Backstreet Comes to Hanoi!

The biggest concert in Hanoian history occurred this past Saturday, with almost 20,000 people in attendance. The streets around My Dinh soccer stadium were flooded with crazed fans, ranging in age from a few months to ancient. A group of 9 of us arrived together, singing the ballads of our youth for all the hear. A large group of white girls always gets noticed, but even more so in the throngs of Vietnamese Backstreet fans. We were asked to pose for multiple photos (see below) and even managed to finagle a couple free glow-sticks.

We arrived 10 minutes late, and found that our designated, ticketed seats were already taken, so we moved all the way towards the left and to the back, where we had enough space to sing loudly and dance wildly. According to my students, even though tickets were sold beforehand with seat numbers, once you got inside of the stadium, it was a free-for-all, so we ended up on the outskirts due to our own lateness. Either way, our seats were horrendous, but I was thankful that the Backstreet Boys (or men, rather) were wearing sparkly jackets and shoes so we could see the choreography... more or less. They played every single hit they ever had, which ended up being 2 hours worth, and I kept surprising myself by knowing all the lyrics. Apparently, their hit songs in America vs. Vietnam differed a little bit, since the Vietnamese people around us sang along to the newer songs that we didn't know, yet we belted out the "oldies"... much to the dismay of some nearby fans. When the concert came to an end (there was no encore, and they actually started rolling credits...) everyone started running towards the stadium exits. It was a bit scary as we followed the masses of people out into the street, trying to hail anything that resembled a taxi. By this point, all the cabs were full, and we were beginning to worry that we would be stuck in the street, quite far from the city center, for the rest of the evening. Just then, we noticed that 2 girls from our group had gone missing. This caused much alarm, as none of us knew exactly where we were, or even what direction Hanoi was in. After some frantic phone calls, a van pulled up with our two girl friends hanging out the window. Apparently they had kept walking further down the street while the rest of us were frozen in one spot, paralyzed with the fear that we were to be stuck in a Backstreet mob for the next few hours. By some stroke of fantastic luck (I'm thinking the red hair of my friend Lyndsey had something to do with it...) they managed to get a 7-seater van, which we then squished all 9 of us into. As we were driving by the remaining thousands of people trying to get cabs, I couldn't get over how lucky we were to be out of the street. Really, 20,000 Backstreet Boys fans taking to the streets is a very scary thing.

Overall, we had a great girl's night out, despite the less-than-ideal view. It's really amazing that Backstreet Boys is the biggest band to ever come to Hanoi and the whole city has been abuzz with excitement for an entire month. Now that the concert is over, I am not quite sure what Hanoians have to look forward to next... as Backstreet has been the constant topic of conversation. The next "celebration" is a labor day of sorts... the first few days of May. My friends and I are taking this opportunity to rent a van and go on a waterfall tour in the North, crossing the border of China for a day of trekking to a final waterfall destination. We will be sure to bring our Backstreet Boys cd for that...

Hot Spring Resort

A monsoon hit on Tuesday, resulting in freezing, non-stop rain through Friday night. Yes, it's miserable driving in a cold morning mist, but driving in rain EVERY SINGLE DAY makes the cold mist seem almost enjoyable. Anyway, I won't even begin to complain about it, since I spent every day looking forward to the weekend getaway Son and I had planned for our one year anniversary. We decided to take a motorbike trip out to Hoa Binh province to V Resort, which boasts a mineral water spa from a nearby hot spring. We were set to head out on Saturday morning, and I was getting a bit worried about the monsoon that didn't seem to be calming down. Lucky for us, Saturday hit with perfect weather and a lot of sun. The trip out into the countryside was, per usual, gorgeous and enjoyable. I feel that I am always writing about some trip into the countryside by motorbike... I think Son and I are becoming quite the little travel bugs. :)

