We met a number of students from the Hanoi Kids organization during the early afternoon. We took taxi vans to the Temple of Literature: the site of Vietnam's first University which is over 1000 years old! The beautiful gardens and Buddhist temples were created with Chinese influence over a century ago. Today, students come to pray in the temples before important exams. Education is a highly regarded aspect of Vietnamese culture--outside the Temple of Literature there is a floral sign that translates to "the future lies in the talented"
After leaving the Temple of Literature, the Hanoi Kids let us on a walking tour of the city in search of the best street food. We stopped for mixed fruit bowls with milk, tapioca jelly and shredded ice--a Vietnamese equivalent of frozen yogurt with all the fix-ins. We then walked past the government district in search of dinner food. The Hanoi Kids that were leading us recommended "Bahn My"--a popular meat and vegetable sub sandwich. Those who steered clear of the street meat opted for "Pho Bo"--a noodle, herb and meat soup. The open nature (among many other factors) of the restaurants that served these items suggested that they would not have passed an American health inspection, but fortunately the Vietnam study abroaders have remained remarkably healthy thus far *fingers crossed*
No comments:
Post a Comment