Water Puppet Musicians

Water Puppet Musicians a video by Heather April on Flickr.

*The instrument in the front is called a Dan Bau, and it is from the zither family. It plays only one chord but what a beautiful sound. It is said that in Vietnam a long time ago only men played the Dan Bou and young girls were not allowed to listen to its music lest they fall in love with the musician. :)

Chao!

Today was my second whirlwind day in Vietnam. I have traveled and learned so much that I already feel more comfortable here. Highlights:

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Complex: He was a fascinating man and the people's respect and love for him is simply incredible. We had a soldier guided tour into his tomb, which is taken very very seriously and we were instructed on how to walk, talk, etc.

Temple of Literature: Vietnam's first university which educated only the sons of mandarins. Several blocks of courtyards, gates and walkways. When each student achieved his doctorate, they were given a large stone tortoise (longevity) tablet in the complex.

Lecture from an American Vietnam Vet working and living in Vietnam, for the past 15 years. He runs a project called
Renew which works to reduce Vietnamese injuries and deaths from landmines. Kind of hard to believe that more tonnage of bombs was dropped on Vietnam than all of WWII. Great guy, lots of world experiences.

Water Puppet Theatre: See pics and videos. There was beautiful music and talented puppeteers, this is a very ancient Vietnamese art.

Food: AMAZING! I had pho, finally. It was great. The fruit drinks here seem to be fresh squeezed and incredible. There are so many varieties! Also, the yogurt here is very good-different taste and texture than in the USA. We also had dinner at a great seafood restaurant, family style.

A translated quote I saw today that I liked: "First learn to be human, then learn something else."

Tomorrow we transfer to Ha Long Bay which is a world heritage site and supposedly very beautiful. We are staying overnight and taking an afternoon boat cruise with meals. I could use some quiet time. These 12-14 hour days are making me so tired but I can't complain too much. It has been a great experience so far. Tam Biet, till next time! :)