We arrived (naturally, I was the only white person) to a resort that had previously insisted that all the rooms were taken and that the grounds would be bursting with tour groups. I guess everyone chickened out due to the excessive rain, because when we arrived, the place was deserted... and much to our joy, it stayed that way. The view from our balcony was incredible (see below), and the cloudless skies offered an unhindered view of the surrounding limestone mountains. Around 4pm Son and I headed over to the spa to see this famous mineral water for

ourselves. By this point, we were still convinced that there were hundreds of guests hiding out somewhere, possibly in the spa, so we went ahead and booked a "VIP Room" for a mere 15 dollars. Within minutes, we were ushered into a giant (empty) spa room. This large room had around 10 gigantic jacuzzi tubs filled with mineral water from the springs; the room was lined with gigantic windows that offered views of the carefully tended tropical gardens outside. Son and I were ushered past all the empty jacuzzi tubs and placed in our own little room. We had our own mineral jacuzzi, a large picture window, and various antique jugs and rocks decorating the space. It was absolutely lovely, and if it wasn't so hot and misty, I would've attempted to snap a picture. Our 15 dollars allowed us 2 hours of access to all the spa facilities, which basically meant our private room, a steam room and sauna located at the end of the giant spa room. We found it pretty hilarious that they opened the whole spa only for us and we had a good time running back and forth between the sauna/steam rooms and our jacuzzi tub.

After our "VIP experience", we headed over to dinner at the resort's restaurant. This, as well, was abandoned, and I was beginning to question if the resort was actually in business. But sure enough, many eager waitresses headed our way and seemed absolutely delighted to have something to do. After dinner, Son and I wandered around the grounds, looking for signs of any other people. The closest thing we saw to resort guests was a cage filled with a family of monkeys. We also happened upon a mini-golf course that seemed to have been completely ignored for the past 10 years. Opting to stay away from the karaoke club (the only sound that hinted at the presence of other resort guests), we hung out on our balcony and took in the view. The next morning, we rose early enough to make use out of the large indoor mineral spring water pool before we had to hit the road. At this point, we finally encountered other humans who were enjoying the"healing benefits of the water" as well. We hit the sauna to get warm before jumping back on the bike and making our way back to Hanoi.

The fact that the place seemed dead made it all the more enjoyable, and it's the one time that I have actually felt thankful for a monsoon. I'll have to be sure to return after another big rain so we can have a giant spa to ourselves again. Below are some pictures of the trip over, some shots of things around the resort, and so forth. Enjoy:

The Hanoian Lifestyle

I've gotten through my first month teaching at Vietnam National University. So far, I am really enjoying working with university students; I'm enjoying it enough that I don't mind waking up at 6:30AM every day. Additionally, I've finally worked up enough nerve to wear one headphone and listen to music during my commute. It's amazing how much more fun I have taking on the Hanoi traffic with some good tunes to back me up. Back in the states, I could never drive a car without some form of music playing, and I'm surprised that it took me over a year to start listening to music while driving around Hanoi... I guess this means I am officially comfortable driving my motorbike around the city.

Recently, my friend Flip had a bit of a going-away party since he was leaving Vietnam to travel for a few months. We all met up at his favorite Bia Hoi to enjoy cheap beer, cheap food, and good company. Oddly enough, a TV crew for a local station arrived to record the party and conduct some interviews. Given that I have lived here for a while and currently have a Vietnamese boyfriend, they were very interested in getting my opinion on life in Hanoi. So, along with 3 other friends, I was interviewed for a newscast concerning the foreigner lifestyle in Hanoi. Son managed to track down the final video, and seeing myself dubbed over in Vietnamese is extremely hilarious. You can watch it here. Even though you won't be able to understand a word of it, the video gives a pretty good idea of what my nightlife consists of...

And, as promised, I've added some pictures of Hanoian street food that I enjoy on a regular basis:

Bun Cha and Nem Cua (grilled meat with bun noodles in vinegar broth, paired with crab meat fried spring rolls. This is Hanoi's signature dish and can be found on every street.

Bun Bo is bun noodles, beef, cabbage, peanuts, fried onions and bean sprouts in broth, typically a Southern dish.

My Van Thom... a "soup"with noodles, various meats, mushrooms, dumplings, veggies, eggs, and lard.

