1000 Year Celebration

So before I typed this blog, I was ironing clothes while listening to BoA and Katy Perry on Grooveshark (yes I would hand over my "man" card but I gave that away a long time ago) and paused to look outside my windows.  While it is cloudy, Hanoi weather has finally cooled off a bit allowing to open my windows and sit on my balcony to type or, in this case, iron my clothes.  I then had one of these holy moly "how the heck did I get here?" moments that occasionally hits me (G version).  I don't usually get emotional about my life--I'm more of a "whatever, no biggie, laid-back" person--but living in Hanoi has created some moments where I'm actually proud of myself and amazed that I am actually doing this...like ironing to Katy Perry in Hanoi, something I never thought I would ever do.

Anyways...in the first two weeks of October, Hanoi is celebrating the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi, so adding to my experience is the fact that I am living in a city that is turning 1000.  While exciting as this event is and my luck that I am present during such a time, it has been both wonderful and horrible.  

Bad first:  it is kind of crowded.  And when I say crowded, I mean packed.  My friend and I tried to go eat at a place down the street from where I live.  Normally, 5 minutes walking time.  We got a quarter of the way there after 20 minutes, because once the street gets jammed, all of the motorbikes go onto the sidewalk.  So from building wall to building wall on the street were motorbikes.  We saw what was ahead and with heavy exhaust fumes in our lungs, said "oh, tuck this" (rather I said that, she said it Viet).  It took about 25 minutes to walk back, which was much harder to do since we were going against traffic and led to a couple of scratches on our legs from being scraped by shoes, metal parts, etc., and we ate somewhere else.

However, the city is really beautiful during this time and the government has really spruced the place up--think Christmas but more humid.  Here are some pics during a more calmer but still above-average busy time:

                                       

Doves for peace....(Right next to the Army Museum)

 I will admit it has distracted me from my studies...but what's the point of flying around the world and just studying?  You have to experience the culture right?  1000 years doesn't come around that often...

tony