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Thursday, September 27
The group took home yesterday. Hang come and pick me up at 8.00 tomorrow. we must visit her parents, who should be in the countryside 80 km from Hanoi in a small village near Thai Binh called Quyrsk Giao. We arrived at home at 12.00 noon. We arrived at the public bus system. It is very different than dert Danish system. Bus tickets cost 12 kr for each. The last stretch of 3 km by taxi cost the same. The family is about to make lunch for us. Hangs younger sister of 18 years comes along with Hangs friend Minh tomorrow. Hangs little sister of 10 years was at home, since her school finished at 11.00. Her name is Hien. The sister who is 18 years named Hounh. after lunch took Hang, Hien and I in the market. We should shopping for dinner tonight. Grill chicken with vegetables and rice. used a banana flower to pack the fish into before grilling. Hang knew that we would be 9th I gave her the equivalent of DKK 120 Now work is underway to create a festive dinner. It was a lovely dinner, but it was only me who got barbecue. The family would healers have Hot Pot with tufe and "soy". It was cooked chicken and cooked fish. When it is 21.00 there is not much life in the village, but between 5.00 am and 6.00 Tomorrow is alive again. School starts at 7.00.
home
Friday, September 28
Everyone was up early. When I should have asked was electricity is gone. So the bath was from a bucket, a large wash basin. The hot water was boiled over a fire in a shed. I asked whether the electricity often goes and got the reply: "Yes, it happens often." But you are always ready with a solution. At 8.00 we in the rice fields and turn rice. You rice fields we came to was not udtørede, as I have seen many places, so it was difficult to harvest rice. Many places where they had harvested rice a month ago you were in progress to plant corn. There can be harvested 2 times in a year. Today it is a clear day and not so hot only 27 degrees. There were many crops besides rice and corn and chile beans. It's a hard life being a farmer in Vietnam to stand in a puddle all day. Many do not have boots. Otherwise it is the best such a place, but everyone was happy and smiling. The small village I live in, I called called Quyrsk Giao, but it is the name of a major city 4 km from here. The small village called Sao Do. Hang and I have again been on the market for shopping. This time we buy a bigger chicken, which we barbecues. I was at the hairdresser and got his beard orderly and vaslet hair and head massage. It took 40 minutes for 9 AUD After we had dinner we went trip to TET, which is the Vietnamese New Year. It's always late September. The children danced in the streets and many are dressed as dragons. It can be compared to our carnival and children gather and go from house to house. It occurs over 3-4 days.
Harmful optæning of hot water
Saturday, September 29
After breakfast I went with Hanhs sister Houng out in the rice fields. This time I was right down in the mud to harvest rice. I stood in the mud to far above the ankles. Here when rice fields are not drying out. Now it's rest and lunch before we go on the market. I got sorted feet and bought a lamp and tape for a book that was about to come apart. Today it is the second biggest day of the lunar calendar. Tomorrow on 30/9 is the largest full moon. Again a lovely dinner at Hangs parents.
Hang helps rice harvest
Henning helps rice harvest
Works with rice harvest
Sunday, September 30
Today the bus back to Hanoi. We had Hang with. I've got a room at the lake for 2 days. Khoa and his sister will eat lunch with me today. Khoa has a small apartment but should be in a nice area. After lunch, I take trips to myself. At 17.00 we get to the big moon festival, which is mostly for children. Khoas neighbor had invited to dinner. It was a wet party with many new people. It was only Khoa and I who attended. Khoas wife Man is not fit enough to go out after birth. The child "Bich" is a girl and now a week. I ran back into the car to my hotel.
Khoas wife Man and Bich
Khoas neighbors
Man
Khoa
Monday, October 1
We have been on a trip to a center where Sun from Mai Chau works. She manages the tissues and the dance performances entered. The center called Duong Bao son. I sat behind the Khoas motorcycle. Hang came from his home. She had borrowed Minh's motorcycle. It is exciting center, which I have visited several times. The center consists of workshops. it is a kind of amusement park and there are also aquariums. Saturday and Sunday performances of many groups. We visited Sun and commissioned paintings and portraits of Sun, Hang and me. Size will be 30 * 40 and I am a little excited to see. We ate lunch outside the center and we had the artist to lunch. Relax in the afternoon. Dinner at a very special restaurant, a bird restaurant. First right is grilled bird the size of a sparrow. Next right bird the size of a blackbird. It was very tasty. The evenings are not as long. We went to bed at 22.00 at the time. We change hotel tomorrow. We go to Ninh Binh tomorrow with the public bus and then by taxi to Tam Coc.
Hang
Tuesday, October 2
After breakfast I leave now Ha Dong. It is the district of Hanoi, where I have lived for 2 days near Khoas home. Khoa and I go by bus after breakfast about 100 km to Ninh Binh. We paid 18 dollars each for the ticket. Taxi from Ninh Binh cost 12 dollars and is only 8 km. Bi were accommodated in a room on the 5th floor with a huge terrace. We ate a nice lunch and rented bikes and rode around for 2 hours. It is not really photo weather. It's a little hot hazy. Hotel Manager knows me from many visits, so we were warmly received by her and her second in command. Director's name is Doan. We had a good dinner and a beer and a drink on our huge terrace. Everything is quiet here at 21.30.