Tit De... goat udder with sesame seeds "Korean BBQ"... skewers of random things, ranging from fish balls to veggies wrapped in meat. Paired with traditional Vietnamese sauces And my favorite dish, Bit Tet! Beef, pate', fries, and an egg smothered in a garlic gravy, served with crunchy bread and pickled cucumber.

Motorbike trip through the clouds

This past weekend hit with some beautiful weather... which was a very refreshing change from the daily rain. Son and I decided to try out luck (yet again) and take a motorbike trip out into the countryside. This time, our gamble paid off and we enjoyed a 4 hour bike trip, with perfect weather, through the mountains. We made our way to Mai Chau (I have been a couple times before, and previously posted some pictures), which lies in a valley between dozens of mountains. This time Mai Chau was a lot more beautiful, as the rice growing season had just begun, and all the rice fields are now taking on that neon green tint of freshly planted rice seedlings. We left late in the afternoon (after a great meal of Bun Cha, Hanoi's traditional dish) and arrived just as it was getting dark, and left early in themorning since I had classes to teach... so the heart of the trip was concerned with the ride itself. The second half of the trip was spent navigating roads that curved around the sides of the mountains, dodging herds of water buffalo and whizzing around trucks that seemed theyweren't quite going to make it up the slope. When we left on a warm and sunny Sundaymorning, we could see from the valley that the mountains peaks were lost in the clouds. Even knowing this, Son and I were still a bit surprised when we drove into a wall of fog once we reached the top of a mountain, ready to start our descent. In addition to zero visibility (which became incredibly scary considering how close we were to the steep edge of a mountain cliff), we were hit with a dense, wet coldness. We took it really slow until we lost some altitude and the clouds cleared up, revealing the breathtaking view of the surrounding farms and villages.

I had taken a motorbike trip into the countryside 3 weeks back, and mentioned that the crop growing season was just starting to get into action; I was so amazed by how many people had transplanted all their rice in such a short amount of time. The fields went from beingabandoned mud holes to rice paddies with perfectly parallel rows of seedlings (note pictures below). Despite the long hours on the back of a motorbike and a very sore backside the following day, it was a great way to get out and experience the countryside at the start of the growing season.

Rainy Commute

With Hanoian spring comes your daily morning mist; granted, when you ride through this mist on your motorbike (as I do every morning), you get more than just a little wet... you get soaked. I'm not one to excessively complain about my lifestyle here, even though there are more than enough things that warrant a good complaint or two (i.e. the complete disregard of traffic laws), but when it comes to an early commute in less than desirable circumstances, I can't help but spend the whole 30 minutes cursing the weather. Every morning I trudge down my stairs around 7AM, throw on my huge, ridiculously dirty poncho, and wheel my bike out into my wet alley. Now making sure I remain dry is a bit of hassle, but with all the practice I'm getting as of late, I've gotten pretty good at it. First I have to tuck my poncho under my butt, to keep my backpack and teaching materials dry. Next, I drape the front end of my poncho over the front of my bike, forming a kind of tent for my legs. When driving the streets during rainy season, one can see that there are various methods for driving with a poncho, but given my short stature and the XL size of my poncho, I feel that hanging the front part of my poncho over my motorbike's handlebars is a bit safer; I am continually terrified that my poncho (which is long enough that it drags on the ground) is going to get caught in my wheels and seriously injure me. So, to put everyone's mind at ease (most importantly, my own) I have chosen to embrace the "drape method", even if this results in damp pant-legs. Usually by the time I'm out of class, the foggy mist has cleared up and my only worry is muddy street puddles. But rush hour traffic + rain + early morning... not very enjoyable. I am very much looking forward to the stifling summer heat so I can at least appreciate a good breeze on my face.

