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!!!!!!!!!

Nature Vs. Culture

Today we're gonna get artsy fartsy, so strap in, shut up, and enjoy.  Thanh Chuong is a talented and famous Vietnamese lacquer artist.  He is also a great collector of everything that quintessentially represents Vietnam.

Just one of his many amazing works on display at the Viet Phu Thanh Chuong.

The Viet Phu Thanh Chuong (Thanh Chuong Viet Palace) is not an actual palace but rather a living, breathing museum, a layered labyrinth rich in historical artifacts and lush with natural beauty.  His ancient ceramics collection is enviable, but just as exciting is the manner in which it is exhibited.  Room after small room up a spiraling staircase showcases pottery and Buddhist statues in an intimate atmosphere that allows you to marvel at the grandiose without feeling overwhelmed by it.  At the top of this particular building (one of two dozen scattered about the large but closely-packed complex), two floors have archways leading to narrow porches, the view from which allows you to see the picturesque neighboring farm with a glistening lake behind in one direction and a breath-catching aerial overview of the Palace in the other.  The light from these archways illuminates the objects inside, giving each its own divine spotlight.  Having passed through the lower rooms laden with dust, the air in and around these upper rooms is sweet and crisp, and my lungs literally breathed a sigh of relief and glee for the fresh air filling them.

The ornate white structure houses the ceramics collection.

Farm and lake beyond.

Tower to the right. Can you spot the Buddha?

 
Greenery is tempered by the alternately extravagant and earthy structures that would seem to vie with their natural surroundings but somehow manage to have been adopted and absorbed into the ponds, trees, and flowers, through which towers, roofs and Buddhas peak.  There is layer upon layer of structures, alternating man- and nature-made beauties, that create a trifle of visual delight on which your eyes would like to gorge themselves.  But all these wonders are approachable with no panes of glass or roped stanchions to bar your way.  The structures should feel intrusive, but the whole complex is so organic, it seems as if the buildings have always been there and the plants have accepted their existence and learned to grow around them.

Roman playing a wooden fish bell.

The decorations on this archway are from the Cham, a society in central Vietnam that was greatly influenced by Indian culture.

  

A scrumptious trifle.

The theatre. Normally the benches would be turned to face each other to encourage conversation.

Through yet another archway lies a traditional thatch-roofed mud house.  It's got all the fixin's: benches and tea set in the main room for special occasions; low, mat-topped beds and wooden (wooden!) pillows; two rooms off to the sides for live-in grandparents.  This one even had a modern sink, but no glass in any of the windows.  Outside was a rice-grinding system, huge pots for storing water and fish sauce and various other liquids, tools, and an outdoor kitchen complete with fire pit and well (down which I managed not to fall).

Magical archway that transcends time and space.

Traditional house. The screen before the door is to keep out evil spirits, which can only travel in straight lines and can't turn or bend their route to enter through another door.

Roman demonstrating rice-pounding.

Tea time!

Roman modeling a raincoat...I told him he looks like a mutant porcupine.

It was incredible to be able to touch and feel history, to be able to breathe it in, hold it in my lungs and carry a small piece away with me.

Through one of the demon-repelling screens.

Water puppet theater! I can't wait to see a show!

Balancing these baskets is no easy task. Even the local women use their hands to help.

I got to see SUN for the second time in eight days! I basked like a sleepy cat.

So peaceful.

That night we went to the Tet party for the US Embassy at the American Club.  There were lots of performances, especially by the Vietnamese staff, with dancing, singing and a Lion Dance.  I almost met the American ambassador to Vietnam after he performed his rendition of Take Me Home, Country Road, but he informed us he had to "go take a piss" and sauntered off into the night.  It was pretty awesome.  I actually did meet a ton of Americans and a handful of locals, all of whom were very warm and friendly and had lots of tips at the ready.

Today's highlight: Thanh Chuong made a surprise appearance at Viet Phu!  Roman and I were nearing the end of our meandering and I looked down a path and there he was!

Thanh Chuong in the flesh!

I was completely awe-struck.  I didn't want to bother him, and Roman said he didn't really speak English, so I just admired from afar.  His wife Ngo Huong, a famous photographer herself and an acquaintance of Roman's, had accompanied him.  (I think Roman knows every fifth person in Hanoi.)  She came over to speak with us and asked if we were enjoying this masterpiece (my word, not hers), and was terribly gracious.  Talk about a power couple.