I don't know how to respond to the comments privately, so I'll just say to Rachel: sure, share the link! I hope your Dad feels better soon, and tell him he's welcomed to leave comments or suggestions for things to do! I didn't give the link to everyone, since I didn't quite know what I would be writing - but friends and family are more than welcomed to follow my ramblings. I don't have time for polished writing...oh, well.
Lynn: I'll hire a driver, but I don't think I'll rent a bike in Hanoi - too adventurous. Being on the tuk tuk going the wrong way down a one way street was pretty fun, but a little scary! And yes, Rachel - I'm surprised I'm liking the eggs too but they taste different / better here...maybe because they are not factory farmed? Don't know...
SO! Birthday Part II
We left for the fanciest recommended place in Hanoi - Ly Club - which has gotten mixed reviews online (for being to pricey). I thought the place was really nice - very beautiful - and more importantly, Jared liked it. Our new friends, Carolyn and LiChen, did join us after all! When we arrived, the mother and daughter pair were ogling this fancy old British car parked in the restaurant drive. For the life of me, I can't remember the name of the car. Carolyn told us that she used to have one of these cars years ago and when she drove around London, people would waive. Carolyn and LiChen has worn their best dresses for the occasion - I felt like a shlub - I had not wanted to soil a new outfit so I just wore the sweaty dress I had been wearing earlier that day. Jared put on a nice shirt and new pants. We were so pleased to see them!
For dinner there was a bit of haggling / communication breakdown over not having fish sauce on all the food (my shrimp allergy), but I was able to show the waitress my travel book where I had written down the phrase "I cannot eat shrimp or I will die" in Vietnamese - so when the dishes arrived, she told me which ones were prawn/fish sauce free. I had a fried softshell crab (yum) and an appetizer of vegetarian spring rolls. Other dishes included: beef, pork ribs, and a morning glory (which I ate). The meat eater said the beef was the best.
The most surprising thing about the meal though was the wine. I ordered a bottle of the cheapest wine on the menu - a Vietnamese Chardonnay - thinking, why not? And it was delicious! A little sweet, not heavy - and truly lovely. What a wonderful surprise.
And, of all of the travelers in Vietnam, I had to meet...an art restorer! Carolyn had gone to St. Martin's college for art, dropped out, and became an art restorer - I think oils primarily. Her partner/husband/so (?) makes furniture. Oh - and another totally random and interesting fact about our new friend: she was friend's with Darwin's granddaughter (Ursula) until recently when Ursula passed away at 101. She told us stories about Darwin's granddaughter's parties, her gnarled potters hands, and her extreme British politeness....In one day, we met these two at a prison, a temple, and a mansion. A very nice day. I forgot that one of the true pleasures of traveling is the other travelers you meet. I hope it is a birthday for Jared to remember.
We stayed out talking for hours, until I literally couldn't make sense anymore (I haven't slept more than 4 hours a night for the past 3 days) and we took a cab back to Carolyn's hotel. They were staying in a much younger, hipper area than our hotel - so much traffic - drinking on the street - general revelry. We said goodbye to the couple, and exchanged e-mail addresses. I hope I meet them again someday.
Exhausted, I tried to sleep. I think I got about 4 hours until I was somehow awake and ready to go. Jared and I have just had breakfast, and are awaiting our bus to take us to Halong Bay. Unfortunately, we had to make a hard decision: HCM's mausoleum is not open Mon and Fri, and is open limited hours the rest of the time. It was my #1 thing to see in Hanoi, but it looks like we will not be able to go. We had to choose between Halong Bay and seeing the mausoleum - and I (we, I hope) chose Halong Bay. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and it looks beautiful. Part of the point of this trip was to visit UNESCO sites and see how the UN works with locals for CRM (Cultural Resource Management), so Halong Bay seemed like a must.
I will be drenching myself in 50+ sunscreen and hopefully enjoying some swimming....The Bay trip is the one super vacationy thing I will be doing. Then it's off to looking at ruins and pounding the pavement of various cities.
Note from Jared: He wants to make sure I mention that everyone loves him (which is sooooo true). In his own words, he gets "street cred" for having one leg. People smile at him, nod, pay special attention to him in traffic.....And LiChen adored him. I think, perhaps, a crush....She told him he smelled nice and that she liked his belly! She also kept asking if we were married (to which, I told her, women need not ever get married to be happy - her mom, seemed to approve to the sentiment). It was super adorable.
I might not be able to write on the boat - so goodbye for now. I hope Seattle/Iowa/DC/Oakland/Portland is treating you all well....
