Every morning in Hanoi we have been eating breakfast across the street. The meal is free and part of the lodging. But across the street? When we get up, we go downstairs and tell the staff we would like breakfast. They then walk us across the street through a bank/exchange office and to another hotel lobby. We go up the stairs, which have been really hot, and then into the breakfast area. There is usually one attendant in there that is very helpful and makes sure that we are taken care of well. They have been watching movies in English, probably working on their language skills, while we eat. I find it interesting that we have to go all they way over there through a bank to eat.
Today, we set off on foot to visit a few museums with no luck. The Military Museum was closed and the Ho Chi Minh Museum closed at 11:30am. Too bad for us! The mausoleum for Ho Chi Minh was closed as well, but this made it great for taking photos without the crowds in the way. The whole area around the mausoleum is closed to cars and heavily secured. If you went past a certain line, the guard would whistle at you. We watched this as a few people walking by disregarded the line. Ha ha!
At this point we were thoroughly sweaty and needed some food. Some air conditioning would make it better, right? Off in the distance I saw a KFC. This is the only USA chain that I have seen in Vietnam thus far, and I thought it might also have good AC. Upon entering, I was bathed by an arctic blast of air and fans were also turning about. Overkill! But we liked it. We went ahead and got some chicken parts for 5x the price of street food and took our time. I have not eaten at a KFC in the states in years, but it tasted just like the KFC recipe I remember. The drinks were another story. This was the only place that I have seen fountain drinks. Everyone sells bottles or cans, but a real CO2 charged system you see in fast food places in the USA, that was a treat! Our stomachs were rumbling from the previous days food and KFC's fried chicken might not have been the best idea, but we needed the AC so bad. As if being in a KFC in Vietnam isn't bizarre enough, we were served on glass plates, with real cutlery and real glass to drink out of. We were also given an actual paper napkin instead of the toilet paper you get in the rest of SE Asia. Also, the few kids that I saw in there stood out to me. They were large and stuffing their faces with ice cream. I have been noticing how obvious it is to pick out the real rich children. Most people here are slim and fit and when you see a large person, they are on a nicer motorbike or driving a car.
A nap was on the agenda after all that walking. We also needed rest to go back out for the Symphony concert. This heat makes us so tired.
For dinner, we went to the Ciao Bar. It started to pour rain just a few minutes before we got there. Luckily, we had the packable umbrellas with us. The restaurant is close to the opera house, so we had some comfortable time to kill. While in Vietnam drink the coffee. I love to get a real Vietnamese Coffee over ice! They make it strong, and that was what I needed to be awake for this concert.
The concert hall was designed by the French and survived the entire Vietnam Conflict. I find that hard to believe, but it's in get shape and they even outfitted it with air conditioning. We took a few pics, found our seats and got ready to see the concert. On the program was Wagner's Overture to Tristan and Isolde and Mahler's The Song of the Earth. The entire orchestra is Vietnamese and the conductor is from Japan. The men don't wear tuxedos, but instead wear black pants with a white shirt in Vietnamese style. The women wore black dresses. This would surely keep them cool and it would be great if we could adopt something like that in Las Vegas. It just doesn't make sense to wear a black wool tux in 100 degree heat.
The music was played extremely well and the conductor was fascinating to watch. From the side, I could see his face and it looked like he was having a blast up there enjoying himself. I could go on forever about the music, but don't want to make a review about it. We thoroughly enjoyed the concert and are thankful that they were playing while we were in town. Afterwards, in front of the opera house, we saw the principal trumpet player. I complimented him for the concert and we talked for a minute or two as he choked down a cigarette. Gotta love it!
The rain had stopped and we walked the long way back to the hostel. Kids were out playing and people were eating in the street. Funny enough, it all seemed safe. No one bothered us and the street lights were on. I thought this town might be dangerous, but not at all where we were as far as I can see. You still gotta keep your guard up though.
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