Today was our last day in Hanoi. We started the day as normal with
breakfast. Then our driver picked us up to go to class. We did class and
learned more about present perfect tense (I don’t even know what that is
in English so it was very difficult to do in Vietnamese.) Mr. Tan works
on very complex stuff that may or may not be practical, such as present
perfect tense, instead of doing things like where is the bathroom or I
need a hotel but he is a very good teacher. After that we summarized
what we did during the class this week.
Today we had a day off from class so we did things around Hanoi.
Breakfast was as usual and then we went to our rooms to work on the
blog. Hannah and I were getting restless and we wanted to go do
something. So we decided to go to the army museum which was about 25
minutes walk away. When we arrived at the army museum the sour faced man
said that it was closed. So we decided to go to lunch we started out for
a place that mom’s book said was good but when we arrived it was closed!
Then we tried another restaurant but it looked like a nightmare to even
get in. Next we tried another but it too was closed. Then mom said that
we needed to go to the hotel that we are booking our trip to Sapa with
so we headed in that direction trying to find a place to eat. We didn’t
find anything so we just gave up and went to the Kangaroo Cafe. I had
the same thing that I had last night, chicken and rice in a clay pot
After lunch we walked all the way back to the army museum. We went to
the first building and looked at the exhibits there. There were
bazookas, rifles, cannon, swords, and all sorts of other weapons. Then
we went and looked at some ancient cannons all rusty and old. Next we
saw some anti-aircraft guns that shot down french planes in Vietnam’s
war against the French. Then we saw a hunormus (huge and enormous mixed
together) missile launcher that shot down American B-25’s during the
Vietnam war and an anti-aircraft gun like the one that shot down John
McCain’s plane. Beside those guns there was wreckage from a plane that
had been shot down. After we saw that we went to the second building and
saw the tank that burst through the hedge at the presidential palace at
the fall of Saigon. Next we went to the flag tower. The flag tower is a
tower that was constructed in the eighteen hundreds to fly the flag and
I think to serve as a fortress. Mom stopped after the first set of
stairs, but Hannah and I wen all the way to the top. we went up some
stairs that a man dad’s height probably would have bonked his head on
but there was no warning sign no nothing. You then had to climb another
set of stairs that led to another level and then you had to go up some
spiral staircases that in the US we would have not been climbing up
because there were no handrails and very skinny steps. Once at the top
we saw another way down and we went down it. We weren’t sure where it
led so we decided to explore. All it led to was a little altar and a
window. We headed back up looked around and then started to go back
down. We made it to down the spiral staircase but and then tried to go
down the next set of stairs. We were unable to because all the exits
were blocked off and we couldn’t escape! Luckily we were with someone
and we wandered around with them they went one way to go find an exit
and we went the other way. We didn’t find an exit but finally a woman
came with the key to let us out. With that saga over we headed back to
the hotel because the museum was closing in about five minutes. We
headed back to the hotel and were just going to settle down and rest
until bedtime but when we arrived at the hotel they told us that there
was a message from Miss Joy. We were going to just get a piece of bread
to eat but Miss Joy wanted to go out to eat. We decided to go to get
some street food that Miss Joy had recommended. The restaurant is a hole
in the wall place that you go in and there are skewers that you can put
in a plastic bin and then they barbecue it for you. It was very smokey
because the exhaust from their grill was jetted out onto the sidewalk
where we were sitting! The food was excellent! We had okra with bacon,
many different meats and a few vegetables. We had almost finished when
everyone started screaming and yelling and the owner of the street stall
ran around like a chicken with her head cut off grabbing chairs and
tables (the tables were things like pizza trays on little stools and the
chairs were the little stools) we didn’t know what was happening but our
food was swept away and our chairs from under us. Then the moment of
truth came when the police car came into view obviously the restaurant
had “been serving too many people” And had gotten busted! So the police
just sat there and didn’t leave. When we left they still were there. The
police here in Vietnam are most of the time not here to help, they are
here mostly to arrest people that can give them money and then get their
money so if someone scratched you don’t go to the police to help thy
could arrest you for something ridiculous like frustrating a policeman!
When the excitement had gone down the lady asked us to sit down and
finish we just wanted the bill so we asked how much it was we paid and
left. I think that some people just left the place didn’t pay. During
that sort of confusion it is easy to do. We went back to the hotel and
went to bed.
