (Written by Ethan)
After breakfast we got ready for our walking tour of Hanoi, the largest city, and the capital of Vietnam. We stepped out into the narrow street, mopeds swooping past our group. We breathed in the pungent Indochinese air, laced with the smell of tropical spices and despite the grey sky, the temperature was at least 80 degrees. Broadleaf trees hung above the alleyways, which were lined with fruit. Women marched by in conical hats carrying shoulder baskets filled with bananas.
Walking the streets in Vietnam, however, is no easy task. As we began our walking tour, approaching the lake in the middle of Hanoi, we immediately began to understand that the traffic, was, in fact, a free-for-all survival of the fastest.
We visited the temple that rested on the island in the middle of the central lake. The lake is famous due to its place in Vietnamese folklore. Legend holds, with similarities to the Excalibur legend, a Vietnamese king’s sword was given to a turtle, who now guards the lake and the people of Hanoi.
Continuing our urban walk, we passed through an open air market with both familiar and unfamiliar vegetables and meats (we will not mention one). Very tired from our walk and the long plane ride, we stopped for lunch at a local restaurant that served both Vietnamese and International food. We chose to stick to the Vietnamese cuisine.
After lunch, we took a long-awaited rest period to allow our jetlagged bodies to relax. We got dinner at a lovely restaurant in a palatial building, treating ourselves to all manner of Vietnamese cuisine, and listening in on some of Jim’s continual punning.
Our first day in Hanoi was at an end. Tomorrow, we would go to Ha Long bay.
No comments:
Post a Comment