Hectic Hanoi

I thought I would suffer a terrible bus lag which required me to stay asleep until noon but turned out that I was awake early to greet the cool morning atmosphere of Hanoi. What seemed to me to be a dark maze of creepy street with danger everywhere yesterday night transformed in the day light to a bustling street fill with the sound of beeping/horning/honking and shops of various trades which was the Old Quarters of Hanoi. It was just a perfect morning for a stroll and a little exploring.

With a map in my hand, I braved and navigate myself towards the Lake, avoiding touters and locals who greeted me in English which is more interested in my money than a cultural exchange. Despite the fact that everywhere food is sold, I couldn't find one I could try until I saw something that looks like a currypuff. The morning walk was disrupted when it rained. With a raincoat in handy, I headed my way back to the guesthouse to have my breakfast.

It was still raining towards noon when Nam approaches with his motorbike, drenched in the rain. Nam is the head of the HelloHanoi volunteers which would take me around Hanoi. Together with him, Tuong and Quyen we went for our lunch at a nearby stall which served pho, a local noodle delicacy and also the main staple food as it is found everywhere in all its variety. As Nam needed to study for his 3 exams the next day, Tuong and Quyen would bring me around in their motorbike.

The first place that we went was the Temple of Literature where it was reputed also to be the site of the first university in Hanoi, established almost a thousand years before by the Vietnam emperor. Dedicated to Confucius, the complex is echoed with Chinese influence; in the Chinese words that lined the stelae mounted on the top of turtle statues (which recorded the names of successful scholars), in the temple structures, the rectangular pond and the two courtyards. Tuong and Quyen were explaining to me what the various symbols found here meant.

Despite the fact that during this time Hanoi is supposed to be having it's hottest days, it was surprisingly cool and raining. It was the beginning of summer and yet had the attributes of autumn. Tuong and Quyen commented that I was lucky to be in Hanoi in this weather. Riding on the motorbike in this weather was fun with the cold wind slapping on me.

We went back to the Hoan Kiem Lake, which was believed to be the final resting place of a victorious sword owned by a previous emperor after it was returned to a golden tortoise. Hence, the name can be translated to the Lake of the Restored Sword. One of the interesting sight found on the lake was the Tortoise Tower and the other was the Ngoc Son Temple on a small island on the lake and linked by the red Sunbeam Bridge. Besides the temple and pagoda, there was a preserved tortoise on display here.

It was here that I bumped into my fellow travellers from the 24-hour nighmare ride. I was so glad to see the 4 of them that I greeted them in Japanese. I recounted what happened and why I left them in a hurry and they recounted that they returned to the guest house that we were brought to as they were lost in the maze as well. After taking a group photo with them and reminding ourselves that we survived an impossible ordeal, we bade farewell and go on our separate ways.

As it was approaching evening, we walked along the East side of the Lake. I marvelled at the City Hall which stood tall over it's surrounding building and the colonial buildings left behind by the French. I also visited Hanoi's grand supermarket and went to buy some stamps at the Main Post Office. Quyen was kind enough to buy 2 stamps for my souvenir. It turned out that the three of us had a few things in common; we like to read Detective Conan (which over here, Volume 57 has come out), we like to collect stamps (Quyen like international stamps while Tuong like only Vietnam stamps) and we like to blog occasionally. After trying to find a local English newspaper, Tuong brought me to a fast food outlet (BBQ chicken) where I bought my dinner before dropping me off at my guesthouse. Spent the rest of the night in my room as I don't want to trouble the landlady to open the door and furthermore, I feel it's safer here than wondering around the dark maze of creepy street with danger everywhere.