Vietnam ... Again ...

It's no mistake, the return to Hanoi was the result of that it was not possible to include the tour of Cambodia and Laos in the Round the World ticket!

So I took the opportunity to take a few more trips around the city and beyond...

I would like to highlight the balloons and umbrellas of the imperial citadel of Thang Long, the boy/teenager participating (I would say rebellious...) in a ceremony at the Vu Thach Pagoda ... and also the Hoan Kien Lake where people stroll peacefully... and where I like to have lunch...

Photos

Loose Tales -Delicacy in poverty ...

After a day in the imperial city, hungry but not wanting to question a late dinner, I decided to look for a banana seller who was always at the market after hours…

She was an ageless woman who was showing off huge bunches of green bananas, so I asked her if she could possibly sell me 2 ripe bananas… She replied, with gestures, that she didn’t have any…

As I was getting ready to leave, the woman, also using gestures, asked me to wait a little… She got up and went to get 2 pleasantly bananas that were in the back…

Of course I offered to get them, asking, using gestures, how much they would cost…

The saleswoman, again using gestures, said that they were free and that she would get me a bag (plastic… it’s part of this part of the world) so that I wouldn’t get dirty, emphasizing, using gestures, that her hands were dirty and I was clean…

I was very touched by her attitude and decided to make it up to her with a cake I had bought from a shop similar to a bakery that was nearby… When I offered her the cake as a way of paying for the precious bananas, I received a big smile in return…

And it was in a ceremonious way that we said goodbye…

Thinking about it: I should have bought 2 cakes… I ended up with a deficit… Anyway, not everything is perfect!

And you might ask: How can I be sure that the dialogue developed in sign language will be translated correctly? Well, I’m not sure, but I believe that the heart is the best way to read people’s attitudes…

Hué / Vietnam, on 15.02.2025.

Laos - Luang Prabang - Sai Bat - Frenzy and Staging... Yes and No...

Without daylight, I walk along the main street to reach the last of its temples...

I follow the little chairs lined up on carpets... the habitat of the offerings...

Women and families wait peacefully in Luang Prabang...

The gong sounds... monks line up at the entrance to the temples...

The Sai Bat (Rice Donation Ceremony) is begining!

Monks with bare feet silently collect the gifts and return to the temples...

Post Scriptum:

Among the participants in the Sai Bat, an ageless woman had two plastic containers that did not match with the offering baskets...

They were the receptacle for certain offerings from the monks...

The monks and nuns also play with the offerings...Humor is always welcome!

But I believe that, at that same time and in other places, many other monks of all ages would cultivate a genuine spirituality...

Photos

Laos - Luang Prabang - Between rivers... between temples... between monks...

City bathed by 2 rivers of 2 colors...

The blue (Nam Khan) remembers the place where I started... the brown one (Mekong) remembers the place where I arrived...

The flower-filled houses coexist with the temples... Buddhism predominates...

I move freely between temples...

The monks, like any other teenagers or boys, make themselves themselves available for photography ...

Photos

The mystery of the Apsaras...

I said goodbye to Siem Reap with the grace of the Apsaras...

The emotionless faces guide us to look at their hands that tell stories of other times and other worlds...

Photos

Still about Cambodia: Angkor ... Captivating...

Basically, all that remains of the ancient capital of the Khmer empire is its temples...

Built in stone, they resisted the gradual invasion of luxuriant nature during centuries of abandonment,,,

The alternation of religions gave way to the tolerant sharing between Hinduism and Buddhism....

I imagine the coming and going of thousands of workers who, for gratitude and devotion, committed themselves to the Herculean task of building it...

Roots have crossed Mother Earth and resemble divine hands trying to uncover the secrets of men...

Territory of disputes between kingdoms became a stage for the celebration of love...

I expected to find Harrisson Ford... I didn't...

Fhotos

Siem Riep ... Small is beautiful ...

The city has lightness… sip coffee by the river…

In its surroundings, fishermen build their houses to protect their families and their meager possessions from the excess waters of the rivers during the monsoons...

In this dry season, the houses resemble pigeon lofts and the people squatting on their porches look like birds ready to fly...

On Sundays, children free from school happily climb the structures…

There are programs to support children's education: https://pcef-cambodia.org/

Photos

                                          Phnon Penh, another Asian city…

I continue to be treated by MADAME and I like it! (I’ll have to warn the people at Sacolinha that “Menina” has long since become inappropriate!)

In addition to golden temples with indecipherable names, the highlight is the imperial palace with its harmonious buildings and gardens…

Monk teaches his disciples stories drawn on the walls...

