The Pearl - Part 3

March 23 - 24, 2017

Happy Birthday to Michael!! <3 <3 <3

Last time we were in Hanoi, we took advantage of  Free Tour Guides.  This program pairs tourists with university students wanting to practice their English, or other second language.  My guide today would be Thu, and I asked the front desk staff whether I should look for a boy or a girl.  Soon after, my guide appeared and introduced herself.

Thu agreed to accompany me to Bat Trang, a ceramics village on the outskirts of Hanoi that my friend, Mika, had told me about.  Reviewers online suggested taking a taxi to the bus station, then riding the bus there, rather than paying for a taxi the whole way.  With a local at my side, I figure it would be good to try.

Riding in the taxi with her reminded me of our time in Taiwan with our niece-in-law, Ai Ai.  They both enthusiastically chatted up the taxi drivers.  We waited ten or fifteen minutes for the right bus at the bus station.  While we waited, a young guy came up and spoke with me in English.  He was clearly excited to practice his skills, and vigorously shook my hand two or three times.  Later, I noticed my nice sun hat was gone from the side of my backpack, and wondered if he was distracting me while an accomplice untied it.  Alas, I will never know the truth.  Hope someone got it who needed more than I.

Some of the buses that came through looked pretty run down, and the windows were all open, which meant no AC.  But the bus we got on was fairly new and comfortably cool.  Thu and I were conversing in English, when an older white man from the back of the bus came and sat across from us, asking Thu if she was a translator.  He proceeded to rant and rave about how he took the last bus from Bat Trang every evening, but one evening the bus didn't show up and he had to pay big bucks to take a taxi back.  He then pointed to the ticket man, and said, "Will you please ask him why?"  She politely translated the man's question, but they weren't clear what he was asking.  He repeated himself over and over, using the exact same words and raising his voice, as if this would make them understand better.  This went on for a good fifteen minutes at least.  So arrogant, as if this poor young lady and innocent ticket man were somehow to blame.

bus driver has his own little room

Me and Thu

We finally arrived in the little village, and the bus was greeted by hawkers trying to sell to the foreigners as they got off.  One young lady spoke with Thu, and it was agreed that we would go to her ceramics shop and try our hand at making pottery with a potter's wheel.  I've always wanted to try it, and this was ridiculously cheap - about two dollars per piece!  We walked with her down a little alley to an outdoor workshop in the corner of a square.

picture from the internet of the pottery shop

The wheels were very low to the ground, with tiny little stools in front of each one.  The lady kindly gave me a bit taller stool, and I was quite comfortable.  Thu and I each had a woman helping us with our creations.  They pretty much did the hard work, and guided our hands through the proper movements.  Still it was quite satisfying to feel the wet clay and see the dish taking shape.  Once our chosen dish was complete, they gave us another ball of clay, and let us play while we waited for our masterpieces to dry.  It is definitely not as easy as it looks.  Without anyone's help, it was very tricky to keep the thing symmetrical while keeping the wheel spinning.  My arms and the legs of my pants were quite splattered by the time we finished.  We went to a little hose outside to rinse off, and Thu tried to wash the spots off my arms, until she realized they were permanent!  Next we got to paint our dishes, which was also very satisfying.  I had made a bowl, and Thu made a cup and an Angry Bird figure, with her guide's help.  I was quite pleased with the result.  I painted a lotus flower, and put my name in Thai letters on the bottom.  Thu said it looked like the symbol for "om" in meditation.  Cool.

Om symbol

Next we walked over to the ceramics market, with stall after stall of seemingly mass-produced ceramics crowded the shelves.  I was quite afraid I would be the proverbial bull in the china shop, and moved very carefully.  Found a pretty tea pot, and a ceramic dish for my friend.  It was then that I realized my hat was gone, and we retraced our steps, but it was nowhere in sight.  We hopped back on the bus and headed back to Hanoi for some lunch.

I learned that Thu was actually no longer a student, but a teacher who was between jobs.  She said that job prospects for teachers are pretty dire here.  Her younger sister, who didn't go to university and just opened her own shop in her village, was making way more money than her, and was already married with two children.  She was really struggling with this, and trying to convince herself that university was really the better way to go.  I had to say I agreed with her, but it didn't soften the harsh reality of it.  She said the education system in Vietnam was in poor shape, that students learn to read and write English from Vietnamese teachers, and never learn to speak it.  She didn't learn to speak English until she went away to university.  She said Vietnam doesn't have any of the top schools in Asia.  It made me sad for the students who really want to learn, but have such limited options.

She also shared just a little about her thoughts on the American war, and how a shared struggle can lead to forgiveness and love.  I wish I could remember her exact words - quite beautifully expressed.

Back in Hanoi, we got off the bus and Thu looked for transportation for us to go to lunch.  She negotiated with a motorcycle guy, who carried the two of us(!) to a place in the Old Quarter.  When we arrived, I realized she was taking me to the same place our friends had recommended - Bun Bo Nam Bo.  Perfect!  Like many local eateries, this was a long, narrow place with a line of metal tables and colorful plastic stools.  The food is prepared at the street and carried back to the tables by the staff, or purchased for takeaway.  Bun bo is a delicious combination of vermicelli noodles, beef and various other ingredients - a bit on the sweet side, and very tasty.  Very similar to Pho, but less brothy and more saucy.  Two thumbs up!

From Bun Bo Nam Bo, it was a nice walk back to the hotel, where Thu had her motor scooter waiting for her.  It was a nice day, and a good opportunity for two cultures to share thoughts and ideas.

Our group met in the evening, now seven of us, as the family of  Tim's colleague arrived that afternoon from Thailand.  We went to dinner at El Gaucho's Brazilian Steakhouse.  We had raved about this place from our previous visit, but we were a bit disappointed in the quality of the steaks this time.  Still enjoyed the complimentary caramel vodka after dinner!

"Gan Bei!"