I'm working a lot right now, and am taking on an online Physics course (credits necessary to apply for Architecture Grad school) beginning Monday. I have a sneaking suspicion that I am going to be working like a mad woman for the next half a year, but hopefully I will be able to handle the workload. My books arrived at my house yesterday, and I immediately started to get that dreaded, sinking feeling when flipping through the pages. Math has never been my strong suit, and looking through these physics equations I started to get very worried. Luckily, a friend of mine living in Hanoi has a degree in Physics, so he's offered to tutor me a bit to make sure I stay on track. It's been almost 2 years since I've done any actual school work, so getting back into study mode should be interesting. With this in mind, I'm giving all my faithful readers a heads-up that I will probably be posting less, as I will have a lot on my plate beginning Monday...

Back to work

So I officially started my new job at Vietnam National University. I was supposed to be working three days a week, but the day before I started I was bumped up to 5 days a week. This means I am working 7:30AM-10:30AM every weekday. Waking up at 6AM is definitely no fun, but I get the afternoons off and can relax for the rest of the day. I also picked up 4 other classes at a small English center near my house teaching pronunciation... but both classes are less than 5 people so it's very low stress. I did the math, and I am working half the hours and making 500USD more per month than at my old job at SIS, so I am absolutely a happy camper at this point. My university classes are a great improvement from teaching 7yr olds, as their English is good enough to understand my sense of humor, which makes things a whole lot more interesting. I'm halfway through my first work-week, and am feeling really optimistic about the new job. I was quite nervous to begin, since I am teaching Business English (I have NO idea how I got stuck with these classes considering my total lack of business background) and really don't know a damn thing about it; I was sure that I would get in the classroom and have all these students asking numerous business-related questions I couldn't answer, but their English level is low enough that I still seem completely smart and capable... thank God. Also, the university is a little bit of a drive from my house, about 20 minutes by motorbike, so I'm getting out into the streets a whole lot more. Given my new working hours, I am only driving in Hanoian rush hour in the morning, and have a stress-free ride home (generally speaking). All in all, I'm looking forward to see how my new classes progress.

By the way, I have started photographing street food, so once I get a nice photo collection of Vietnamese dishes together, you can look forward to an entirely food-related post (the best kind of all!).

Motorbike trip to Trang An

Well, Son and I didn't exactly luck out with great weather for our trip, but despite the cold and light, foggy rain, we packed a backpack and hit the road. Son brought along a two-headed poncho, and despite how ridiculous they may look draped over a bike with two little heads poking out, are really useful when trying to stay both warm and dry. The trip out into Ninh Binh province was really beautiful, and the mist added a nice touch as well. Everyone was getting ready for the upcoming growing season, so a lot of people were out in thefields preparing the rice seedlings and tilling the fields. Growing rice is a two-step process; first you have to grow the seedlings (which look like blades of grass), then individually transplant each seedling into a flooded field. Most of the seedlings are almost done growing, so the transplanting part of the deal with likely begin soon. It's amazing that people cangrowtheseseedlings almost anywhere. You see a lot of them in fields, but also people have them directly outside of their houses along the road! Farmers spread a thin layer of mud along the pavement and can literally grow seedlings in the street.

After 2 1/2 hours of cold, wet driving, we arrived at Trang An.

It had a pagoda built into the limestone mountains alongside a freshwater river running through a cave and alongside homes and farms. We sat and had our lunch in the pagoda,

and then met up with an little, old lady and got into her boat,

which she rowed along the river. After our little boat tour, Son and I headed out to get some goat meat, the area's local specialty. We decided to try some goat udder, which was recommended to me a while ago by a Vietnamese friend (note picture below).

The udder well, tasted like udder, and was utterly disappointing. ;) Oh well, at least I had the experience, and an almost-full stomach for the ride home.

Overall, it was a great trip, despite the cold, and we plan on making more motorbike trips once the weather gets a bit warmer, which should be soon! We had one week of perfection and now I'm sitting here with my heater on again... such a tease!

And just to assure people that I am not just sitting around, going to concerts, and taking motorbike trips, I got a job today! I will begin working as an English teacher at Vietnam National University next week, and will let you know how that goes. I have a feeling working with young adults is going to be a lot less stressful than working with 7yr olds, so here's hoping!