Wednesday, October 3
A lovely morning but still a little hazy. I hope that it becomes more clear, so I can take pictures of this magnificent landscape. It was not very good, but we had a good sailing in the magnificent surroundings. Now it's time for lunch, which igener a huge roof itself board. We got it very cheap. We paid only 300 dollars for hotel and meals for 2 days. We took a taxi from Tam Coc to a small village on the other side of Ninh Binh about 10 km. We gathered Khoas brother up in Ninh Binh. His daughter are cared for by their mother. I have walked around the village and visited a school. Khoa has been on the market to shop for dinner. We sleep here tonight. There were well catered for us. There was bought a whole crate of beer and a bottle of Vietnamese whiskey. We all slept well that night.
River at Tam Coc
Thursday, October 4
Khoas brother Van and his wife Lan to work. They ride motorcycles and the meeting at 8.00 and therefore runs at 7.00. Khoa and I need to Hanoi. First bus at 8.00 to Ninh Binh and then again with another bus to Hanoi. Khoa told me that here in northern Vietnam it may happen that the temperature falls below 10 degrees. It will be so notified in radio and television that schools close. It happens a few times a year. Schools are not heated. Many children are driven to school by motorbike.
Friday, October 5
This day is set aside for pure relaxation. If I can take it. A bike ride around Hanoi becomes. I ate lunch with Hang and Houg. Evening meals I ate with Thuy Oanh. Thuy went home early, so Oanh and I went together to the night market. On one of the major shopping streets was set up 1000 booths. There lasted throng of people. I thought only that it was Saturday and Sunday that they did it. Now it has also taken Fridays with. I went to bed early.
The following images have Thuy taken with her mobile
Henning and Thuy
Henning
Saturday, October 6
Thuy picked me up this morning. We would visit Thuys cousin. She lives by a director of a university in Hanoi. This director who also is a professor, I had a long conversation with. She invited me to give a talk at the university. I should tell you about my country and about the tours I do. It will be sent em car to bring me to the university Monday morning. University called "University of Labour and Social Affairs". It can be exciting. Thuy and I ate lunch together. She has a long meeting today, so I contacted Quy, who came to my hotel with his friends, who we met at the Ethnic Museum. We went on Litlle Hanoi and got beer and cola. They invited me to visit their university. We took the city bus. it is the first time that I try it. A ticket costs 1.50 dollars. I saw how they lived. Quy should along with 10 others. Quy insisted to follow me home. It had been enough that he had put me into the right bus. It has been an exciting day. It is called University Hostel. We live several thousand.
The following images have Thuy taken with her mobile
Henning and Thuy having lunch near Westlake (special food BUN CHA in Ha Noi)
That is a good food so Henning can eat 5 of ration BUN CHA, oh oh oh!
Henning speak with Giang and Thuan
Ms.Thuan arrange a meeting for Henning to the University of Labour and Social Affairs in Ha Noi
From Nguyen Quis facebook.
Together with Nguyen Qui
Visit the rooms at the university
Visit the rooms at the university
Sunday, October 7
Thu picked me up in his car. She had to give up to get to my hotel, the traffic was intense in the very narrow streets. I went to Hoa Kiem Lake. The ball is easiest for all parties. She had her 2 daughters: Van and Ha. Van had a friend with. Sun had invited one of his colleagues with. We drove to the center of the Sun from Mai Chau works. Sun had also invited a colleague more. She came on a motorcycle. Vihavde a nice trip to the gym and so many exciting things. We spent the most time on the big aquariums. The center is called "Duong Bao Son". We had a light lunch. Thu rang that now was the time to Thai dance. A nice show. After the show we went to the dolphin show. The time was approaching evening. We ate dinner at Thu and her husband. Thuy came with her daughter and later also her husband. We had a delicious dinner with beer and schnapps. Later we got some of his special snaps. Thu'd drive me home. She is a beginner, so I have to admire her for her courage to drive in the traffic. She runs careful. It is also a great car. She asked me if I wanted to try. But I venture anyway. For dessert we had fruit "fosterfugleæg" and snails. The flavor is fine. Now I have tried græshopperm kaka varnishes and now finally fosterfugleæg. Pride samples very differently here, when you are together with Vietnamese people in their home.
center
center
Visiting Thu. I ate there after a day trip
A lot of people make a meal of Henning
To Wed
Monday, Oct. 8
I have an appointment with HA Deputy Director of the "University of Labour and Socials Affairs" on "Center for International Training Cooperation". She was supposed to pick me up at the hotel. It was now her secretary came. I had a long conversation with Ha at her office. We were out for lunch. At 13.30 started my lecture for the students who were about 50 in number and they thought it would be exciting to hear me. I told him about my life in Denmark and about my scores, which has 2 objectives: Bringing happy tourists to Vietnam and see the lovely scenery and the happy people. The second objective is to help the poor where they are now. All my friends have 4 kg clothes. I have 25 kg, so it is a large amount of clothes we bring to Vietnam. We sang many songs together. The students were very interested in asking me out. There was an enjoyable atmosphere. Sometimes I asked direct questions and personal issues to students. They were a bit wary at first. Perhaps they were unprepared for having to meet me. Next time it should be better prepared. The University would like to be associated with a Danish university. I must talk with Ole on. But it was exciting. I ran back to the hotel by a private driver. I had invited Hang, Minh and Hangs sister Houg with Oanh out to eat at the restaurant. Hang certain what restaurant. It was a mixture of barbecue and hot pot. There was so much food that we could hardly eat it. The restaurant was at Hoa Kiem Lake on the 4 floor and was Korean. A long day have end.
Vice President for University Thu Ha
Henning lectures at the University of Hanoi
Henning with students
Henning lectures at the University of Hanoi
Street scene from Hanoi
Street scene from Hanoi