The End of My South East Asia Adventure

Well folks. today was my last day in Hanoi and thus my last day in Asia. I can't believe it's been 3 months already. It's gone so quickly. To conclude my time in Hanoi I visited the Temple of Literature (Yeah, I know, it's an awesome title). The name is actually a bit deceiving the temple is structured the way other Buddhist temples are structured but instead of the image of Buddha, this temple is dedicated to education in Vietnam. How perfect that I'm ending my trip (based on my interest in Higher Education) at a place that is, quite literally, a shrine to education. I've been a bit bored with the pictures I've been taking lately so I decided to get fancy with it. Yes ladies and gentlemen I used the black & white and sepia settings on camera (now is the appropriate time to "oooooh" and "aaaaaah").

Woot. Look at me bein' all artsy!

Random fun fact I learned at the temple: the Tortoise, Unicorns, Dragons and Phoenix are the 4 holy creatures of Vietnam. That's why the Doctor's Stelae (as seen below) are on Tortoise shells.The writing on the stones (above) are works of literature that praise some of the great doctors/examiners. The royal exams are a big deal so this is the tribute to the folks who educated the successful groups of students. The tortoise represents a long and healthy life (cause the live FOREVER). I also thinks it's pretty neat that Vietnam included the Unicorn as one of it's holy animals. 

And now, the end is near and so I face my final curtain, blah, blah, blah, I did it my way! I feel good about my time in Asia. Sure there were some bumps in the road but the good far out weigh the bad. So now I move west to Croatia. From cold to colder. Wish me luck! 

Introspection (and Random Things I Think You Should Read)

I guess this post is more for myself than anyone who reads it (all 6 of you, ha!). I've had some time to think and I'm feeling very introspective after the events of last night. How could I have been so trusting? But then, aren't we supposed to trust one another? Isn't it human nature to want to help those in need? I say that after avoiding the sad eyes of the poor Vietnamese beggar who approached me on my way to this internet cafe. How can I be so angry at the man who took advantage of me when I haven't done anything to deserve his help? He shouldn't have been so malicious in his actions but I'm not an entirely blameless victim. It is difficult to travel alone but I made myself an easy target last night. I shouldn't blame others for my own misfortunes, even if it is (almost entirely) their fault.
But now I'm past that. Moving on! Since I am here for the next... 4 days I have more time to explore Hanoi. Really get down to it and see this city.

Just for fun I'm attaching an article I read about a 16 year old boy from New York who lived in China for a year. I think this is wonderful! When I return to the states it's programs like this that I want to be apart of.

From CNN: Immersion Education in China


And because I'm feeling extra random today I'm going to throw in one of my favorite poems:
The Road Not Taken
by
Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

I've Been DUPED.

It has finally happened, I've officially been duped.
I was looking forward to my Sapa adventure you know, going to get in some hiking and enjoy the mountain scenery. Tonight I began my journey: called the cab at 9pm because I am always worried about being late so I end up at places extremely early. The cab apparently "forgot" about me multiple times and thus did not arrive until 9:35pm. My train leaves at 9:50. I'm stressin' a little bit. I don't EVER cut it that close. I arrived at the train station at 9:45pm, fine whatever, there's a train pulling up, great that's probably my train, first thought? Ask someone who looks like they know what they're doing: Check! "Hello, kind sir! Is this my train?" Show the "official" looking guy my ticket. He points to the train shows me where my seat is and I thank him. Then he demands $2. Oh no, I know better. So I say, "NO." He continues to ask and I say "No" until he leaves. Yay, me! It's now 9:52pm and another person joins me in the cabin. He points at my bed and says something in Vietnamese so I stare blankly at him until he shows me his ticket. His train is different than my train. Oh, shit. I find another official looking guy and he says, "Oooohh, no, no, no, no, no." Then he points to the train on the other track... that is leaving the station. Perfect. I missed my train because the first "official" looking guy WAS A SCAMMER and actually had no idea what train I was supposed to be on.
Of all the transportation in Vietnam WHY ARE ONLY THE TRAINS EVER ON TIME?!?!?
Even better? I can't refund any tickets or the hotel I booked.
Good News? More time in Hanoi. Oh goody.

This is the devil train. Actually, everyone else at the station was relatively nice. I should have started crying then I probably could have gotten a refund on my tickets. 

This is where I could have been. Oh well. Instead I'm here:

Yay. 

Ahoy, Hanoi!

