For now, I'll start with the first two days of the trip. I left DC on the morning of Dec 3. My course started on Dec 6, and it was going to take me about 1.5 days to journey halfway around the globe. I was concerned about having to fly through Chicago, because, of course, snow was predicted. But I beat the front both in and out of Chicago, although there was snow on the ground there. I actually had a very smooth trip with connections and everything. Surprisingly, there was no line at Dulles that morning for international check-in, and we actually arrived early to Chicago. This was good, as not only did I have to transfer to the international terminal, but I had to check in again. And it was this flight, from Chicago to Seoul, that I was dreading.
I don't sleep on planes, and this was a 14-hour flight, with a three-hour layover, and another five-hour flight to follow. But I had a little room as the seat next to me wasn't filled, although it didn't help. However, I did enjoy listening to my Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me (NPR) podcasts, watching Annie Hall (which I'd never seen, but loved! so Jewish New York), viewing documentaries on Puccini's operas, shallow seas, and Miles Davis, and trying Korean foods like bi-bim-bap (I was on Korean Air). Finally, it was over, and I could walk for a while. The airport in Seoul (Incheon) is quite something--if you need high-end shopping, I highly recommend it. Hugo Boss, Dior, Hermès, Salvatore Ferragamo, Fendi, Coach, etc. I will also say that the crews on Korean Air were lovely, and that I was fed very well. Now, sometimes translations do leave me wondering, but I can tell you that the Red Carpet Cheesecake ice cream (yes, ice cream! I was so excited) was strawberry. And the flights were fun in the sense of watching the maps and passing over all kinds of places that I haven't been before, like Northwest Territories Canada, northern Alaska, Siberia, and China.
It took more than 1.5 hours for my luggage in Hanoi, but there were ten of us in that camp. Thankfully, my pick-up waited. It was one in the morning (local time, Dec 5) before I arrived at the hotel, which was locked and dark. All worked out, and I got to my room to crash. Good thing my mother wasn't there--she would never have stayed. Not that the accommodations weren't sufficient, but clean was not a word that came to mind easily. (Note: this was the worst of the hotels; some of the later ones were absolutely lovely.) But at that point, all I wanted was sleep, and that did come easily. I made myself get up in the morning and get moving. The hotel gave me a map and suggested that I head to Hoan Kiem Lake (Returned Sword Lake) in the city center.
My first impressions of Hanoi were very mixed, partly from being so over-tired. A city of four million people and two million motorbikes, and all seemed chaos on the streets. I learned that it wasn't--there absolutely was a pattern to the driving, as well as rules. But crossing some of the bigger streets definitely took some practice. Thankfully I'm a city girl, so I figured it out fairly quickly. But many people wear face masks to help with the pollution, and if someone told me that they wear earplugs as well, to block the constant blare of horns, I would have accepted it without question.
Without any sense of language and custom--I'd not done any research prior to the trip because my schedule was so busy--I felt rather lost. I didn't understand the language, couldn't read the signs, had no idea of the food or custom. And I was exhausted. So it was a hard first day. I did find the lake, and it was lovely.
I walked around the lake, and then visited the temple. This is the tortoise tower in the center of the lake. Below, you can see Ba Kieu Temple.
I posted a photo of the red bridge from Hanoi. Inside the temple, I loved the architecture. Subsequent posts will have similar photos of the temples and architecture, as well as a closer image of the game these two gentlemen were playing.
Most temples have these type of lovely doors, often lacquer, and some large incense burners. They are really quite beautiful.
After my visit, I walked a bit more, and was amused by this building emblem. I think it was one of the state buildings, but it brought to mind my earlier life with Soviet/Russian Studies.
I sat by the lake for a while, working on my class readings. And I was constantly interrupted by young people sitting next to me, who wanted to practice their English. Now I wasn't surprised by the fact that I stood out rather strongly in Viet Nam, but I was surprised by their openness and directness. It was wonderful on the one hand, and irritating on the other. If I hadn't been so tired, I probably would have enjoyed it more. I did try to chat some, but wasn't really up to it. And somehow, in the midst of all this, I lost my sunglasses. So, I promptly lost my way back to the hotel too. By the time I figured it out, I gave up. I didn't eat this day, and went back to sleep, after fighting unsuccessfully with the computer connection.
I made it to breakfast the next morning, where I had rice and string beans. I don't like eggs, and I wasn't feeling very adventurous yet. But I was perfectly happy with rice and vegetables. I got back to the room and promptly fell asleep again! But after a workout, I felt much better, and headed out again. This time, I stopped at the Temple of Literature just down the street. As you'll recall, this was one of our stops in the course, but I didn't know that at the time. I posted a few photos from there, but here are a few more.
The flag from one of the courtyards. I never did learn its meaning, but I saw this flag in numerous temples. Below, water puppets for sale. We did see a performance one evening too.
The temple was founded in 1017 as the first university in the country. On the stele on the turtles are the names of all those who passed their mandarin exams. There are 82 stone slabs of names, spanning approximately 300 years of tests. Below, architectural details from one of the gates. There are five courtyards at the temple, each standing for a different goal: morality, great success, longevity, gratitude, and learning.
Next to the temple is a park that is open and people use it all day long, walking and stretching, playing badmitton, etc. It's a lovely spot, very tranquil, even though it's surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the city, and I spent considerable time here both this day and the day before I left the country.
Back at the hotel, I worked on my Spanish for a while (last time that happened on the trip!) and found the hotel computer and caught up on email and office things. Then we had our opening dinner. One was delayed, but it was a great start. We were instructed that the course would not only be intensive, but would be reflective, revealing, and confronting (it was). We were encouraged to maintain our intellectual curiousity and ideals, and to talk together to parse, critique, and learn. I couldn't wait!
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