Bar Hopping

My time is running out.  I'm not ready to leave.  I thought I would be by this point, but I'm not.  I have to, though.  The longer I stay, the harder it will be to go back to the life from which I've taken a break.  I was generously invited to go on a last-minute holiday to Singapore Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but I can't even imagine having had to give up any of the sights I've squeezed in these final days.

Friday I got off to a late-ish start.  I know.  Here I am complaining about how much more I want to absorb of Hanoi, and I slept in.  But I wouldn't have been able to properly appreciate any mini-adventures running on fumes, which I had been for several days while trying to fill as much time as possible with Vietnam.  So I set off for a site I've been meaning to visit for a while: the Hanoi Hilton.  Before you get the wrong idea, let me swiftly clarify by saying that "Hanoi Hilton" is the name given to the prison that housed American soldiers shot down or arrested in 1964-1973 during the American War and Vietnamese revolutionists during the French colonial period before that.  Built in 1896, it apparently replaced a small village, about which the Vietnamese still seem pretty testy if the slightly incendiary and very blaming informative plaques are anything to go by.  They use phrases like "French oppression," "persecuted body and mind," "machine of suppression," and "imperialistic prison"...I think they might still be holding a small grudge. 

Central House, I guess? A.k.a. Hanoi Hilton.

It now sits in the shadow of Hanoi Towers, an upscale ex-pat apartment and shopping center.

Main door locks.

Catching a glimpse of this face through the bars scared the hell out me! I actually audibly gasped and jumped a few inches. Also, it's in the freaking DUNGEON! There's a DUNGEON!

 

Male prisoner stockade.

Death row cell.  This is about the time that the heeby jeebies really started to set in. :/

Oh, there's also a freaking GUILLOTINE! By the way, do any of you have any idea how difficult it is to photograph a GUILLOTINE?! Because it's hard.

There was also this lovely photo of decapitated heads being put on display in baskets to warn others against revolutionary activities.

Sixteen prisoners escaped through this sewer in 1951.

So in the area focusing of the American War period, they had all these displays trying to show what wonderful conditions American soldiers were kept in, including real twin beds, games to play, books, a guitar, and even photos of soldiers decorating Christmas trees! Right. And I'm the Queen of England. Pip pip!

After this fairly depressing mini-adventure, I needed some serious serotonin.  Fortunately, the Metropole Hotel (which is a real hotel, unlike the Hanoi Hilton) has every single day a CHOCOLATE BUFFET.  Yes, dear friends and family, an entire all-you-can-stuff-your-face-with smorgasbord of cocoa concoctions and delicious delicacies.  There were bon-bons, petit fours, mousse, chocolate creme brulee, ice creams, a chocolate fountain, cookies, crepes, and the literal creme de la creme--hot chocolate, but not like any hot chocolate you or I have ever had before.  That stuff I can now only consider swill.  This hot chocolate was poured by the gods to Earth to give humans a hint of a shadow of what they're missing up in the heavens.  My life will never be the same.

Oh, Metropole. How I wish I could afford to sleep in you.

I'm this little garden building has an actual name, but I just think of it as Where's the Chocolate Already?

Roman was a beast. I LOVE chocolate, but I think Roman would willingly have hybrid human-chocolate babies if it were scientifically possible.

Choco-coffee bon-bons. They have little coffee beans edibly painted on top!

This was my first plate...of three. I also had to take a little savory break and partake of some finger sandwiches.

Personalized crepe-maker!

The hot chocolate was made by heating heavy cream and adding broken chocolate bars till boiling.  It was the best thing that has ever existed in the history of the universe. Maybe the Ultimate Question is "How many cups of this hot chocolate should you drink everyday?"

After gorging ourselves on chocolate for two and a half hours, we had (not surprisingly) very little appetite, so we met Kyle, Ken and Aussie David and Aussie Sue (the couple who had us over for dinner right before Tet) for drinks at the Cinematheque bar before taking in an Israeli film entitled Passover Fever.  It was kind of a weird movie, but it had been kind of a weird day, so I didn't particularly mind.  The highlight was the Amaretto Sour I got at the bar, just a little preview of what awaits me next week when my three best friends and I meet up for Savannah Reunion Weekend 2011.  If I have to leave, at least there's something worth leaving for waiting for me. :D

Can't wait for the plethora of Amaretto Sours that will await me in Savannah!

