Post #51 - December 1, 2012 - Hanoi, Vietnam

What we did: Temple of Literature, Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts
Budget: 1,200,000 Dong/$60; Spent: 917,000/$45

Jeff here.

Last night was not a good night for sleeping. There's just something not right with our pillows. I think they're cursed. They look fine, feel fluffy, but when I lay my head down on them it's like a knife is digging into my neck. Call me an exaggerator, if you must, but I didn't fall asleep until almost 4am last night, and it's not for lack of trying! Eventually, Patty suggested I just use the comforter as a pillow. After that, I slept like a baby. Unfortunately, this means we had another late start to our day today.

We had our minds set on two different sites today, which are thankfully located almost next to each other: the Temple of Literature and the National Museum of Fine Arts. We set off for the Temple of Literature after  another free breakfast at our hostel, including two cups of coffee each (we needed them!). I'm not really sure how long the walk took. Maybe 30 minutes. Earlier in this trip I would have cared how long it took, but I'm so accustomed to walking everywhere now that the walk is just part of the adventure.

We arrived at the Temple of Literature, paid the $1 entry fee each, and entered. It is a pretty neat place, but I kinda wish we had purchased some information pamphlets because details of the complex were scarce. As described by Wikipedia, the Temple of Literature was Vietnam's first national university, which was dedicated to Confucius. The temple was first built in 1070 and reconstructed/modified over the ages. Confucius was an interesting character who espoused ideas such as personal and government morality and justice. His teachings led to Confucianism.

Something interesting that was happening at the temple while we were there (or what we assumed was happening) was that there were many wedding parties getting their wedding photos done. Patty was a little bit obsessed with what the girls were wearing, and I have to agree that their dresses were quite nice. Here are some pictures of the temple and the girls:

After this we decided to head over to a restaurant called Koto that is located just beside the Temple of Literature. Although a little on the pricey side, we choose to go to Koto because it provides employment opportunities for disadvantaged youth in Hanoi. Our meal turned out to be excellent. I got the duck stir fry and Patty got lemon grass chicken. Total price: $17. Here's a picture:

We hung around the restaurant for some time, hoping we would eventually get the energy to head to the Fine Arts museum. It was a close call between heading back to our hostel and checking out the museum, but in the end we chose the museum. We probably would have gone to the museum no matter what we decided though, because as soon as we got outside we were feeling a little better. It was a really hot and humid day today (though still no sun!), so that was probably affecting us, in addition to the poor sleep. The entrance fee for the museum was $1 each. Another excellent price, if I do say so myself!

The main floor of the museum was mostly ancient art, some dating back thousands of years. Apparently, people have been living in the Vietnam area for over 10,000 years! That's a really long time. There was some neat cave art on display as well as some depictions of Buddha. Other floors had more contemporary art. Much of the art had do to with the wars the Vietnamese experienced in the 20th century. Even the more abstract art had a very sinister feel to it, which we assumed had to do with the wars. Here are some pics:

Neither of the two sites impressed me that much, although they were worth seeing, especially since they are virtually free. I was, however, very impressed by the Women's Museum we saw yesterday. That museum had a very narrow focus and did an excellent job of explaining the material it did cover. It was also quite moving. If ever in Hanoi, I would definitely recommend the Women's Museum.

From here we meandered back to our hostel. I got us lost a couple times because I was too lazy to get out the map, but we figured it out eventually. We stopped at our hostel for a coffee and to confirm the next two nights with our hostel and to book a further two nights in Hanoi before we leave for India. We also checked out what else our book suggested in terms of street food. We decided to try one new restaurant for an appetizer and another for the main course. Unfortunately, by the time we got to the first it was not accepting any more customers because it was closing. So we went to the second restaurant, which we had already tried a couple days before. I may have described this in a previous post, but the dish served is a mix between a stir fry and a soup, with noodles and beef and lots of other yummy things. It was just as good as the first time. We'll have to get that again!

After eating we decided to call it an early night and went back to the hostel. We picked up some awesome candies on the way back called Jelly Yoyo. Those didn't last long.

It's currently raining cats and dogs outside and Patty is fast asleep beside me. It's been a good day.