Hanoi V

My final day in Vietnam had me going to Huong's place to drop off my things before grabbing breakfast in the form of my favorite banh mi. The driver didn't have change for my 200,000 dong so I just gave it to him, it was my last day anyway. Together with Tuan, we set off on motorbikes to a nearby banh mi place where I got to try some chicken banh mi and some ice tea.

Tuan was busy with work today so it was actually a pretty good thing because Huong and I ended up getting some private one on one time. We had a long time to talk during the long taxi ride to Quang Phu Cau incense village. I was surprised that we ended up touching upon manifestation and even Ho'oponopono as I told her my story. I later realized this too was another meaningful synchronicity from the universe.

When we got to the Incense Village, at first it seemed a bit underwhelming but once Huong got her non la on and I quickly got into photographer mode, it was actually a playground of grand proportions! One where we thoroughly enjoyed taking full advantage of, including the higher platforms. We also checked the back to see what the actual incense making process was like and even got the chance to try and make one ourselves. Mine wasn't that good but Huong managed to make a fairly decent one that even lit up. When we were done, we got on a taxi back to Huong's place where lunch and Tuan were waiting.

Once again, I was left astounded by the sheer deliciousness of the meal, just some fish and noodles but the texture of the skin, the sauce and spices used were just sublime. I was floored during every meal with Huong and grateful too. I showed my appreciation by giving them a little show of my breakdancing to Huong's delight. It was then time for a little bit of Vietnamese siesta as they both went to bed to rest after the meal while I had time to process my on-going journey.

Once Huong was ready, we set off to explore a bit more of Hanoi before the day ended. We went to the Imperial Citadel, Thang Long, where Huong was apparently a volunteer tour guide so I was able to get some bits of information though the mileage varies. I thought the main gate was it but turns out it was just one part of the complex, which consisted of underground bunkers used by the Viet Cong, temples, museums, and plenty of other sites to see. We got some ice cream after exploring the place and decided to head to Quan Thanh Temple which was closed but I got to take a photo nonetheless.

From there we went to Tran Quoc Pagoda. It was free this time around which was a pleasant surprise. The temple grounds and gardens were really pretty and at the back side was the hidden main temple which featured both Buddhist and Taoist deities, with a sprinkle of Confucianism. We talked a bit about Wukong here when I pointed out one of the statues looked like Tang Sanzang.

With some time left, we decided to check out the One Pillar Pagoda where I also ended up withdrawing another million dong to pay for the taxi going to the incense village and other meals I ate with Huong. We visited the One Pillar Pagoda where Guan Yin was enshrined and Huong and I prayed for each other which was really sweet. It was also inside the park where the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum was, it looked amazing when lit up at night with red lights on it.

With everything done for the day, we went to find dinner. Huong suggested I should try the shrimp cakes which we put inside fresh spring rolls along with vegetables and such. We were even planning on grabbing some duck afterwards but this was more than enough. I wanted to end the day strong and give Huong a little treat since I've seen she was gripping with some body stiffness throughout the day so we went for a nice massage at a very luxe place. We got a couple massage since we both decided to get the bamboo treatment. They rolled heated bamboos on our bodies which actually felt great albeit a bit rough. Halfway through Huong was getting a bit too vocal with her pain which was so funny.

With not much time to spare, we had to get back to her place to grab my things and then to the airport. I was a bit nervous but I somehow knew it would be alright. I was supposed to give Huong the remaining of money, and save the rest for the taxi driver but instead of giving her 500,000 dong, I gave her 50 dollars instead. I also left my green pants at her place too, everything was happening in a bit of a rush. My taxi driver did do his job well after Huong told him to hurry up, I noticed just how on point he was, overtaking any car and switching to whichever lane had the most leeway during the highway run to the airport. Not knowing I had given Huong 50 dollars, I was quite surprised to see two 500,000 bills in my wallet. Well, I wasn't going to be using them so I just gave both to the taxi driver and his face lit up like a child during Christmas. I didn't even know he could smile like that, he gave thanks "Cam un!" and I was off. I thought to myself that perhaps that was a bit too high and I also ended up giving away 50 dollars but it was done. I was in time to check in with no one in line, I got my ticket and saw number 3. I was quite happy since it was really close to the exit but I realized as I entered the plane to board that it was actually a business class seat. This left me a bit aghast, I thought to myself if I accidentally bought a business class seat instead of economy but my e-ticket showed I did get economy. I took this as another amazing level of synchronicity done by the Universe and thanked my lucky stars. It was a short flight but at least I got some good sleep in between too.Read more