N Vietnam 2012 - Day 4, Part 1 - Trấn Quốc Pagoda

"More than any other time in history, mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly." - Woody Allen

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N Vietnam 2012
Day 4 - 27th May - Trấn Quốc Pagoda (Part 1)

The hostel receptionist was out of ideas for breakfast, so I wandered the streets.


Yellow rice with some yam-like thing on top, and fried shallots. I showed the hostel girl the photo and she said it was green bean (I think she meant mung)

Service at this street food stall was quite good - the lady put a small stool on a big one for me to sit on.


Preparation area

When I got back to the hostel I talked to my first Québécoise (I'd dropped my map there). The accent was very novel (and unfortunately hard to understand); she said she'd travelled with a French girl who had also had difficulties.

The first stop of the day was West Lake. Yes, copying China they have a West Lake too, though it isn't as nice.


West Lake (Hồ Tây)




Trấn Quốc Pagoda, one of the oldest in Vietnam


"方便門"
Entrance. In Mandarin it reads "convenience door"

I arrived right as it opened, at 7:30am. This was a good time, not least because it was cool.


"Suggest all the people no wear the short to the pagoda"
I don't know what the third language is. Perhaps Cantonese? It is badly spelt Mandarin


Stupa


Words on a pillar


Altar


Artificial mountain and temple


Artificial mountain


Stupa and altar






Stupa


Altar


Green goddess altar


Pavilion


Fake mountain


"Paying attention no entry"


Plaque on the Pagoda


Altar




Pagoda renovations


More on the pagoda. Amusingly they have Mandarin instead of French here (they're not consistent)


Bodhi Tree from Rajenda Prasat, President of India. It is a descendant of the one under which Buddha reached Enlightenment


Donation Box which looks like a safe


I really liked this Pagoda. The weather probably had something to do with it.


"Hoc tai Malaysia. World Class Degrees, Truly Asian Values"
Caveat emptor. I wonder what sort of "Asian Values" they teach in Malaysia.


"Give me rubbish! Thank you!"

Around the lake there was supposed to be a memorial to John McCain the people who shot down John McCain. However, I couldn't find it. Looking at a photo, I now know why.


"Taboo. Lounge. Bar"


Uncle Ho looks particularly creepy here; "Uncle Ho, 我们永远支持你！！！"


Breakfast cost 10,000 VND. That was quite cheap, but probably because, apart from a splash of black liquid from what looked like a paint can but was probably fish sauce, it was vegetarian.


While Hanoi was dirty, it wasn't that dirty - I saw a lot of cleaners.