P.S.--Bonus points for figuring out the ingeniousness of this post's title.  That's right.  I'm really clever.  Thanks for noticing.  ;)

In the Trenches

Fair warning, I'm totally going to geek out in this post.  There will be numerous exclamation points and many declarations that may appear hyperbolic.  The amount of enthusiasm expressed will be so large, it will give the impression of sarcasm.  My zeal, however, will be genuinely sincere.  Ames and Cas, this one's for you, who like to do it in the dirt. :D


If you've been reading this blog faithfully, you'll remember from I'm Alive!!! that I mentioned the execution of an excavation at the citadel near our apartment.  Sunday morning, I was fortunate enough to be led on a tour of said citadel and the excavation site by none other than the leading archaeologist of the dig, historian and professor Le Van Lan, a Vietnamese celebrity who is a veritable compendium of history in addition to hosting a quiz show.  I met a legitimate celebrity!  Granted, none of you have heard of him, but it was still cool to be walking around with someone who kept getting stopped by people saying "I've seen you on TV!"

The citadel circa 1490. I haven't been able to find a decent map of the current citadel and surrounding area to post, but they exist out there in the internet, if you care or are bored enough to go looking.

Entrance to the citadel.

The citadel, or Thang Long (Rising Dragon), saw its heyday from 1010-1397, after Ly Thai To established Hanoi as the capital of Vietnam, and it's this period that the archaeological dig dates to.  It was built on the remains of a seventh century Chinese fortress.  You can go HERE for more accurate and detailed info.  The first part of this tour, however, focused on the American War period, with war rooms and nuclear-safe tunnels. Other tunnels branch off to West Lake, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and other buildings within the citadel, making it possible to move stealthily underground...had these off-shoots not been recently blocked off, of course.

House 67, built in...1967, where many war decisions were made and generals even slept.

 

Strategic planning room.

Professor Lan being awesome. The map behind him shows the tactical movements of the Tet Offensive.

Professor Lan being even more awesome, trying out the bed in the office of the Vietnamese general in charge of the Tet Offensive.

Down to the tunnels.

 

Inside the bunker.

This submarine door keeps the tunnels safe from any nuclear attack the Vietnamese thought the US would throw at them.

We then headed over to the dig, where I managed to refrain from jumping up and down and squealing, though I couldn't conceal the Cheshire cat grin plastered on my face.  The central part of the excavation is in the now dry silt of the Red River, which has since meandered outside of the citadel.  On either side, remnants of the city have been unearthed, including wells, drainage pipes, and pillar bases with lotus blossom designs.  It was amazing!!!  There were actually some people excavating there, and I got to reminisce about Greece while watching them clean dirt off the dirt and move it to huge piles of more dirt.  They at least had face masks to keep from inhaling the dust they were stirring up.  There was even distinguished stratigraphy!!!  Man, I miss playing around in the dirt, looking for historically significant finds.  It kind of sucked at the time, but seeing all these archaeological endeavors and what they've uncovered makes me long for archaeologist's tans and dirt inhalation all over again.

Made from excavated stones. I'm not sure how I feel about archaeological finds being used like this, but I figure if they weren't here, they'd be stuck in crates in a warehouse somewhere.

The brick wall is also made from excavated material. The large lotus-decorated stone once held a wooden pillar that has since decayed. Prof. Lan is demonstrating.

Not quite as Raiders of the Lost Ark as you might expect.

Trenches!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm totally wigging out on the inside!!!!!!

So, since this is an on-going excavation, pictures under the big blue tents are prohibited.  I'm not sure how it happened, but my camera apparently snuck out of my pocket on a few occasions and took some photos of its own volition.  I'm going to call the results miracles rather than contraband.

I'd write an ode to stratigraphy if I thought more than two people would appreciate it.

Unearthed structural foundations!!!!

Drainage pipes!!!!

 

Look how cool the brick layout of this well is!

It was absolutely amazing to get to see such a well-preserved site, especially with it being closed to the general public.  An official, public thank you to Roman for hooking me up with Professor Le Van Lan and for generally being so well connected.


I then met up with the guys for Sunday brunch at Puku, a 24/7 cafe with pretty great Western food and a fabulous London Fog Latte.  Yums!!  That evening was a going-away party for a colleague of Kyle's, so I got to stretch my mingling muscles again.  The day was a good balance between ecstatic and chill.

PUKU!

Highlight: we also saw the CUTEST pair of pure white Persian kittens that had just arrived from London and were on the market for a mere five million dong ($250) a head.  Alas, my puppy dog eyes didn't work, and Kyle wouldn't let me bring one home, but their cotton-ballness should help cushion my dreams for a while.

Ahhhhhhh!!!!! It was like petting a cloud!!!!!!

