M-whY

As expected, there were plenty of cyclos, motorbikes, and taxis waiting outside the train station. Just what I needed first thing in the morning. Touts in my face trying to take me to a hotel that paid commission. I already had in mind a place I wanted to go though. The hotel owner in Hue had given me a brochure for his Hanoi division and included a signed voucher that upon presentation, would give me 20% off room rates. I approached a taxi driver with it in hand.

"Take me here?" I asked.

"Okay," he replied, and motioned for me to get in.

"How much?" One thing I've learned: Always negotiate rates beforehand.

"Taxi meter," he said, pointing at the meter.

The ride ended up costing about US$4, kind of expensive in my opinion. At the hotel, the voucher was indeed honored and I scored a nice room for only US$12. A refreshing shower got me ready for the day, and I went outside to have a look around the Old Quarter.

As I left, the owner gave me the hotel's business card, with a small map on the reverse side.

"In case you get lost," he said.

I'm not going to get lost, I thought quietly. All I really wanted to do was find an internet cafe. I wouldn't be venturing very far.

Well, finding any ol' internet cafe would've been easy, but finding one that accepted floppy disks turned out to be much more difficult. I did eventually locate one, but in my wandering of the maze-like streets, I had completely lost my sense of direction. I tried backtracking, but every street looked identical. I spent at least an hour disoriented before finally swallowing my pride and asking a fellow backpacker whether I could borrow his map for a minute.

I learned my lesson and when I left the hotel for the second time, I made sure to bring my guidebook. I had lunch in a restaurant nearby and went for a stroll around Ho Hoan Kien. The name, when translated from Vietnamese, means Lake of the Restored Sword, and is named after the magical sword Emperor Le Loi received from heaven in mid 15th century, which he used to drive the Chinese out of Vietnam. As the legend goes, one day after the war, while the emperor was out on the lake, a golden tortoise surfaced, snatched the sword, and disappeared into the depths. In the southern part of the lake stands the Thap Rua, or Tortoise Tower, and in the northern, Ngoc Son Temple, worth visiting to see the mummified remains of a Ho Guom tortoise, which, like the sword, is still believed to live in the lake. Sightings, from Hanoians and tourists alike, have been reported time and time again. I, for one, don't doubt that they exist. After all, I'm pretty sure I saw it on the menu for lunch...

The temple was a nice place sit down for a bit and figure out where to go next. I was improperly dressed to visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and I wasn't in a museum mood, so I decided to make the walk out to the Temple of Literature. Dedicated to Confucius, it later became the first national university of Vietnam. In 1484, Emperor Le Thanh Tong set up the famous Doctors' Stelae, 82 stone records commemorating the 1,307 successful candidates of the 82 Royal Exams held from 1442 to 1779. Each stelae rests on top of a stone tortoise, and are engraved with the names and birthplaces of graduates. I had watched some travel show a few months ago introducing this place, and recalled that Vietnamese students would flock here before exams and rub the tortoise heads for good luck. Just in case I ever decide to return to school, I added my own two micrometers to their grease toupees.

On the way back, my flip flops that I had bought all the way back at Bondi Beach in Australia, finally gave out. Fortunately, an old woman, pushing a bike piled high with sandals, was walking right next to me. She looked at me and smiled. I smiled back. She nodded. I nodded too. With her expert eye, she produced a pair that fit me out of her collection. I tried them on. They were good enough. I nodded again. She held up five fingers, signifying 50,000 dong (US$1 = 15,000 dong). I produced the money from my wallet and handed it to her. Throughout the whole transaction, not a single word was spoken.

Maybe it's because the rain finally stopped, but I don't think I've enjoyed Vietnam as much as I have today.

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!