URBAN DOMAIN 2024

Vietnam red- day 16

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This morning we leisurely awoke from our slumber, ready to receive our last full day of our paramount adventure. Once our steady fast was once again broken we dusted the sleep out of our eyes and boarded the bus of four wheels to Hoa Lo Prison. Here we heard tales of how the prison was used and stories about the prisoners that were incarcerated there. We saw how the political prisoners were treated and what their lives were like during both the French rule and the Vietnam War. 
After this we drove back to the hotel and then set off on foot for the nearby market where were given free time to have a peek around the various stalls. We covered our noses and dove into the sea that was an abundance of shops, where we were given the chance to purchase an item or two. The market here was interesting compared to the other major one in Ho Chi Minh City and was much more organised. We walked back to the centre of Hanoi by the lake, and had some more free time to enjoy some lunch and look around the city. 
In the afternoon we paid a visit to the Australian Embassy in Vietnam which gave us a tiny sense of home. It was interesting to see how an Australian embassy functions within a country of such a different culture. We learnt a lot about the relationship between Vietnam and Australia. We visited the embassy with the Vietnam Orange group, so we were able to say hello to our friends and share a laugh and catch up quickly. During our time at the embassy, we learnt about a day in the life of the staff that work there, their jobs and how they deal with certain issues and/or situations between the countries, such as human rights, education and development. We discussed Vietnam’s political system and how it compares to our own. Following the visit, we bussed back to our central meeting spot in Hanoi where we awaited our cyclos. We then set off for a relaxing cyclo tour of the old quarter of Hanoi. At this time of day the streets were bustling and it was good to rest our legs while watching the world of Hanoi go by. Luckily there was a little more free time after this for some more free time and shopping. We spent about 45 minutes picking up any last minute items before heading out for our last evening meal together on the trip.
Be home soon families,

Juliette, Lewis and Tom.

   
    
    
  

    
 

Vietnam Orange Day 15

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Hanoi(ss) Welcome 
 

Clunk, clunk, clunk – the train was quite a bumpy ride which made it hard for some of us to get to sleep (but others slept like logs). When most of us were woken up by the train engine and the sound of the tracks clashing together we were ready to eat our pre-packed breakfast and greet Hanoi. 

We were tired and some had headaches so when we found that another 2 hours of train travel were coming our way you can imagine we were slightly Hanoi-ed. We managed to keep ourselves busy by playing cards, charades and generally talking to one another in the tiny rooms and the corridor. 

As we traveled through Vietnam we had a great opportunity to view rolling hills, grazing buffalo, small towns, and fields. It was eye opening to see the people in their small houses in the little towns with next to nothing as we cruised along past on an overnight express train. This was really quite a stand-out factor for some of us and it caused us to think and reflect on our current situations.

The overnight train experience was a really enjoyable (although uncomfortable) trip for many of us. The idea of doing it again someday is exciting considering we now have the knowledge that we are capable of doing so, but we think we can speak for all of the group when we say it will be lovely to sleep in a bed that does not move tonight!

The rest of our first day in Hanoi consisted of lunch on small plastic stools in a squashy 4 story restaurant that had more stairs than chopsticks, and dinner at the famous ‘Little Hanoi’. In between we explored the ‘Old Quarter’ where every street is named after the product it sells. This makes it easy to find the shoe shop…they’re all in Shoe Street! The Water Puppet show was our last event for the day and while the fire-breathing dragons were impressive for some, others took the opportunity to relax their eyelids for a bit. We will sleep well tonight!

Imogen, Elise and Rose

          

LC Pagodas- Day 14

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In one day we do buses, bikes and boat whilst managing to leave a teacher behind. Waking up from what we call a sleep in these days. We came down to the biggest breakfast we have seen in days, defiantly a step up from our last morning’s meals. We even got specially made pancakes! Heading onto the buses we ventured off to yet another temple. On arrival to the temple the group spread out looking at the several ornate buildings with handcrafted walls, holding the past kings golden funeral carriage. As we sat and took a short break from looking around the temple, we were introduced to a 13 year old boy. He had pledged his life to that of a monk. We learned about his daily life and the rules that came with the lifestyle. We found that one of the rules was that they were not allowed to touch a woman and we mean not touch at all, including his own mother.  

After saying thankyou to the monk and bidding him farewell, we travelled to the royal palace. Since Laos is governed by communist regime, the palace has been turned into a museum. The group saw the countless private rooms and a golden throne. The palace was surrounded by beautiful gardens. Within the garden there was a large pond, which housed some enormous coy fish. We gazed at the fish for a while then gradually strolled through the gardens to our meeting point.

 

We walked down the street to collect our bikes for our second bike ride on the trip. Now experts in bike riding in Laos, we travelled along the busy chaotic roads with some intersections frightening the majority of our bicycle convoy. Once we rode over unconventional bridge we discovered that we might have left one behind teacher (not mentioning any names). We sent out our trusty tour guide to search for our missing member. After being reunited we got to our destination at the silk and papermaking village. Where we saw how many amazing artworks are made in this location.

 

Then on our third type of transport for the day we got onto the long boat for an exciting 4 hour journey and had the best lunch so far. We stopped at some caves that consisted of many Budda statues and 250 plus steps under the incredible cliff face located along the Mekong River. After spending some time there our group got back onto the boat to travel back to the Pier where we boarded the bus to hotel for a quick swim.

 

After a well needed shower and some rest we headed out to the night markets for the second night (which we all love) and had a ‘choose your own destination’ dinner. Overall it had been an exciting and eventful day with all of us looking forward to the elephants tomorrow. It’s day 14 and our Big Experience is drawing closer to the end.

 

Blogged by Charlotte Hayward and Eleanor Chadwick 

   
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
   

Vietnam Red-day 15: Waking in Hanoi

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After a night of barely sleeping (for some) we rolled into Hanoi at 5:30am. After dropping the bags off at the hotel we managed to walk fairly sleepily to the Old Quarter via Hoàn Kiém Lake. On the way we watched and joined in on the morning exercises done by the local People of Hanoi. Finally we were able to sit down and enjoy a bowl of ‘pho’ before stopping to get a coffee to make sure we could last the day. While visiting the Temple of Literature we witnessed many Vietnamese graduates’ photo shoots and were interviewed by young school students that were practising their English with us by asking us to fill in a survey. With a thousand years of history,The Temple of Literature was the first sight of a university in Hanoi. For many after graduating from university they then go to the Temple of Literature to take pictures. We travelled back to the old quarter where we got our first bit of free time to enjoy the shopping of Hanoi. The group was the lucky enough to have Bun Cha, a meal Hanoi is famous for, at one of the most popular restaurants of that category. After a short rest at Vietnam Red’s Hotel the group continued to have free time to shop in Hanoi. We then regrouped to watch the spectacular Water Puppet Show where lights, water, puppets and music come together to tell stories of the traditional Vietnamese times. We finished the night with a fantastic dinner, a delicious way to end a superb day!!
Lots of Love,

Oliver, Theo, Alessia and Jorja xxx

P.S. we are missing you all!!! But we will be home soon