My best friend from home, Anneliese, arrived in Hanoi this past weekend. She was living and teaching in China for six months, until her and her boyfriend decided to pack up all their things and head over my way. So far I am doing my best to be the best tour guide possible, taking them to all my favorite street food spots, bars, parks, etc. Since I finally decided to invest in a scooter (riding a bicycle in 90 degree weather just wasn't cutting it...) Son, Carlo, Anneleise and myself took a motorbike day trip to Ba Vi National Park, a bit less than a 2 hour drive from Hanoi. Her boyfriend did a very good job in Hanoi traffic, considering they had been living in a rural community in China. After a couple pit stops involving cold drinks, guitar playing, and Italian folk music (Carlo managed to draw some considerable crowds on the side of the road) we made it to Ba Vi. Anneliese and I ended up with some pretty intense sunburn stripes on our legs after the drive, but we hiked up to the top of the mountain despite the burn, and were very pleased with the result.
We made it up about 400 stone stairs to a pagoda on the top of a mountain. The views were, of course, breath-taking... and the cooler air was a very welcome change from driving through what felt like an oven for the past hour.
After snapping a couple photos and nabbing some hammocks in an effort to rest our bones, we all mounted the bikes and headed back down the mountain pass.
With every curve, the heat started to rise, and by the time we reached to bottom, we were back in the Vietnam sun. We managed to make it back to Hanoi around 7pm... putting Carlo in rush hour traffic on a Saturday night, which made me incredibly nervous for him and Anneliese. I kept turning around to check on their progress while Son, driving our bike, kept telling me to sit still and focus on the road. When we got back to my apartment I was very relieved that we all made it back in one piece... since rush hour is not a pretty thing after recently arriving from the countryside. We ended our weekend with a Sunday morning trip to the market to buy (surprise, surprise) spring roll supplies. I decided it would be a good idea to pass along my spring roll making skills to Anneliese, who is always eager to learn something new to cook. After enjoying our "snack", we walked down the block to the local Bia Hoi (Carlo's guitar in tow) and proceeded to meet some very interesting people... per usual. We ended up meeting an old Vietnamese Opera singer, who, after a couple beers, started belting out Pavarotti tunes... much to our enjoyment. Carlo responded with a couple folk tunes of his own, then handed his guitar off to a very old man that began singing Vietnamese folk tunes (with a voice that sounded like it had been cut with a chainsaw). When the locals started getting a bit too drunk, we decided to pack up and head to my favorite street food, Bit Tet. Bit Tet comes served on an iron platter, sizzling with an egg, a beef steak, pate, and some fried potatoes... all for 28,000 dong (or about 2 USD). Since I had work the next day, I had to wave goodbye to my friends and drive my scooter back home, while they went out to enjoy some Hanoian night life. It's definitely hard sitting in my classroom right now while Carlo and Anneliese are out exploring, but I'm so happy to know they are enjoying Hanoi that it makes my day that much better. Right now, I'm working on convincing the two of them to stay here after they travel around Vietnam a bit (or until their money runs out!). Students are returning to class in a minute, so I have to start looking like I am doing something important... maybe grading homework books with a giant red marker... that always gets them going.
We made it up about 400 stone stairs to a pagoda on the top of a mountain. The views were, of course, breath-taking... and the cooler air was a very welcome change from driving through what felt like an oven for the past hour. 
After snapping a couple photos and nabbing some hammocks in an effort to rest our bones, we all mounted the bikes and headed back down the mountain pass. 
With every curve, the heat started to rise, and by the time we reached to bottom, we were back in the Vietnam sun. We managed to make it back to Hanoi around 7pm... putting Carlo in rush hour traffic on a Saturday night, which made me incredibly nervous for him and Anneliese. I kept turning around to check on their progress while Son, driving our bike, kept telling me to sit still and focus on the road. When we got back to my apartment I was very relieved that we all made it back in one piece... since rush hour is not a pretty thing after recently arriving from the countryside. We ended our weekend with a Sunday morning trip to the market to buy (surprise, surprise) spring roll supplies. I decided it would be a good idea to pass along my spring roll making skills to Anneliese, who is always eager to learn something new to cook. After enjoying our "snack", we walked down the block to the local Bia Hoi (Carlo's guitar in tow) and proceeded to meet some very interesting people... per usual. We ended up meeting an old Vietnamese Opera singer, who, after a couple beers, started belting out Pavarotti tunes... much to our enjoyment. Carlo responded with a couple folk tunes of his own, then handed his guitar off to a very old man that began singing Vietnamese folk tunes (with a voice that sounded like it had been cut with a chainsaw). When the locals started getting a bit too drunk, we decided to pack up and head to my favorite street food, Bit Tet. Bit Tet comes served on an iron platter, sizzling with an egg, a beef steak, pate, and some fried potatoes... all for 28,000 dong (or about 2 USD). Since I had work the next day, I had to wave goodbye to my friends and drive my scooter back home, while they went out to enjoy some Hanoian night life. It's definitely hard sitting in my classroom right now while Carlo and Anneliese are out exploring, but I'm so happy to know they are enjoying Hanoi that it makes my day that much better. Right now, I'm working on convincing the two of them to stay here after they travel around Vietnam a bit (or until their money runs out!). Students are returning to class in a minute, so I have to start looking like I am doing something important... maybe grading homework books with a giant red marker... that always gets them going.
Awwwwwww. That is the sweetest post. :))
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