Hanoi 3

Hanoi 3

Tuesday 13 May
We had quite a big program today so already at 8 o’clock a taxi was waiting for us. Thuy has been with us most of the day and her husband also. Even if we have been cycling round in Hanoi we have only seen a little of this big city and today we visited a modern part of the city very different to what we have seen up to now. When we entered the area we had to pass through bars and the roads in there were all broad and trees and flowers beautifully planted along the avenues. The houses were very big, too and also very beautiful to look at. We were told –and could easily see - that only rich people could afford to have their address here. Close to one of the big approaching roads of the city a huge portal had been built. On it were placed statues of people and animals. It has not yet been opened for traffic but when it does it will be an impressive sight when you drive into the city.

Afterwards we drove about 20 km out of Hanoi to visit a pagoda. It did not last long before the good roads were gone and we were once again driving on narrow and bumpy roads. While still in the taxi Thuy was busy arranging her offerings on dishes. There was lots of fruit, sweets, tea, money ( not real money – but temple money - like the money in Monopoly) and she had also a lot of incense sticks. There were several temples there and Thuy and her husband were busy with placing the dishes and they gave us incense sticks to place next to their offerings and told us that if we wanted to do like them we could think of our loved ones and think positively of our lives when we placed our sticks. In one of the temples some women were having their lunch. They were eating what they had just sacrificed, but it the custom to do so because they would not know what to do with all that is being sacrificed. After a while Thuy and her husband also gathered all they had brought with them and they gave it to us - us tea, fruit and sweets. Henning always donates a small amount of money when he visits this pagoda and when they receive money they give you a document thanking you for your donation and they also say your name in loudspeaker so that everybody will know that you have given something. We also went down to a spring where we each had a cup of water that we put on arms, legs and faces-. It is said to have a healing effect and the spring never dries out. When we returned to Hanoi we paid a short visit to a young girl that Henning knows. He wanted to show us how students live in Vietnam. She lives in a room that is only about 9 square meters. Often three students live in a room of that size as they cannot afford anything bigger. I think she told us that it cost 250 kr per month. There was just room for one bed that was big enough for three, a writing desk and in a corner they could cook a little .There was no computer, but there was a television. She had made us a lemon drink and some fruit and it really made us think to see how little room they had.

After this visit it was time to have some lunch. The driver knew a place close to the Museum of Ethnology which we were going to see afterwards so he took us there. We did not like to the place and wanted to go somewhere else, but we had to order two other taxies as the driver had already left us to have his lunch break. In the end we had our lunch, were picked up by our driver again and spent about an hour in the museum looking at the different kind of houses we have seen while in Vietnam. There were lots to see there and it was very interesting. After the museum we were supposed to see the Sports Stadium and the Presidential Palace, but before we knew of it the driver had taken us back to the hotel. He did not speak English and Thuy and her husband had left us so we had to leave it. Thuy was contacted and said we could drive past in the evening. We were a bit tired but some of us had a few things they wanted to buy because this is more or less our last day in Hanoi, because when we get back from Cat Ba on Saturday we only have time to collect our things before we start our journey home. The rest of the group is visiting Thuy and her parents tonight but I have not been very well today so I stayed at home.