Fhotos

Hué - Outside the forbidden city …

An Asian city crossed by the river “Perfume“…

Streets decorated with large flower boxes hidden by the anarchic parking of motorbikes…

Despite the dazzling Vietnamese beauty, Western aesthetics continue to exert their fascination…

At the time to say good by, the receptionist May asked if she could hug me…

Photo

Surrendered to the Forbidden City...

The imperial city of Hué is home to a series of palaces and temples that protect the Purple Forbidden City where the daily life of the imperial family took place...

The structures are arranged geometrically over a perimeter of almost 2.5 km and are connected by extensive corridors flanked by grand gardens...

Each door gives access to others... labyrinthine spaces reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland....

In its exterior, the imperial palace was decorated with animalistic ceramic shapes reminiscent of Bordadlo, Gaudí...

In the interiors, floral motifs predominate with the filling of great French and Italian houses...

East and West reconciled... Refinement and good taste flourished...

A space loved by natural people, who, dressed to the nines, resurrect their former splendor!

Stray photos tell Enchanted Stories....

(Sad to know that reconstruction was only possible in a part of the imperial city...)

PHOTOS

Hanoi - A bustling but affable city...

The train also passes here.... and the esplanades multiply at the stop...

Crossing the streets of Hanoi is a major challenge given the constant frenzy of traffic... cars, buses, motorcycles, bicycles and other pedestrians dodge each other... hopefully always!

People are sweet and very available for photography... and of course I took advantage of the photo sessions at Hoàn Kiếm Lake...

In restaurants, cafes and bars, tourists mix pleasantly with the locals! There are loving ties between the West and the East...

The water puppet theater is magnificent! Perhaps due to the peculiarity of its handling (in water), ILLUSION is even more effective!  Also, the contribution of traditional songs and music will not be insignificant. (fortunately I didn't notice where the headphones were being lifted with the translation... because then I wouldn't have heard clearly the fantastic sound of the voices)

Photos

My little bag ...

After having traveled through Frankfurt, Istanbul, Moscow, Frankfurt
(according to the information received) I finally met her again in Hanoi...
It is perfectly understood!

Thailand - Extra Program

The detour to Bangkok allowed me to take a few strolls around the city of golden temples and also a trip to the floating and railway markets, where everything was changed ...  markets, only for tourists ....

Photos

"Your bag will be on board VN036/11FEB for your pick up at Hanoi HAN airport. " e-mail from Luftansa

At the starting point...

I arrived in Hanoi, but not yet with my suitcase...They will tell me something shortly...

I'm waiting, but tomorrow I'm going to buy some new clothes...

Fortunately, medicine,chargers and equipment came in the backpack with me ...

In the kingdom of Thailand, the picturesque can be expensive...

As I couldn`t flight to Hanoi, I needed to change my flight... but they couldn't do that...

Therefore, without a changed ticket, without a visa, without a suitcase and without winter clothes to enjoy Istanbul, I decided to travel to Bangkok using a super cheap ticket!

Decision made, arrival early in the morning!

Without anything planned, I started to book accommodation in the city and having verified that the price of the corresponding transfer was higher than the average price charged (according to the information available on the internet), I decided to venture into public taxis!

My driver spoke rudimentary English, so I was unable to negotiate an acceptable price, worse: I didn't understand the estimated value for the service...

However, the taxi was very peculiar: its roof was completely filled with banknotes carefully preserved in plastic and its dashboard supported an authentic sanctuary filled with statuettes of gods and goddesses, as well as a photo of the owner in his version from far away in time.

Although my taxi driver's English was very poor, I made an effort to maintain a conversation... until I heard a Madame uuu...arii bitifuliiiiii... (I never will be able to say again the word correctly)

And when my driver pointed to the GPS with his pinky with oversized rings (one of them with the shape of a strupa buddhist ,,,), I realized that I had arrived at my destination!

I paid what was indicated on the meter plus 150 Baths (I don`t know why?), which represented almost €5 more compared to the price I would paid if I had contracted the service via hotel...

Worse: It wasn't on the right street!

Fortunately, a young receptionist at a hostel showed me the right direction: a street parallel to that one, but separated by a complex of temples...

Still in Istanbul

Hello!

Are you expecting photos of Hanoi? No, I am sorry!

The reality doesn't always go as planned, in this case, because of Turkey's control over entry visas into Vietnam (true!), I was unable to fly to Hanoi on 02.03.2025 and even though the Vietnamese authorities ran out of time to issue that document, I'm still in Istanbul waiting... (I already have material for the page “it happened, but it shouldn't have…”)

A stay in Istanbul would even be excellent if I had my winter clothes stored in my little suitcase (more precisely, packed in the hood of my snow jacket), my little suitcase flew to Hanoi after a quick visit to Moscow... (according to the information provided by the Airport), i.e., the suitcase traveled on its own!

I sincerely hope to meet my little suitcase again in Hanoi in the conditions in which I delivered it in Lisbon...