Day 17 – Hanoi Viet Nam.  Homeward Bound.

April 2^nd 2015, the last full day of our vacation before heading back to Korea.  It was a strange feeling being able to sleep in, and not having anywhere in particular we needed to go.  So after getting ready we headed out around 10am to walk around our hotel and catch one of the famous water puppet shows.

During the early morning the vendor traffic in front of the hotel is not as chaotic as it was during the previous afternoon, Though here are a couple of fruit vendors right at the front entrance.

Here is a woman selling cookware.

Crossing the street still is a challenge in Hanoi, the rule of thumb being that once you step of the curb to keep walking at a stedy pace, don’t slow down or speed up and the traffic should move around you.  This is quite difficult to get used to, as mopeds and bicycles whizz past you.

The streets were lined with the traditional Vietnamese lotus flowers.  I

also have to stop and point out that besides the American Fast food chains such as McDonnalds, and KFC, the South Korean Company Lotteria also has a presence in Viet Nam.

Our plan was to walk over to the Hanoi Catholic Cathedral, and The Turtle Tower on Lake Hoan Kiem.  We found out that the Cathedral was closed, so we headed over to the Turtle Tower.

On the walk along the lake, there were many street vendors and people enjoying their lunch. Here is a vendor selling Mangos, and other fruit, Mi Jung really fell in love with Mangos on this trip.

I’m not really sure what this guy is smoking here,!

Our first stop is Hoan Kiem lake, which translates to Lake of the Returned Sword.  Legend has it that in 1428, Emperor Le Loi was enjoying boating on the lake when a Golden Turle God surfaced and asked for his magic sword.  Le Loi concluded that Kim Qui had come to reclaim the sowrd that it’s master the Dragon King had given to Loi some time earlier during his revolt against Ming China.  Loi renamed the lake to commemorate this event.  The lake contains a small island with a temple complex, here is the entrance to the island, with a plaque depicting the Dragon King.

The temple complex had a really cool fountain featuring turtles and a Vietnamese fisherman, and several places were you could give offerings to Buddha.

I have heard about the practice of buying fake paper currency, called temple money but never seen it.  Apparently they do not practice this custom in Korea, because Mi Jung mistook this for an incinerator and threw some trash in that we had been carrying.

You could also choose a lucky Chinese character for wealth, prosperity, etc. and this local artist would paint it for you.

Mi Jung really likes to pick fruit, and although she couldn’t pick the fruit on the temple grounds, these really large grape fruit were perfect to try and get a portrait.

 

Leaving Hoam Kiem lake, it was time to head to the Thang Long water puppet theater.  Water puppetry originated in the Red River Delta and thus is primarily practiced in northern Viet Nam.  During the rainy season, after the rice paddies would flood the villagers would entertain each other with puppet play.

I really enjoyed the performance featuring puppetry, Vietnamese folk music, and pyrotechnics, I could not imagine having to stand waist deep in water several times a day for hours at a time.  If you are planning a trip to Hanoi the water puppet performance is something that needs to make it onto your itinerary!

 

It was then time to head back to the hotel and pack, then find dinner on the town.  I felt Hanoi had more character then Saigon, and would love to go back and spend some time photographing the city and surrounding country side.  Tomorrow morning it’s off to the airport and back to grind in Korea.