The boat ride from Cat Ba to Halong Bay ended up being pretty uneventful, and I was quite glad I had chosen to spend my time on the island.
I did get to meet a very interesting and well traveled older gentleman from Hungary and chat with a Vietnamese couple in their late 60s who fled the country for America after the husband was incarcerated for being a southern supporter during the war. They ended up living in New York and weren't allowed back into Vietnam even to visit until 1995. Now they are retired and living in Phoenix which, for some reason, was totally adorable to me.
On dry land we transferred to a bus and had lunch at a local restaurant before riding all the way to Hanoi. On the bus I met two great girls from San Francisco - Cara (ha!) and Tara. We decided to get off the bus near the center of the city by the somewhat famous Hoan Kiem lake, find a cafe with Wi-Fi, and figure things out from there.
After deciding on a hostel, the girls, who had spent some time in Hanoi previously, took me to a barbeque street stall they loved about for dinner. Let me just say, after less than five minutes of navigating the cramped, hectic streets of the old quarter of Hanoi, infused with light, color, and old-world charm, I was completely infatuated and really regretted only having two days to spend in such an alluring, honey-combed city. Oh, AND the barbecue was outstanding. (This coming from an at-home-not-while-traveling-or-at-peoples-homes-for-dinner vegetarian who really doesn't enjoy the taste of meat so you KNOW that food had to be too legit to quit.)
I was too busy staring to get any good pictures of the city but just in case you were wondering...
...Christmas is alive and well in Vietnam.
The next day Cara and Tara left for Thailand and I met up with Mariana, who had arrived from Cat Ba the previous night, for a day of sightseeing. We. Did. Everything. Our first stop was the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex, which includes the actual mausoleum where his body is on display, a museum about the history of Vietnam, two of his homes, his car collection, etc., etc. We mainly spent time in the mausoleum itself, which was a very interesting experience. In revered silence, visitors file past a large glass coffin where Ho Chi Minh's body reclines on a plush bed of silk pillows. Hats and chewing gum are strictly prohibited, and I'm pretty sure the guards could tell if you so much as thought about giggling. I also got the impression that taking a photo could earn you a night in jail. (Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little but you get the idea.)
After that we visited the Temple of Literature, which is pretty much the oldest university in Vietnam (you know, before universities were a thing) where philosophy students used to study. Now it is a site that honors these students and a place where people go to pray for good luck in school and business.
We were lucky enough to be there on a day when groups of students from around the area were at the temple to have graduation photos taken.
(These students from an all girls school were finally telling a male professor what's what.)
I thought it was a really great tradition for all of the students to be able to have photos commemorating their studies taken in a place which honors great minds of centuries past. Continuing on our way I FINALLY tried a traditional bahn bao for lunch, and I have to say, I was a fan!
Up next was the Hoa Lo Prison, which has a really amazing history. Originally built by the French colonists around a village where the locals specialized in ceramic goods, it was used to house (and torture) native men and women who fought against French rule.
Inside the male quarters/stockade. The women had their own section and were not chained because they had to take care of the children born in the prison.
The heads of female soldiers on display after their torture and execution. Women made up a significant percentage of the resistance against the French.
Death row.
On a more positive note, the prison museum also contains amazing examples of the human spirit, such as the items made by the people incarcerated there, including flags, books, writing tools, household items, games, and, of course, art!
After the French left in 1954, the Vietnamese used it as a jail for each other until it became a POW prison during the war. Now, I had heard that the American soldiers kept there referred to this jail as the "Hanoi Hilton," and I always assumed they were being facetious. Turns out this location might be one of the most controversial and propagandized I've visited. Inside the prison there are only photos of the soldiers being treated more like welcome guests than prisoners. They're shown celebrating Christmas, receiving care packages from home, playing sports, and sharing dinner and drinks with the guards.
However, the American side of the story is much different, with POWs telling stories of horrifying living conditions and endless hours of excruciating torture, with no motive except to break them. To be fair, treatment of the soldiers did change over time after the US got involved through rescue attempts and by globally publicizing the conditions, but I'm still not sure what to believe. What was real and what was staged?
Our final stop was the Women's Museum, which gives an amazing look into the lives of many different types of Vietnamese women. From those belonging to native tribes who live off the land
to those who were dominant forces in the war
to those of great contemporary importance, (or everyday city workers like the one depicted here)
the overarching theme was this: these are some incredibly hardworking, brilliant, bad-ass bitches.
There was also a special exhibit dedicated to the Mother Goddess - a female deity worshiped by some Vietnamese people that has become, for lack of a better description, a kind of sub-religion. Her purpose and multiple manifestations, as well as the way she is worshipped and spoken about by her believers, was really beautiful.
(Not the most interesting picture but I just loved the first part of this quote!)
Obviously, I found the museum in it's entirety quite inspiring.
(For my Art Therapy school friends - look familiar?)
From the museum we walked through the ritzy part of town to Hoa Kiem lake located at the center of the city, which we discovered is a popular place for dates and wedding photos.
(That's Turtle Tower, or Thap Rua.)
The Ngoc Son Temple is built on the lake itself and was quite lovely.
Then we went to a very unique, speakeasy-esk cafe Mariana had read about and shared an interesting drink of sweetened coffee topped with frothed egg whites. We parted ways to freshen up and then had an amazing dinner at a small restaurant near Mariana's hostel, and I officially decided Hanoi has some of the best food in Vietnam. Back on the street who should we bump into but the Australian boys from Cat Ba?! Such is the small world of life in the traveling community. After that Mariana and I officially said goodbye (but we talked about maybe meeting up later in Laos) and I headed back to my hostel.
In the morning it was time to go to Laos! I woke up early to catch the local bus to the airport, and encountered my first travel snafu... Often times when you check-in at a hostel or guest house the person working at the front desk takes your passport and stores it in a safe place. This is done for several reasons: to provide protection from theft, give the guests peace of mind, and as collateral to ensure people pay their bills when checking out. However, this isn't always the case, so you have to remember when leaving an accommodation if they have your passport or if you do. Similarly, it is the job of the receptionist to remember to return passports at check-out. On this particular morning, both the girl at the desk and I forgot to do our jobs, and I left my passport at the hostel. Luckily, I realized this at the bus station. Unluckily I had to walk all the way back to the hostel to get it (crying unnecessarily the entire way and unintentionally horrifying the girl at the hostel desk) causing me to miss the bus and have to take a cab. So instead of paying $2 for the hour long ride I had to pay $12, but let's be real - overall not even close to the worst thing that could have happened. Thankfully my luck changed at the airport and I got through customs without any issues despite having overstayed my visa (by a day). The guy checking my passport didn't even bat an eye.
On the plane to Laos I met Brinn from Sacramento. We bonded over yoga mats and a mutual desire to head up to the northern part of Laos for some jungle trekking. Her brother (a yoga instructor running a retreat in Thailand she was headed to) had set up a few things for Brinn to do during for her first few days in Laos, including transport from the airport which I got to take advantage of. The ride from the airport to the center of Luang Prabang was absolutely gorgeous. Golden sunlight bathed the lush, green countryside and the roads wound around rivers and rice paddies with monks clad in saffron robes dotting the scenery. Vong, Brinn's hired guide, helped me find a cheap guesthouse located along the Nam Khan river, and while it wasn't the cleanest, the view was great.
(Bamboo footbridge across from the guesthouse!)
So far, my first impression of Laos: this could be love.
