Having flown from Ha Noi to Seoul, South Korea that morning, I left Incheon Airport at 4pm on March 8th and arrived in San Francisco at 9am…….on March 8th. Jan Kirby ~ Time Traveler. It’s nice to get those hours back. It makes up (a little) for the godawful amount of time I spent on that plane. I sat next to a sweet Vietnamese couple … Continue reading Tạm biệt, Việt Nam
In my continuing efforts to visit sites here in Ha Noi before I head back to the States, I give you 87 Ma May and Ðen Bach Ma….. I figured I’d leave my house at about 11a.m., go to my favorite rice n’ point for brunch, then meander over to the Quarter and see the sites/sights. I thought by that time lunch hour (read ‘lunch … Continue reading 87 Ma May & Ðen Bach Ma
It’s the weirdest …..fruit?…..I’ve ever eaten. I guess it’s a fruit. Maybe it’s a legume. It’s called qua me kho and it’s just plain odd. It looks like…..well, I’ll let you decide what you think it looks like. On the last day of class one of my students gave me a bag of it and I said…..”er……thank you………what is it….?” She pulled one out of … Continue reading Qua me kho
Mike and I went to the Temple of Literature here in Ha Noi a few days ago. It’s a temple dedicated to Confucius, sages and scholars and was originally built in 1070. It is also the site of Viet Nam’s first university. Studies, ceremonies and exams were conducted in and around the various buildings. I was a bit confused, honestly, when I entered the grounds. … Continue reading Temple of Literature
Essentially, I’m jobless. Well, nearly. I do have a Sunday morning job with some little kids, but my ‘main job’, my main source of income, has ended. The term is over. I may still be able to pick up work here and there (I hope, I hope!), but, yeah….jobless. Feels weird. For the rest of this month, I’ll be trying to get around Ha Noi … Continue reading School’s out!
I’m nearly speechless……nearly. Last night I attended a performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony at the Ha Noi Opera House. Words fail…. but I can show you some pictures… It’s quite a large building. I’d have had to … Continue reading A Night at the Opera …….House
We went to the Viet Nam Women’s Museum the other day. Wow……. very nice. Really interesting. I’ll be posting quite a few pictures so I won’t comment on every one, but let’s go on a tour together…… This impressive display went up and up and up. It’s made from painted non la (those conical hats). I didn’t even realize it … Continue reading Viet Nam Women’s Museum
Ha Noi has a very cool movie theatre……and I’m becoming an addict….. They show all sorts of English speaking movies or movies with English subtitles, new and old. Tonight I went to see an old Hitchcock film. I’ve always been a big Hitchcock fan ~ he’s in my top three of favorite movie directors. The inside of the theatre itself is new, comfortable, clean and, … Continue reading Ha Noi Cinématheque
……sounds like the beginning of a song. Anyway, yesterday was very foggy. Winter is approaching. I went up to the rooftop to hang some laundry (which somehow didn’t get quite dry…hmmm….) and here’s what I saw: Mike and I are pretending we’re in Seattle…. nice picture of the Space Needle, eh? After hanging the laundry I went for a walk….. …..and … Continue reading ♫ A foggy day in Ha Noi….. ♪
Yesterday Mike and I went to visit what we Americans commonly (albeit sarcastically) call the Ha Noi Hilton and what the Vietnamese call Hoa Lo Prison. It was originally built by the French in the late 1880’s during their colonization of Viet Nam and was used at that time primarily for political prisoners, i.e. dissenters of French rule. Once the French were gone, it was … Continue reading Ha Noi Hilton
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