An unrelated cat, but I thought my sis would find it and its Vespa cute.

Girl Time

I had the day off again (long story) and decided to spend it with me, myself, and I.  I wasn't feeling particularly well (I think I'm getting this five-week cold that everyone who comes here apparently gets), but I forced myself into the gym and afterwards decided to check out the highly acclaimed Women's Museum.  No one I've talked to has been there, but they've all been raving about it, so I thought I'd scope it out.  Let's take a nice, long xe om ride there, shall we?

Ah, the open road. Parental units, don't think about where my hands are while filming this.

Time for some seriously strategic maneuvering. Brace yourself for the part where we go perpendicular to the flow of traffic.

Wooh!  We made it.  Traffic's getting craaaaazy with Tet right around the corner.  Everyone's taking two-hour lunch breaks and returning loaded down with bags of gifts.  Drivers also seem more concerned with the impending festivities than with keeping themselves (or me) alive.  But decorations spill out of the stores and onto the streets, radiating from the shops' front doors, permeating the entire city and sneaking jubiliation into your subconscious.

From behind, it looks like the tree's driving the motorcycle. :D

The museum is elegantly designed and laid out very accessibly.  We start with marriage and the various rituals of the different tribes, depending on whether they are patrilineal or matrilineal.  The displays of wedding garments and gifts demonstrate the importance placed upon matrimonial rituals.  This exhibit is followed swiftly by one on childbearing...we're going to scoot right on through this one.

Wedding album.

Traditional wedding garments.

Bridal veil and headdress.

Bridal veiled headdress of the Black Thai.

"Master bedroom" of the Black Thai.

And then comes traditional women's roles within the family: cooking, weaving, pottery and teaching their children how to do the same.

Look at all those hoes!

Loom.

Weaving...stuff.

Next there was this really cool, slightly disturbing, somewhat awkward exhibit on women's roles during the American (Vietnam) War.  The women here took active roles in the military, on the homefront, and even as spies.  One of the latter was hailed in the exhibit for infiltrating enemy (American) ranks and praised for causing deaths within these.  It was odd to be put in this situation: impressed with the achievements of these women but slightly put off by the fact that their lauded actions killed Americans.  I felt like I was walking on eggshells through the whole exhibit, like I'd be caught behind enemy lines if I didn't tread carefully.  Despite these feelings, this was actually my favorite section of the museum.  It told the stories of heroic women, including some who'd been imprisoned in south Vietnamese camps in tiger cages, tortured with nails driven through their fingers, and still maintained hope for themselves and their political ideals.  There were also some really cool propaganda posters, many of which I've seen updated and posted around Hanoi during Vietnam's 11th Party Congress, which took place earlier this month.

This might be the scariest picture I've ever seen. But it's of political and technical training for clandestine missions, like those of the lady spies.

Brightly colored propaganda posters.

"Ever Vigilant."

I love this one! "Work well. Train well." These chicks are hardcore.

Of course, they had to put in a fashion section, and of course, I went gaga for it.  The clothes are so varied and lush, whether with complicated patterns or a simplicity that speaks of sophistication.

I'll take one of everything, thank you very much.

And then I hoofed it halfway (well, maybe more like fifthway) across the city back to the Temple of Literature to check out these amazing calligraphy scrolls, which appeared overnight and will be gone after Tet.  I'm dragging Roman along with me next time to act as translator, so I can load myself up.

I kind of really like these practice strokes on newspaper. Maybe next time I'll see if she'll just give them to me. :)

This guy was free-handing all those intricate works behind him.

This guy was awesome! He must have been a hundred and fifteen, and the coolest gentleman I've ever seen.

After my long solo day, it was wonderful to see some familiar faces.  The guys and I were invited to dinner with a lovely Australian couple (Aussie Sue and Aussie David) and their son and new Vietnamese daughter-in-law, who is terribly friendly and wears a mischievous grin when you catch her in just the right light.  Dinner was amazing and non-Vietnamese. :)  I'm greatly enjoying Vietnamese food, but I miss the variety and ease of accessibility found in the States.  At this point, I'm basically doing one Western-ish meal to every three or four Vietnamese meals.  I'm craving something homey at the moment, so I think I'm going to have to satisfy that need very shortly.

Today's highlight probably occurred during my long walk.  I realized that I distinctly recognized seventy five percent of my surroundings along the way.  It's nice to know that I'm beginning to familiarize myself with and recognize the different areas of the city.  Soon, I won't even need the giant map that glows like a neon sign reading "Yes, I'm an even bigger tourist than I might appear at first glance."