October 05, 2004 The Pumpkin Express to Sapa, Vietnam
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First up on my itinerary of tours was the Perfume Pagoda. I figured I would at least be on a bus full of intrepid backpackers, but it actually consisted of Swedish families, complete with kids. Luckily, I met Ha from Danang in Central Vietnam, who was traveling alone.
The only way to get to the pagoda is via a one-hour boat ride, in boats paddled by local women. No one can accuse Vietnamese women of being lazy – they are often doing heavy labor.
We looked at the temple, which was one of Vietnam's eclectic Buddhist/Taoist/Confusionist hybrids. It wasn't just a tourist attraction for Ha, but also a pilgrimage, so while our guide talked, she made offerings.
Then we walked up a rocky path for an hour to a sacred cave. The whole way was was lined with vendors selling refreshments, snacks, and souvenirs. The place is full of Vietnamese pilgrims during Tet, but now it was only tourists, so most of the vendors were gone. Those who remained were just as loathsome as in Hanoi. I gave one guy a 10,000 dong note for a small water, then had to argue to get my 5,000 dong in change (the real price is 3,000 dong). At least he gave me some change, unlike the woman who refused to give me back 5,000 dong this morning.
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The climate of North Vietnam is pleasant, since it's not tropical, but the climb was still sweaty work. It was nice to get to the cool cave, where Ha burned incense.
When we returned to Hanoi, Ha drove me around on her motorbike. We had dinner at a noodle shop on the sidewalk, and sat on tiny plastic chairs. No only was the pho cheaper than in a restaurant (30 cents versus 3 dollars), it was much more delicious.
Then we went to an ice cream shop I would have never found on my own, then cruised around looking at the beautiful lights and listening to the various musical acts on the three stages around the lake. Hanoi is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its liberation, and it is simply gorgeous at night. Overall it's the most pleasant city I've visited in Asia, and I was sad to say goodbye to Hanoi and Ha when I got on the train at 11 pm.