Day 3: Halong Bay

Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site -- the limestone karsts are stunningly beautiful. It is also the most toured place in Vietnam ... millions of yearly visits. We picked our tour company because they take you away from the thousands of tour boats off to a more remote section of the bay and it was well worth the extra expense. 

Indochine Junk placed us on the Dragon Pearl II -- an 8-cabin teak boat with charming staterooms and public places and outstanding meals. 

Hanoi Day 2: Street Food, Ho Chi Min's Mausoleum, No Mixer

Barbara and I walk through Hanoi to find an ancient Pagoda. We learn more how to manage the wild traffic as we stumble onwards. Travel is slow when you must stop in fear at each street corner. We do manage to make it up to Ho Chi Min's tomb, a giantic mausoleum surrounded by a complex of outbuildings. There was a very long line to see the tombs, so we passed. We finally located the pagoda (we think, not sure). Hanoi is the capitol of Vietnam so we had stumbled on the complex along with soldiers and their machine guns. 

We managed to get in 7.5 miles (iphone tracker) before returning home to take the "street food" tour. Our guide Ha was very charming and took us to many restaurants where we were servied the equivalent of at least four complete meals. Included were: 

1. Bun cha : vermicelli with grilled pork and light fish sauce
2. Nem ran : fried spring roll
3. Com : steamed rice
4. Dua xao : stir fried salted mustard vegetable
5. Mam tep hang be : shrimp paste with pork of hang be street
6. Cafe trung : egg coffee
7. Banh xeo : fried rice pancake
8. Cha ca hanoi : grilled fish in hanoi style
9. Hoa qua dam : mixed fruit
10. Sua chua nep cam : yogurt with black sticky rice
11. Tra nhai : Jasmine tea
12. Ruou dua : coconut rice wine

Sticky rice with pate, yellow bean, fried Onions

Drinking

Not so easy here unless you want beer. We stumbled to a bar given that we were unable to have dinner after the "street food" tour. I ordered "gin n the rocks" emphasizing many times that I prefer to have no mixer. As requested, I am served a gin and tonic...presumably because the  barkeep couldn't believe I would drink gin on ice. 

This is a very good country in which to stop drinking.

Day 1: Hanoi

The Hanoi Airport is an hour drive from the city by nice road and much of the land is filled with rice paddies and vegetables. Our hotel is in Old Quarter Hanoi, and can only be accessed via foot (or motorcycle if you are so inclined). 

The staff in our tiny 11-room hotel were lovely and served tea before showing us to our room. The beds were decorated with rose petals and the room stocked with a laptop and snacks in addition to the minibar.

Old Quarter Hanoi is divided into blocks by trade...sewing notions, beads, jewelry, and bamboo street. The sidewalks are filled with tiny tables and chairs for street food diners, or by merchandise and motorcycles, so walking in the streets is required. We share the streets with motorcyles and cars, a few bicycles. With no traffic lights or stop signs, crossing the street becomes a challenge. Barbara and I began clothing eachother and waiting for a break in traffic, then darting across crying "mama," but ended up learning the technicque of walking slowly and making no sudden moves. You see if you walk slowly enough, they drive around you.

The weather was cold and drizzly (63 degrees) and the misty atmosphere of old Hanoi made me realize that the atmosphere in Bladerunner must have been inspired by Hanoi.

Recharge

Asukusa - Night Cruise

Naoko took me shopping in her neighborhood. Neighborhood is a bit of an underestimate because the shopping district is bigger than downtown Philadelphia or Seattle. The shopping there is overwhelming -- floors of beautiful food products. I took many pictures of the creative packaging. Think thousands of iPhone covers, thousands. And there were rows of vending machines dispensing toys in plastic eggs. I think it is a child's paradise. I bought iPhone jewelry in the shape of a sumo/monk mushroom. 

Throughout the day I word the "mushroom" hat -- the Amananita Muscaria hat and Naoko posed me for pictures throughout Tokyo.

Afterwards we took the train to "old Tokyo" where we met up with Togo and Kyon for a Rickshaw ride. While on the ride, we ran into a famous Japanese comedian, Pei. Kyon started yelling at him -- Pei, Pei, here is famous American Mushroom fellow (or something like that). He actually came over to us (remember we're in a rickshaw). A crowd started gathering and people were taking pictures of us. Pei then took a picture of us with his pink camera. I am told this is his signature move -- it is a great honor to have Pei take a picture of you!.

Afterwards on the rickshaw ride, we felt like we were in a parade. As we went through the drinking district, people cheered, we cheered, it was hilarious.

Naoko invited her friends, plus people who had visited me in the United States for a dinner cruise of Tokyo harbor. The boat was lined with tatami mats (I think all around to provide cushioning) and the 

tables were low so you sit on cushions on the floor. This was a bit of a challenge for the 64-year-old me, not least because I am double the size of everyone else.

Dinner was cooked by the guests on a grill in the middle of the table.

The view of Tokyo was stunning and I felt very lucky to be with so many very nice people and also to experience a Tokyo that only the Japanese see.

Favorite Things About Japan

This trip has been amazing. I feel so privileged to have an insider view of Japan. At most of the places I visited, I was the only Westerner:

1. on bullet train to Kyoto

2. at 5 out of 6 temples visited

3. at every restaurant in Kyoto

4. At Kusatsu (the entire town)

5. On all busses and trains to and from

6. On the Tokyo cruise boat

Even though I speak no Japanese and can't remember words like "good morning," I still was able to enjoy thanks to kind Japanese people around me ---Naoko, her friends, and her family. Thank you!

Other favorite things about Japan:

1. clean, abundant public restrooms

2. vending machines on every corner selling coffee, tea, water

3. sliding doors -- most doors slide rather than open out or into the room. Many doors in America are designed to slide, but it is my experience that these are frequently broken, making the doors an inconvenience. Sliding doors save space! I love them.

4. food - I had so many wonderful meals in Japan. It is truly a foodie country.

5. The slurp of ramen eating -- love it!

6. Japanese rice - so delicious, I realize it is my favorite kind of rice

7. Onsen - wow, what a wonderful resource. Naoko says the onsen make up for the earthquake risk. This may be so. And of course the abundance of onsen are because the country is so active geologically.

8. Peekabo - it's always a party when peekabo is happening.

9. to be continued, but it goes on and on.

Bus to Jinda-di temple, Tokyo; Kichojoji for Shopping

On city bus with Aikou on my last day in Tokyo. She speaks no English and I speak even less Japanese. 

The lady at the soba restaurant laughed when I told her -- I speak no Japanese; Aikou speaks no English. We had quite a day trying to communicate.

Basically I followed her lead and said "okay" a lot. I tried to use Google translate, but the application kept getting stuck so we were only able to communicate basics -- bathroom, food, bus, buy.

I did manage to buy a few souvenirs in Kichojoji.

We were supposed to meet up with Naoko at 6:30, but gave up and took a cab home. 

In preparation for tomorrow's flight, I took a long nap!