HANOI
I'm pretty sure I finished my last blog by mentioning that we were about to go and see Ho Chi Minh in his Mausoleum. As I said, I studied Uncle Ho for history and I remember one of his quotes that stuck in my head. He was quoted as saying something like this: "When I die, I wish to be cremated and my ashes scattered in the country because burial wastes our precious farmland"
The fact that Ho is in a massive mausoleum is contrary to his wishes, something that provoked my curiosity. I can understand that since he is a national hero, they chose to preserve him. It was a weird feeling upon walking in, the eerie quiet and cold air. After visiting Ho, we spent a few hours investigating the museum, looking at his collection of cars and looking at the house where he lived for much of the Vietnam War until his death.
The rest of the day consisted of walking around the city, taking in the sights and sounds. That night in the hostel we met possibly the two funniest guys ever. Humour probably goes hand-in-hand with being Irish but these guys were just effortlessly hilarious. We then hit the hay for an early (well 8am seemed early) transfer to Halong Bay for our overnight cruise.
HOW LONG BAY?
(yet another of Dave's bad jokes)
After 4 hours of driving, we arrived in Halong city, awaiting our boat out to the Vietnamese junk (though it was far from junk - Dave and I agreed on paying a bit more for our Halong Bay experience. and we were definitely rewarded). Our group consisted of 3 Norwegians, 2 Aussies, 2 Swiss and a French guy (affectionately named Frenchie between Dave and I). I had a great time visiting huge caves, kayaking around the bay and my first swim in saltwater in three weeks which I thoroughly enjoyed.
We bonded with the Aussies as they were far more friendly and outgoing. We shared countless stories over a few too many beers and red wine and got some great travel tips from some seasoned travelers (Frenchie helped us out with Cambodia and Laos too). The food was amazing, as we ate some of the best seafood I have ever had. They even catered for Dave really well which he was happy about.
Halong Bay is truly an amazing sight and just the view from the boat alone was worth the money we forked out for the trip. I had a truly great time and would recommend it to anyone going to Vietnam.
TURTLE TIME - VIETNAMESE STYLE
Upon arriving back in Hanoi, a Vietnamese friend named Tuan kindly picked us up and took us back to his hotel. I was left to shower, with Tuan's words still bouncing around in my head. "We are eating traditional tonight, and it might get a bit weird." I made a conscious decision before I left for my travels to, if the opportunity presented itself, indulge in the local cuisine, no matter how confronting it may seem. Now it was time to follow thoughts with action.
WARNING: anyone who is a bit squeamish or has an affection for turtles may not want to continue. (Specifically Georgia, who used to have a pet turtle)
Dave and I were taken to a place that Tuan assured was never visited by westerners. Tuan ordered in Vietnamese, and soon after French Fries and Fried Corn arrived (so far, so good). Next to me was a glass of traditional Vietnamese spirit made from rice. I asked Tuan what it was for and he told me I'd find out soon enough. Then a turtle was brought out. My initial thought was "oh cool, they have turtles here".Then the guy weighed it and a sudden realisation overcame me. We were going to eat it. I watched apprehensively as the guy seemed to break its neck, and then slice it with a knife. Blood was poured into a glass. The red liquid was added to the spirit next to me and then into shot glasses. My time had come and it was about to get "weird". Luckily I had two beers under my belt so my apprehension was slightly less. After downing the shots, a bowl was brought out with what looked like chicken drummetes. It wasn't chicken.
Followed by the drummettes, a green liquid was brought out and added to more of the rice spirit. Tempted to not even ask what it was, Tuan swiftly informed me that it was in fact turtle liver. I downed a few of those shots followed by mouthfuls of beer. A hot plate was brought to the table and in it was the remaining parts of the animal, including the shell! Apparently, and as i soon discovered, heating turtle shell makes it soft. After sampling some shell followed by a Turtle testicle. Yes, I know, I still can't believe it myself. I had to draw the line. Tuan insisted I eat the head, to which I swiftly declined. I thought it was enough tradition for one night.
I would like to say thanks to Dave, who as most people know is vegan. He coped with it really well and I'm sure the experience was much more confronting for him than me. Cheers man!
And with that the night was over, I thanked Tuan for the experience. It was time to board the 8 hour overnight train to Sapa. You can read about all the adventures from Sapa in my next blog! Till then, farewell.
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