Thursday, June 1, 2017

Our ship has sailed and the safety and comfort of home are long gone.  It has been a whole week since we have been in Vietnam and the adjustment has been harder then we thought. I believe Jason and I got a little ahead of ourselves the first day by walking nearly 8-hours straight in the blazing 97+ degree heat compounded by 90%+ humidity while trying to visit 3 museums (Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, the Imperial Citadel and Vietnam Military History Museum).  Per Jason, he was sweating bullets and constantly dripping.  Our clothes are like swimsuits stuck to the skin of our sweaty salty bodies. Naturally, I thought we would seek refuge from Dante’s Inferno within the museums but this is SE Asia and what was I thinking. Even the museums lacked air conditioning so no rest for the weary.

As we continued to drip through town, I found myself reflecting on the best of the 3 museums and settled on Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum where we witness Ho Chi Minh’s pale frail embalmed body.  He looked as if he has been taking a nap for decades or some creepy vampire from the movies that is about to awaken from a century of slumber.

The only refuge from the sun we were granted came from a local eatery called KOTO. The food was absolutely amazing and the impressing part of this restaurant is that it is a non-profit organization that provides training to the youth within Hanoi if they seek it.

Jet-lag is still a painful reality we endure. It’s nearly 2PM and Hanoi has kicked our asses!!! Time for bed.

Friday, June 2, 2017
We had a late start to allow our weary bodies the rest it needed but my feet felt like rocks. We got adventurous this AM and ate breakfast off the street at Xoi Yen.  We ordered a rice/corn medley topped with a fried egg amongst other foreign bits of questionable food mixed. While walking around Old Quarter taking turns here and there as we pleased it is far to easy to get distracted by taking in the sights and sounds of the local vendors.  What normally would be an easy walk in the old part of town is lost in Old Quarter. With the chaotic motorbikes and cars, they do not allow for one mis-step as you fear you might get crushed by the speed demons that cruise the streets. Jason and I had to keep our eyes peeled and work together to prevent from getting hit and crossing the street is like a real life simulation of the classic “Frogger” game. One step forward. Pause. Two Step to the Right. Pause. Two Steps forward. Pause. Safe and sound is the desired outcome when crossing the street here.

To end our time in Old Quarter, I had to reward myself to a true Vietnamese pedicure for surviving the streets, while Jason settle for a pint of beer or two at the pub across the street.   We made our way back to the hotel slowly but surely and crashed and burned once again.  Did I mention its absurdly HOT here!!!! 

While we recovered some of our lost energy, in the evening we had an opportunity to witness the local children’s festival which was beyond rewarding. We saw so many simplistic games/toys the local children and teenagers took joy in as their form of entertainment. It remained extremely hot despite the sun was long gone but it did not hinder the children from jump roping, dancing and performing gymnastics.  The energy and excitement of the culture at that moment ironically brought sadness to me as I am 30 years old  and I am barely getting to be exposed to this culture and it’s only been 5 days. Realizing that more than half of America will never experience what I am experiencing in this moment brought an abundant of greatness within my heart and soul for the amazing opportunity I have.