hanoi from a spectator, day 2

waking at 4am and trying to go back to sleep was almost a waking nightmare. however when you are in a beautiful new place, i don't think twice to get up and walk around. i showered briefly and walked around hoan kiem lake in the rain. no, not the seattle rain, but the warm and cathartic rain from south east asia. with the rain and the clouds, there was an unreal pastel light that bathed the lake and all the surrounding buildings. the vietnamese were en mass surrounding the lake, doing various forms of what looked like yoga to my untrained set of eyes. as i breathed in, the weight of the air rushed into my lungs and as bizarre as it sounds, almost was fortifying. i remain unsure whether it was the dense humidity or the warm rain that held me like my mother when i was young. after a walk around the entire lake, i ate some free pho from my hostel/hotel and prepared for a day of walking.

 

first up: the ho chi minh masoleum. you can't really prepare yourself to see interred remains, much less minh's and even though we were pushed in and out of the masoleum faster than you could say 'communism', there was something haunting as i left. maybe the fact vietnamese school children were all around me, some maybe as young as 6 and seeing a dead body of a former leader; a different time, place and world entirely. there were no real notable reactions from the crowd that i had anticipated. the whole complex is absolutely gigantic, so i strolled around further. hcm's working houses remained well taken care of, but at the same time not thoroughly engaging. sure, i get that they are trying to give the impression that he was humble, but i think they clubbed that bullseal to death. the ho chi minh museum was truly ghastly to me. on top of all the propaganda, there were monumental piles of horrid art neuvo, (in my opinion, as always), and splashes of documents from the man himself and other officials and leaders. 

 

the first pagoda seemed like something special until i laid eyes on the gleaming led lights giving a gentle glowing effect to the buddha. apparently, mcdonald's has paved the way and it's simply a matter of time until the pyramids have bright neon outlines with flashing strobes behind them. the one pillar pagoda was actually beautiful and serene. a gift from an emperor who believed he met the goddess of mercy while perched on a lotus flower, (desperately trying to avoid a radiohead reference... shit). it had more of simplistic beauty, even if the buddha was glowing in neon again. the pagoda itself is perched precariously on one pillar signifying a lotus flower and i'm surprised it hasn't seen the leaning tower effect. 

 

the temple of literature had some interesting points too, but simply reiterated - everything will eventually crumble into dust. sitting on the park bench waiting for a water puppet show, this sentiment hits me like a gong. my sweat, my tears, my smiles, my love: it will all be nothing, but a speck of dust in some generation's eyes. all this potential to set kinetic energy free. it doesn't mean it's not worth every single labor; it's always worth it.

 

the water puppets were a tourists dream. in fact, i wouldn't be surprised if a tourist came up with the whole show as a way to get fellow tourists to watch puppets splash and listen to traditional vietnamese music. i was definitely entertained when one of the dragons was a little bit off; call me a cog, but seeing one element of a choreographed act just a little, teensy bit off makes me understand the world still has elements of chaos and disparity. and somehow that comforts me.

i ended up passing up hanoi's nightlife again, as i was thoroughly exhausted after such a full day. i keep telling myself, i need to stage and work towards more.