I made it to Hanoi after a very brief enjoyable bus ride to find that it is freezing here. Well, it's cold compared to the tropical weather I've gotten used to over the past couple of months. The rain was enjoyable in Hue and Hoi An but, shoot, I was not expecting 40 degree days. I gave myself 10 days in the north because I thought I'd be able to hop on a motorbike and just cruise around for a bit. Nope. In addition to the freezing cold, the visibility in Hanoi is, for lack of a better descriptor, absolute crap. Sadly, my motorbiking days are over... in Asia at least. My parents just read that and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Oh well. I will say that the cooler air is a relief and Hanoi is a fascinating place. I saw Ho Chi Minh in the (embalmed) flesh! I don't have any photos because no one is allowed to take any and for good reason. It was creepy walking in a silent single file line passed Uncle Ho all lit up and looking radioactive. You would think that if the government is paying upwards of 3 billion U.S. dollars to keep Ho in tip-top shape they'd be able to afford some quality lighting. It actually looked like he was glowing. I think I'll call the the color Nuclear Amber. I hope they create a Crayola crayon.

Since I am in Hanoi it was a must that I make a trip out to Halong Bay. Normally this is where I would post pictures and what not but unfortunately my memory card was infected with the virus that has been on my laptop and now the Anti-Virus software I installed wont let me open the folder with all of my pictures. The good news is I am now officially Virus free and protected from any further virus related things! Huzzah! Anyway, Halong Bay looks a little like this:

Normally. But when I visited because it is the middle of January it looked more like this:

Tomorrow I am heading a little bit further north for a few days to kill time before Croatia! It was apparently snowing last week so keep your fingers crossed that I'll be able to find some rubber boots or something practical.

Hoi An to Hue

 So much to write about. In Hoi An there is this fantastic restaurant, Streets. It is by far the best meal I have eaten in Vietnam. The neat thing about Streets apart from its fantastic culinary achievements is the mission: to provide job training for Vietnamese men and women living on the streets who, otherwise, would have no opportunity to gain employment. Not only does Streets train them as servers and cooks, it also offers a way for them to learn English. Plus the coconut ice cream was DELICIOUS.

Streets Restaurant

I left Hoi An and made my way to Hue (pronounced "way"). Hue was the imperial city of the Nguyen Dynasty and is famous for the Citadel, the Forbidden City and lots of tombs. The forbidden city housed the emperor, princes and princesses, and concubines, you know, the usual. I don't usually hire guides because it's expensive so I found a tour in progress and followed them around until the guide spotted me, but before he did I learned that if someone broke into the forbidden city the punishment was DEATH. Pretty intense.

One of the gates into the Forbidden City

Extreme Koi Pond!

10% of the forbidden city remains. The rest was bombed in the 40's. 

That's me!

Dragon!

All of these are made from broken pieces of ceramic dishes

Like this

Apart of the 10% that remains of the forbidden city

What else is there to do in Hue? Well, honestly, when it's pouring down rain, not a lot. In an attempt to keep to my new years resolutions (live in the "now", volunteer more) I stumbled upon a chance to visit a children's shelter here in Hue. The mission of the Friends of Hue Foundations is to provide economic assistance to families who are victims of natural disasters. Part of this organization includes the Hue Children's Shelter. Not only does it offer a place to sleep, it ensures that the children are properly nourished and educated about ethics and academics. 

I met Erika at the hostel I am staying at here in Hue. She had been in contact with the shelter and asked if I wanted to join her. Together with Erika and Lisa (another traveler I met on my way up from Hoi An) I went to the shelter. When we arrived we met Ai, a Vietnamese American from Texas who has been volunteering at the shelter for almost 2 years. Although we went with the intention of helping, we really only had a chance to tour the building and learn more about the organization.

Lesson of the day: Make sure you aren't the only one making a "funny face" in the picture.

The building

The mattresses were donated recently... tempurpedic, very nice.

On the right is the house mother. She was very shy so I had to get this sneaky shot. 

And that concludes my trip to Hue. Tonight I ride to Hanoi, sleeper bus all the way. Next post: HO CHI MINH. The man preserved. 

I'm Singin' in the Rain!

The rain in Vietnam stays mainly in the... I don't know what rhymes with Vietnam.
It has been a rainy wonderful few days here in Hoi An. I'm so glad I came! I know what you are all thinking. "She's loony." Well don't worry the Vietnamese feel the same way. In fact, I received a free poncho this morning because this woman was so worried about me. Apparently choosing to ride a bike in the rain is something sane people just don't do. I, however, have enjoyed every second of it! I do have a Skype date so I needed to find shelter, but let me tell you, if I didn't have a Skype date I would be riding around like the crazy person I am and singing in the rain. It's so refreshing after 2+ months of hot weather.
The poncho rainbow:

I Can Haz Facebook?

No, no I can't. You see, Vietnam has all these blocks and things on the Facebook. I have tried about, oh, 15 different "proxy websites" (didn't know what that meant until about a week ago) and it hardly ever works. If it does, I can see but I can't touch. I can't DO anything. No messages, no comments, no posts, no updates, no pictures... OMG FACEBOOK!

What has the above reaction told me about my relationship with the Facebook? I find myself co-dependent, borderline obsessive and that is just not healthy. Thus, it is with a heavy heart and mild withdrawal that I say "Facebook, we are on at least a month long break...  until I can find a working version of you."