2008 Blogs

A quick note about Hanoi and Halong Bay

04/23/2009

I have to pack and leave in a few minutes, so don't have time for a long entry today.  Yesterday I walked past Hoa Lo Prison (pictured here), which was nicknamed the Hanoi Hilton by US POWs during the war.  You probably remember that Senator John McCain was held there.  The prison was built by the French in 1896.  Since I was leaving for an excursion to Halong Bay, I wasn't able to take a tour of the prison (and it was too early in the day anyway).

 

By 7 a.m. I had joined approximately 200 delegates from the CONSAL XIV conference for the 170 kilometer trip. The highway is in excellent condition, probably because it connects a major tourist destination with the nation's capital, and because of the industrial parks along the way (companies like Canon, for instance).  The green of the rice fields reminded me of Ireland.  The landscape in this part of the north is flatter and I can easily see why Vietnam is the 2nd greatest exporter of rice in the world (second to Thailand).

The bus stopped at a designated place for our 30-minute rest break, which was easily double that time.  Supposedly the handcrafts sold there were made by a work force that was 57% disabled.  Prices were all marked in US dollars, and were much higher than I'm used to seeing after four months in Vietnam.  I don't blame them...we are so rich by comparison.  I do hope the workers get some of the money--I'd like to think my small purchase went for a good cause.

 

Halong Bay is very deservedly a World Heritage site and now that I have seen it I want to know much more about its geological history.  I cannot begin to convey the sense of peacefulness I felt as our boat cruised among the majestic and etherial islands in the Gulf of Tonkin.   Peaceful, that is, except for the very enterprising young boys on small boats who climbed up to our boat's windows to sell us fruit.  Everything was $2, about 4 times what it was worth, but again, who are we to quibble when we can pay whatever the boat trip costs?

 

During our excursion we stopped to explore some beautifully illuminated caves and to climb to a vista on Treetop Island, where I snapped this next picture.  When we returned to the boat for our cruise back to the harbor we found a lovely seafood meal waiting--a whole crab for each of us, clams in the shell, prawns, crab soup, rice, stir-fried morning glories, and squid.  I exercised great discipline and let the others eat my shellfish since I have concluded that I am allergic to it.  The others certainly did not complain when they had to eat my share!  As you can imagine, the remainder of the trip was quite quiet as many passengers slumbered, lulled by the gentle waves and comforted by full tummies.  That meant that only a few of us were awake to listen to the sales pitch of the persistent young woman on board who was selling pearls ("cheap, very cheap"), silk scarves ("beautiful, very beautiful"), embroidered bags, t-shirts, etc.  I wondered how many more passengers they could have carried without all of her cargo, but some bought, so I suppose it is worthwhile.  It certainly was entertaining, and gave me a chance to practice math skills since all prices were quoted in dollars (the dong price would scare people, I'm sure,because it would be in the millions!)

I feel like I'm leaving friends when I check out of the Hanoi Serenity Hotel, which has been my home away from home this week.  The staff has fed me, helped me get money changed and some time added to my cell phone, and in general just made me feel welcome and comfortable, and if you are ever in Hanoi, I encourage you to check it out.    Now, though, it's time to leave for Haiphong (about 160 kilometers away), where I'm doing a workshop tomorrow.  More soon!