O.K. I think that this day was the best day I have had at my language
class. Why? Because usually the language class is very difficult, with
all of the grammar and stuff. But today there wasn’t as much grammar so
that I had fun. Before I tell about our class time, I must tell you
what we did for our field trip. Our group (including the driver this
time) went a pottery village. The people there made bowls, pitchers, and
humongous vases, some reaching up to 8 feet tall! That is taller
than our Family room! AND people at the village put the huge vases in
their homes. Do you know why they put those vases in their homes? They
would put water in those vases, because water, to them, is very
important in their lives, so I guess they will always have water!
Oh, am I tired. Today was a huge day! Now today at the language class,
we all started in the classroom for conversations and stuff. After 2
hours of sentences and phrases and words etc. our group went to a
temple. The temple of West Lake. It was a very sacred temple. Actually,
I don’t know if it would be called a temple or a pagoda. But it really
does not matter…to me at least. After the pagoda temple thing, we
attempted to go to the Army Museum. And of course, the interesting
things were closed. So on to plan B. We had decided to go to the Hoa Lo
Prison. If you do not know what that is, you might know a famous person
who was kept there- John Macain. It was kind of cool to go there. At the
museum there were SOME disgusting parts at the museum that I will not
tell you about. If you want to know the details, I will tell on my own.
Before all the touring and walking, we went to a local street
restaurant. The food was called bun.You had to make your own variety.
You could put spring rolls, noodles (vermicelli), vegetables (don’t eat
the uncooked vegetables, you can get sick), pork, and pork fat, sauce
and all wrapped in yumminess. So do you guys want to come to Vietnam
sometime? Come along!
Can you believe that we have been here for three days already?! Time is
flying by, so we better get our plans in. O.K. I will tell you what we
did today. You probably are thinking, same old routine, eat, go to class
etc. No! It is new stuff today! If you want to know what we did, go
right on ahead and read on. I sure hope we always have breakfast, but
today’s breakfast was exciting. The manager at our hotel told us to
speak some Vietnamese to him, but we forgot, so he told us to to study
last night, and if we do not say some stuff to him, we would not get any
breakfast. Ahhh! I would starve if I didn’t get any breakfast! This
morning I said my thing to the manager. LUCKILY! We ate this curious
fruit called Dragon Fruit. It was very good.
What a day! You could never imagine what happened. Well first I
NEED to tell you. We (my mom,brother and I) had our first Vietnamese
language class. It was hard, but I made it through. What I mean is that
the language of Vietnam is very, very, very difficult. It may seem easy
to you if you listen to them, but really you need to do all of the right
tones. In the Vietnamese language there are 6 different tones. I will
not tell you them because they are hard to write out.
Today was our first day in Vietnam. We got up and went to go eat at the
hotel restaurant. We ordered our breakfast. I had an omelet, a pancake,
some bacon, and a little bit of Hannah’s toast. We were talking about
what we wanted to accomplish today. The manager must have overheard us
talking about getting a phone, and he said that he could escort us to a
place to purchase a phone. We said that we would like to go with him to
get one. We went back up to our room then we went back down. The manager
asked us to follow this other guy. We went with him to a lady on the
sidewalk who had all sorts of cigarettes and used phones. They had a
conversation and then she left and got a new phone somewhere else down
the sidewalk. Then she gave it to mom and they set it up there on the
sidewalk, something that is not found in the U.S.
We got into the hotel at about midnight all wired up so we didn’t want
to sleep. Finally we got to bed at about 2 o’clock. I can’t wait till
tomorrow when we will have our first experience with crossing the busy
streets.
We are in the plane over Northern Japan. It has been a long ride but
hopefuly wewill be landing in about three hours. We had traveled in a
wierd path to get to Seoul it goes like an arch form Seattle and then
goes over some of southern Alaska after that it goes through some of
Russia then for the last part of the journey we go down the west coast
of Japan then it goes west to Seoul. I think that the reason for this
path is this: the further up north you go the less distance it is to go
arround the earth. This has been a hard flight for all of us. If you
have ever gone on a long flight you know the experience. Sitting up
trying to sleep, noise of the your fellow pasengers, noise of the plane,
and so much more that henders you from having a good time on the plane.
At least there are some goood movies going on I think I have watched one
thing on a soccer chanel 2 times and wached Karate Kid 2 once and the
end of it a few more times. Hannah and mom heve been attempting to sleep
but I think unsucesfuly. We have been following the coastline of nothern
Japan for a while and I think that we are about to turn towards Seoul.
We are at 38,000 feet and going at about 300ish m/h. I’m going to get up
and streach my legs so goodbye
We arrived in Seattle a couple minutes ago, and we came to our gate for
the next flight. It took around three hours to get to Seattle from
Denver. Now it will take approximately 11 hours to get to Seoul, Korea.
We are about to go get a bite to eat.
