I am supposed to be asleep right now because I have to be up for an early flight to Hue in approx 3 hours... but Hanoi is just too noisy for me tonight, so I thought I'd take advantage of the free internet one last time.
Today we had a private tour with an English speaking guide. It was amazing to see the quieter, less touristy areas of Hanoi. After a breakfast of pho, we headed out first to a beautiful temple or 'pagoda' as they are called here. The majority of the population is Buddhist and the temples are just stunning. I will upload photos when I can. We then headed to this ancient village that houses some of the oldest buildings in Hanoi. At first we just wandered through the village looking at the old buildings and pagodas, but then our guide got chatting with some of the locals and got us invited into this tiny little house- the oldest home in the village. It was owned by this dear old man (77) who had lived there his whole life. The house had been in his family for 8 generations!!! He could speak no English but our guide was able to interpret as he told us about his life, made us green tea and taught us how to smoke the huge vietnamese pipe! It was very funny, and such a unique experience. This is why we came to Vietnam- to immerse ourselves in the culture.
We then went on to a silk village where we watched real silk being made from silk worms and then through all the steps until they became beautiful silk items- which we had to buy of course, for a very good price! Our last stop was the Temple of Literature, an absolutely stunning pagoda that houses Vietnam's very first university, founded by Confusious himself. It was beautiful, but very touristy.
So- my final impressions of Hanoi...
- crossing the road is like taking your life into your own hands... but we mastered it!
- driving on the roads is more scary than any rollercoaster I have ever been on, yet you never see accidents.
- the people who live here are some of the kindest and most hospitable people I have ever seen...
- we have learned to either look away when people annoy us to try and sell us stuff, or barter quite well.
- it is worth eating at the street restaurants, as scary as they look... the food is absolutely divine and costs next to nothing.
- it is possible to live in Hanoi for four days rather luxuriously for $120 US a double- minus accomm.
- it is worth trying to pick up some of the language, the locals appreciate it even if you make mistakes.
- the children of Vietnam are among the most beautiful I have ever seen.
- BRING EARPLUGS because this city never sleeps!!!!!
Tomorrow we are off to Hue, one of the most ancient cities in Vietnam. We leave Hanoi bright and early so I best be off to try and get some sleep in all of this craziness. Despite my culture shock when I arrived here, Craig & I are sad to leave this place. It is insane, but insanely exciting and I can definately see myself coming back here one day, maybe even to teach English or something... We'll see!
Much love to Australia, I miss you all terribly! xxx
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