Day 4: Gooooooood Morning Vietnam. Good morning Mo-Phos. Good morning family and friends of Mo -Phos. This is our final day in Hanoi and everyone is excited to get started. Ang is actually spelled Anh and pronounced Ang. He picked us up at 9:00am after a hearty breakfast.
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| Anh in Action |
Anh's son is named Shin. He's 5 years old. He met his wife 14 years ago. On his first date he picked her up on a scooter. Here's a picture of Anh going on his first date. He brought her boxes of Apples.
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| 15 boxes. Very generous. |
Here is a picture of Anh on his second date...
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| You go Anh. A bit of an overshare. But, no worries, we'll keep it on the down low. |
My first date, I picked Wendy up in a rental car. It had bench seating for the front seat. Remember those cars? I miss bench seats. No pics to share though.
We visited a 400 year old temple, one of the oldest in Vietnam. The Temple of Literature. So you are wondering, what religion is that?
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| Confucius says... |
I always wondered about Confucius. It's different from Buddhist beliefs. Confucianism is a philosophy more than just a normal religion. It has no church, no clergy and no bible. You basically pray for what you want. Luck, love, money, happiness. You name it. You be you. I love it.
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Rob doing the money prayer
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The PeePee Prayer.
Where men pray for more manhood. |
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| Doodles wasting no time |
Confucianism advocates a code of social behavior that man ought to live in harmony with society and attain happiness in his individual life (and hers). Very practical. I'm going to try it. "Oh Confucius, I am thirsty. Please provide me with water."
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Shit works!
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Brad praying for "Best Selfie"
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| Sisterhood prayer session |
There were lots of young students learning about the temple in class.
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| Two kids in Yankee hats? Horrible parental role models. |
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| Much better parenting. |
The temple has some old ass trees. I guess if you live to 400+ your roots keep growing.
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Major Roto Rooter
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| Mo-Pho Rooters |
What do you get when you cross a Lion + Dragon in Vietnam?
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| A Uni-Amy |
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| Also, rubbing bellies and heads bring good luck. Group luck. |
Ok. I think you get it. The temple was a spiritual awakening for all of us. A confirmation of our gratitude and a new found learning of how community and spirituality can possibly play a larger role in all of our lives. You just can't get enough of this stuff. Or at least I can't. Now what? How about we visit a prison.
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| I'll do anything... But time. |
This is the prison where the Vietnamese held their own people and also held American POW's. It's a real upper. Within 5 minutes, I was ready for lunch (anxiety eating kicking in). And then I saw what the prisoners ate, and I started to feel worse. I'm not a fan of prisons. Duh. Who is Jeff? I did think it was odd that they had a sign for their prison Souvenir Shop. Just what I was looking for, some prison souvenirs.
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| I'll take two shackles and a wire cutter |
Some prisoners actually were able to escape through the sewer line. They "Shawshanked" the fuck out. I couldn't fit. I'd be stuck in my cell while the skinny's sewer lined out.
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| I'm going on the "Escape From Prison Diet" |
Lunch time please. I'm done with this place. John McCain was also there for 3+ years or 4+ years or 5 years, or I wasn't listening again. On our way to lunch, I saw the Vietnamese version of the name Peter Hardman...
Ang walked the guys over to Hanoi's version of Jersey Mikes. I'm a fan. It was a great relief after prison break.
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| I'll take a #7 Anh's Way |
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| It was so good that Rob ate the wrapper |
The girls wanted to try some soup, so we walked over to a nice lunch place. On the way we walked by Mr. Pedicure.
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| Self-Service |
Even I can see that's fucking gross. Dude, save it for home style. After lunch Anh set us up with Coffee Talk with a Vietnam War historian whose Uncle was a vet. I'm not hungry, but getting hungrier in anticipation.
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| Do they serve donut holes here? A donut without a hole is a danish. |
At pre -war talk we met Barista Boy. He showed us how they make Egg Coffee.
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| The kid killed it! |
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| Yeah he did! |
It was soooooo good. You have to try the Vietnamese coffee if you ever come here. The Egg Coffee he made was something I've never tasted before. Everyone loved it. The mixing of the egg yolk is the key.
Ok. Next we get into war talk. His name is also Anh. Coincidence? We spent an hour with Anh. Our discussion was one of the highlights of Hanoi. Anh#2 was super impressive.
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| Welcome you Mo-Phos. My name is Anh#2 |
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| You have our attention |
I'm not going to document our entire discussion. But here are my key takeaways:
1. The Vietnamese know how to forgive. They move past the past.
2. Love is the best path forward.
3. Citizens are different than Governments.
4. War is not the answer.
5. No one trusts China; and
6. Coffee talk is sweeeeeeeet
We all loved Anh #2. He was inspiring. He ended the session reading poetry that his Mom wrote. She's a famous poet and we didn't know it.
What great prison relief for everyone. I'm exhausted. But what a day. Some of us headed back to the hotel; some went for messages; some went shopping. Later, some of us met up for happy hour and experienced a new type of cocktail.
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| The Scorpian and Tonic |
After...me, Mark, Doodles and Brad went for burgers.
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| Around the corner from our hotel. Solid. |
Mark and I stopped at McDonalds for a vanilla swirl for .$80 per swirl. I'm officially ready for bed. Today, was a memory of a lifetime. It's what makes traveling great. Fully getting out your comfort zone.
Temple Time taught me to embrace and expand my spirituality.
Prison Time confirmed for me that time is our most valuable resource. Don't waste it in prison (and don't get captured).
War Talk Time taught me about the power of forgiveness.
Life is short, so let's make everyday amazing. Today was one of those amazing days, and sharing it my Mo-Phos made it that much more special. Goodbye Hanoi. Thank you for being you.
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"We wsh you everlasting peace."
Love, Mo-Phos. |
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