Vietnam – January 6th, 2016
After a good night sleep, I think we are over our jet-lag.
We are off to our last day in Hanoi, by visiting the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, One Pillar Pagoda, and the Hao Loa Prison sarcastically named Hanoi Hilton by the captured American fighters pilots.
The Ho Chi Minh mausoleum Is located in the center of Ba Dinh Square the Mausoleum. was ranked as the “sixth most ugly” building in the world by CNN International in 2012. The mausoleum was inspired by Lenin’s Mausoleum in Moscow so that must be the fifth ugliest. The style incorporates distinct Vietnamese architectural elements, such as the sloping roof. The exterior is made of grey granite, while the interior is grey, black and red polished stone. The gardens surrounding the mausoleum have nearly 250 different species of plants and flowers, all from different regions of Vietnam.
The embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh endearing called Uncle by the Vietnamese is preserved in the cooled, central hall of the mausoleum, which is protected by a military honour guard. The body lies in a glass case with dim lights.
It seems kind of macabre to see the body embalm and in perfect condition, his skin even looks rosy and he does not look a day over 79 for someone born in 1890.
The One Pillar Pagoda a replica of the temple that was built by Emperor Lý Thái Tông, who ruled from 1028 to 1054. According to the court records, Lý Thái Tông was childless and dreamt that he met Buddha, who handed him a baby son while seated on a lotus flower. Lý Thái Tông then married a peasant girl that he had met and she bore him a son. The emperor constructed the temple in gratitude for this in 1049, having been told by a monk named Thiền Tuệ to build the temple, by erecting a pillar in the middle of a lotus pond, similar to the one he saw in his dream,
The temple is built of wood on a single stone pillar, and it is designed to resemble a lotus blossom, which is a Buddhist symbol of purity, since a lotus blossoms in a muddy pond. In 1954, the French Union forces destroyed the pagoda before withdrawing from Vietnam It was rebuilt afterward.
The Hỏa Lò a Prison was built and used by the French colonists in Vietnam for political prisoners agitating for independence who were subject to torture and execution, the prison held both men and women. The French called the prison Maison Centrale – literally, Central House, a word that denotes prisons in France.
During the Vietnam War it held mostly American POw.’s who sarcastically named it the “Hanoi Hilton”. The prison was demolished during the 1990s, though the gatehouse remains as a museum. Its more famous guest was Senator John McCain his flight suit is part of the current museum exhibit.
Back to the hotel for a little rest this city is exhausting, before attending cooking class this afternoon.
We arrived at the Hanoi Cooking Centre for a private cooking class our chef Joyann a very diminutive woman but will a hell of a quick chop, told us she competed in the Vietnamese version of Master Chef but sadly lost.
The class started with a walk through the market to purchase fresh ingredients, pork I’m sure it was freshly killed this morning and fish wish was chosen from a makeshift holding aquarium, out of the water and into the plate, talked about farm to table – we also picked fresh, mint, cilantro, basil, and dill.
Joyann also explained the many types of rice, noodles, and egg roll wrappers. We tasted betel nut concoction, which is supposed to be a mild narcotic, but so bitter that it was spewed out right away – well the old lady who rolled got a big laugh out of my facial expressions. Back to the kitchen to start chopping, measuring, and cooking.
On tonight’s menu;
Caramel fish with galangal, cooked in a sweet and aromatic sauce, will do the dish at home.
Lacy Spring Rolls with Crab, Prawns, and Taro two versions of this dish were made, for David pork was added and my additional fish – not rolled to perfection but tasty they were. Squid and Pomelo salad, citrus is herbal yet perfectly refreshing. Rice Dumpling steamed in banana leaf, this must be an acquired taste.
Our chef also made us pumpkin stems. and leaves, seasoned with garlic, chiles, oyster, and soy sauce – I see a trip to little Saigon to find the ingredients for this dish my new favorite. After all that cooking over 3 hours and those of you who know me I don’t like to spend more than 30 minutes fixing a meal this was an eternity – we were taken to the dining room to feast like kings.
Happy and content back to the hotel, our last night in Hanoi. Tomorrow we leave for Halong Bay – don’t know about internet connections so we might be out of touch for a few days.
