VIETNAM - Hanoi - Part 2
Ok now I have an entire day to knock out everything to see in this city. I had my book in my bag and a map in my hand and one large agenda. I first had breakfast in my hostel as the sun rose over the cathedral. I went down below and entered the cathedral to see the stain glass windows which were breathtaking. After that I headed towards the south to find the Hoa Lo Prison museum which was really cool and the history was very interesting. Next was the temple of literature which was very interesting, a large garden area with buildings and ponds. I bought a jade Buddha necklace at a shop here and the lady wanted me to live the best life every and she gave me a free calligraphy scroll along with it. She was so nice. After I walked a long way to the west to find the hot spot of museums, temples, and monuments. I saw the One Pillar Padoga and then Ho Chi Minh Muesum. Next to that was the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum which was huge! Didn’t know you needed that much room for a dead body. I wanted to see the botanical gardens behind it but by that time they closed everything after 12. Bummer. Then I walked to the next lake called Ho Tay and I saw one of the coolest looking Temple. Forgot the name but it was really tall! And outside, people were playing an epic game of hacky sack and people were also selling little turtles they caught from the lake that were the size of a dime! So cute! I wanted to get some tea to warm myself up so I stopped in a cafe only to be totally overwhelmed by the menu and the barista just ordered a tea for me. When I got it, it had white foam on the top and i thought it was just milk. IT WAS CHEESE! And oh my lord was it good! Sounds weird but I enjoyed it, also it had lotus seeds at the bottom of it for an interesting surprise. After that I walked a long long way to go see a bridge but it wasn’t really worth it. It was getting later in the evening and I started feeling horrible. I had a huge headache and I felt really dizzy. I was confused why I felt like this and realized I was breathing in all these car fumes the entire day. Not to mention some idiots lit a fire cracker from a building and it landed right next to me and scared my so bad I had a panic attack. So I found shelter in a cafe to cool off. After I got my shit together I ran back to the hostel, got refreshed, and went back out for dinner. I went to a vegan resturant and got a salad because I was craving something green with vegetables since I’ve been deprived, it was good with the mango. Not satisfying so I got vegan spring rolls which filled me up. After I got matcha ice cream which was alright. At the hostel I took advantage of the free beer and had some good conversations with fellow travelers. Got some insider tips but had to retreat to my bed because my stomachs was still KILLING ME!! This made me mad. But after a long day of walking I went straight to sleep.
