The Temple of Literature was an oasis of calm right in the middle of rush of Hanoi. It was a little odd being in such a serene setting, but hearing the constant honking of car and motor bike horns just outside the Temple walls.
After seeing the Temple we went for lunch. We walked by a packed restaurant that was exclusively patronized by local Vietnamese. We decided we wanted to eat what the locals were eating. As soon as we sat down our waitress brought us each a beer, taken from a giant vat (easily 5 times the size of a normal keg). We were a little worried when the english menu had no prices, but the meal ended up costing about 12 dollars for the four of us (and that was after ordering a second round of food and one of us getting a $5 plate of chicken). So my meal cost me $2! It was one of the most delicious meals I have ever had.
Later on Andrew (another Torontonian I met that morning) and I went shopping for art. After getting quotes and walking around several different shops, we decided we both wanted embroidered paintings, and I wanted some oil paintings. These shops are amazing - let's just say my parents are going to have a couple packages of paintings arriving at their house in the next few weeks. For less than the cost of buying a print of comparable size I got oil paintings on canvass. These artists are masters at reproduction - and they even do custom work. You can send them a picture of ANYTHING you want turned into a painting and they will do it for you. A 60 inch by 80 inch painting costs around $30USD plus shipping. Assuming the paintings arrive in Ottawa in good condition I definitely will use these guys again in the future.
Tonight Steve and I are meeting a whole bunch of people we have befriended in the past day for dinner in about an hour. We'll be a big group - probably 7 or 8.
Tomorrow morning we're off to Halong Bay for 2 nights and 3 days... so I might not be able to post for a few days.
Sounds exciting, fun and interesting! I hope the paintings arrive in one piece
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe how cheap everything is on your trip. Can't wait to see the art.
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