My flight arrived in Hanoi in the morning, and I got the ride to the hotel. The hotel is on the other side of the old quarter from where I stayed before, and I spend some time walking around.
I was able to get a picture of something I'd seen before: someone burning paper prayers in a small stove outside, as a kind of offering.
In the evening I went to Denis' place - his wife Van Anh was there - to pick up my bag which I had left there at the start of the motorcycle trip.
Next to my hotel is a craft beer place!! Called Pasteur Street Brewing, it is run by an ex-pat with the goal of combining craft beer techniques with Vietnamese flavours. I had a Jasmine IPA that was awesome. While I sat there I finished a drawing of the Japanese bridge in Hoi An. Drawing is a great way to meet people because everyone wants to see what you are doing. I ended up talking with a couple of people that work there.
The hotel was quite nice and I slept well.
I spent the next day walking around Hanoi, on a mission to visit some Buddhist temples. Perhaps I was inspired by the prayer offerings I saw, but I wanted to see more of the Buddhist side of life in Vietnam. It isn't as obvious as in Laos, but it is still there. I located a few temples on the map and headed out.
I first went to Chua Quan Su, not far from the hotel. Built in the 1400's it serves as a place of worship for residents of the area. There were people making offerings and praying as I was there.
Next I did a long walk north of the old quarter, past some market streets. It was the middle of the day and getting hot. I'd stop for iced coffee to get into a place with a fan or air conditioning. It took over half an hour, but I reached Chua Hoe Nhai temple. It was not open when I arrived, but there were a couple of older ladies waiting outside, who explained through sign language that it was opening soon. This temple is quite old, from about the 1200's, and is one of the first temples of the Soto Zen sect. There is a famous statute of a buddha sitting on the back of a prostrating king (I like that idea).
There also seemed to be monks living there.
Finally I walked to the famous Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake. Another half hour walk in the heat .... (such devotion, I know)
This the oldest pagoda dating from the 500's. It has the ashes of important monks. While small in size it has a special appeal in its design.
There is a temple in the back with statues of important monks. There were people making offerings and worshipping, and there happened to be a monk performing on the gongs while I was there.
I was able to get a picture of something I'd seen before: someone burning paper prayers in a small stove outside, as a kind of offering.
In the evening I went to Denis' place - his wife Van Anh was there - to pick up my bag which I had left there at the start of the motorcycle trip.
Next to my hotel is a craft beer place!! Called Pasteur Street Brewing, it is run by an ex-pat with the goal of combining craft beer techniques with Vietnamese flavours. I had a Jasmine IPA that was awesome. While I sat there I finished a drawing of the Japanese bridge in Hoi An. Drawing is a great way to meet people because everyone wants to see what you are doing. I ended up talking with a couple of people that work there.
The hotel was quite nice and I slept well.
I spent the next day walking around Hanoi, on a mission to visit some Buddhist temples. Perhaps I was inspired by the prayer offerings I saw, but I wanted to see more of the Buddhist side of life in Vietnam. It isn't as obvious as in Laos, but it is still there. I located a few temples on the map and headed out.
I first went to Chua Quan Su, not far from the hotel. Built in the 1400's it serves as a place of worship for residents of the area. There were people making offerings and praying as I was there.
Next I did a long walk north of the old quarter, past some market streets. It was the middle of the day and getting hot. I'd stop for iced coffee to get into a place with a fan or air conditioning. It took over half an hour, but I reached Chua Hoe Nhai temple. It was not open when I arrived, but there were a couple of older ladies waiting outside, who explained through sign language that it was opening soon. This temple is quite old, from about the 1200's, and is one of the first temples of the Soto Zen sect. There is a famous statute of a buddha sitting on the back of a prostrating king (I like that idea).
There also seemed to be monks living there.
There was a special peaceful feeling about the place.
Finally I walked to the famous Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake. Another half hour walk in the heat .... (such devotion, I know)
This the oldest pagoda dating from the 500's. It has the ashes of important monks. While small in size it has a special appeal in its design.
There is a temple in the back with statues of important monks. There were people making offerings and worshipping, and there happened to be a monk performing on the gongs while I was there.
Next was a long walk back to the hotel. It was interesting, however, passing through large tree-lined streets with what looked like government buildings, and walking through different parts around the old quarter.
I rested and got cleaned up and then went for craft beer!
No comments:
Post a Comment