Stolen Time

The first thing I saw this Monday morning was a boat in the shape of a giant swan floating in the middle of the lake outside my window.  So the first thing I did this Monday morning was smile.  I knew it would be a good one, because how can it be a bad day when the first thing you experience is joy?

Just one of this flock made me smile.  This gaggle made me chortle. :)

I was surprised by a day off work!  I'd already slept in (through the morning cacophony ten floors below and the more personal assault on my eardrums thanks to my uncles' banging on my door half an hour before my alarm went off), so I leisurely hatched a plan to make the most of my stolen time today.  Roman decided to play hooky, too, and got going with his necessities so we could hook up after my first adventure of the day.

I FINALLY put my foot down and decided to visit the very first thing I'd put on my list the very first day I was in Hanoi: Tran Quoc Pagoda.  It's on the causeway that truncates our smaller Truc Bach Lake from the larger West Lake, both of which are visible through my window.  

I had planned to borrow Roman's bike to pedal out to the pagoda, but when the seat came off in my hands I thought keeping the ground under my feet would be a better choice.  So I, of course, had to cross the street on the causeway and opted to take a little video so y'all could come along.

Pagodas face the water, so the entrance is actually through the back of the complex, into the Stupa Courtyard.  Each of these structures holds ashes of important Buddha dignitaries.  The Lotus Tower houses sixty-six marble Buddha statues, one in each alcove on the six sides and eleven levels, harmonizing odd and even.

Stupas!!!

Lotus Tower.

 

Passing by the monks' residence, you can reach the front courtyard, which houses a ringed Bodhi tree supposedly grafted from the Bodhi tree under which Siddharta Gautama (the Buddha) sought enlightenment.  It was a gift from the Indian president in 1959.

Bodhi Tree.

The best picture I could get of the main sanctuary was outside looking through the window.  There was a huge Vietnamese group having lunch inside, so my mobility and picture-taking vantages were limited.

Me with an animistic natural statue representing mountain, plant and water.

Roman offered to take me to the History Museum (remember the fabulous Indochine building by Ernest Hebrard?) and to give me a personal tour.  It started in the paleolithic, as all museums should, and worked its way up to the present.  I'll give you some highlights.

Remember now?

Neolithic earrings...just think for a moment about how you'd put them on. Ouch.

Bronze pediform axe, dedicated to Amy. :D

These bronze drums are from the Dong Son culture, about 2000-2500 years ago, and each have an incredible amount of detail and craftsmanship.

Burial pot.

I gotta a fevah!

One thousand arm Buddha. All that decoration on the circle behind him is more arm.

Cheshire Tiger! Just to brighten my sister's day. :)

Breastplate-shaped bells. These ones are Taoist, but they can be found at pagodas, too.

Mother-of-pearl inlay. This is a tiny scene on a huge three-paneled screen.

CHECK OUT THIS GUY!!! I WANT TO TAKE HIM HOME!!!

More Cham culture. I got to watch Roman attempt to do this pose.

Part of the "Imperial Treasures" collection. This gold book weighs over seven pounds!

We then walked away the rest of the day, and I got some amazing shots for this Doors-of-Dublin-esque project I'm working on.  We also passed along streets with sidewalks filled with groups playing games and women selling every edible thing under the sun.  Apparently, my culinary education was by no means completed Sunday.  I touched jack fruit with its medieval spikes of steel--I swear if you threw it at someone, you could easily kill them or at least permanently disfigure them.  I saw whole squid soaking in preparation to be cut up, rolled up and fried up.  I tried pickled bamboo root (not my favorite thing ever) and today's highlight----------------------------->

More Chinese Chess, with lots of wanted (and unwanted) advice being given.

Some kind of card game. Even Roman didn't know what it was.

Jack Fruit! It hurt like a sumbitch to touch those spikes.

Such an appetite we worked up, and seeing all these amazing foods made our tumblies rumble, so we stopped at the BEST and MOST FAMOUS creme karamel shop in Hanoi.  I'd tried this dish last week, but this was like walking into the Taj Mahal after only seeing it in black-and-white photographs.  Ah, I savored every bite of the sweet and slightly bitter concoction.  With generosity in our hearts, we got three more to take back home for dessert so Kyle could participate in the edible ecstasy.  Wonderful end to a wonderful day.

The Taj Mahal of creme karamel.

YUMS!!!!!!!!!