Today is sort of do nothing day. We are reveling in relaxation after our busy, do something every day, 3+ weeks. We can sleep in and sort of lounge around in the morning, but we do have something planned for today. Tara is having a talk on Taoism at TEAC, to which we are planning to attend. We arrive early (surprise!), pay our entrance fee and wander back to the presentation area. We introduce ourselves to Tara, then seat ourselves in the back so as not to be obtrusive. Eventually, and the crowd fills in (mostly all local ex-pat, but a few tourists), Tara asks us to move up front to allow late guests easy entry – perfect! We’re in the front row without looking like pushy people.
The presentation is great, the history of Taoism, how the traditions are kept in the villages and how TAEC has come into possession of so many artifacts (some are on loan from an anonymous donor, some were purchased when offered by the owner). We are also shown how they care for the artifacts, where they are stored and how they need a bigger space to display more of the items. It is a fascinating hour or so, learning all about local culture, history and how Tara and her partner explore the culture and try to keep it alive through the museum.
By the time we leave, it is close to lunch time, so we head over to Atsalin, another Tara recommendation. This is a great little place a couple of blocks away from the house, serving mostly noodles and fried rice at totally cheap prices. Today, I get fried rice with crispy pork, a sort of riff on pork belly that is excellent and way too filling. Ed gets crispy yellow noodle with duck and vegetables, which is heavy on the duck and veggies, with yummy crispy noodles on the bottom. Oh, I’m so getting that if we come here again!
The afternoon is spent at the house, just hanging about, enjoying our freedom. The hot afternoon turns into a thunderstorm strewn evening as we venture from the house looking for dinner. We decide to eat at Tangor, always a good bet, and wade our way through the burgeoning night market to grab the very last table at Tangor. We are totally lucky, because everyone who comes in after us has to go out back – through the rain to what appears to be a leaky sort of bamboo thatched roofing over outdoor seating. Timing is everything.
And we have timed it perfectly, not only do we nab the last table, we also manage to sneak into the last minutes of happy hour. 2 fers! So we settle in, order our drinks and watch the rain on the patio and the people streaming in and out of the restaurant. After a while we order our meals – Chicken stay for me – 8 skewers of perfectly grilled chicken presented standing up in a wooden bowl, and bun cha for Ed, once again served with very little broth, but excellent with ground pork meatballs (as opposed to patties) a spring roll, noodles and tons of chili sauce and lettuce. Guess the Hanoi “soup” style is only in Hanoi.
A yummy meal, with our 2nd drinks as dessert. And the cutest thing, on the bill, the happy hour special rings up as one drink to pay, and the other drink as a “gift.” Very funny! We’ve never been given a “gift” at a bar before.
Totally full and happy, we take our leave and weave our way through a rainy night market, where most of the vendors were closing up shop due to the heavy downpours and the lack of customers. We had plans to shop, but we have 2 more nights, so we’ll put it off for a drier evening.
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