Last Day Vietnam: Water Puppet

Our Last Day in Vietnam, we made sure we watch the Vietnamese Water Puppet in the Old Town, Hanoi. We booked for an evening performance. Below, in the lobby of the theatre, are some puppets for sale. I bought one.

Vietnamese Water Puppets on stage:

The Puppeteers:

The Vietnamese Water Puppet Musicians:

I am waiting for the show to begin:

We had dinner the same night at this fabulous restaurant called
The Green Tangerine which was featured in the book " 100 Things to do before you Die"
Food was Asian Fusion ( Vietnamese/ French) They also have a good selection of wines.

The Green Tangerine :

One of the appetizers we ordered: soft shell crab with mango sauce:

Bart and I love Vietnamese Food:

Our last day in Hanoi, Vietnam, we also just relaxed during the day by the pool:

Museum Tours Hanoi, Vietnam Part2

Vietnam Museum of Ethnology

The Museum of Ethnology has an outstanding collection of the different ethnographic spectrum that makes up the Vietnamese nation. Displays include clothes, cultural implements, social rites and full-size model ethnic houses in the grounds. It is located in the Cau Giay District of Hanoi.

Bart and I inside a Tay House from Dinh Hoa district, Thai Nguyen province.

At the Indoor exhibits: A representation of silk and cotton garments
made and worn by Thai Thanh women in Nghe An province.

Inside the Ede Long House in Ky village, Dak Lak province.

It is 42 meters long and would have accomodated the families of daughters
and granddaughters of an extended matrilineal family.

A cartoon from the Childrens Ceramic workshop of the Museum:


Madonna infront of a group of Vietnamese school children:

Bart resting inside one of the ethnic houses:


The exterior of the Ede long House:

The Bahnar Communal House:

The Bahnar Communal House has a height of 19 meters and
it is from the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Acording to the Bahnar,
communal house is a symbol of skill and strength of the villagers.

Madonna Davidoff Resting infront of one of the houses:

The exterior of the Bahnar Communal House:

Bart hugging one of the poles of the houses:

After the Ethnology Museum, Bart and I went to see the Temple of Literature Below:

Temple of Literature: Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam

Built in 1805, the The Temple of Literature in Hanoi, Vietnam was established and dedicated to learning. Stone sculptures record the names of scholars who passed its exacting examinations:

The Grounds of the Temple:

Below is the statue of Confucius, a great politician, philosopher who founded the doctrine of Confusianism which had a great impact on the culture, phsychology and ethics of the Chinese people and other neighboring countries including Vietnam:

Madonna Davidoff enjoying the flowers and scenery of Temple of Literature:

The telephone booth:

The rooftop of the Temple of Literature:

Vietnamese Water Puppets:

Bart with one of the Vietnamese musical performers:
We bought two CDs of Vietnamese instrumental music.

Hello Hanoi, Vietnam

April 21, 2009

Landed in Hanoi, Vietnam and meeting my hubby Bart,

we checked in at The Intercontinental Hotel Westlake, Hanoi:
These are the rooms at the Intercontinental above the Westlake:

Our Bedroom at the hotel:

Below , infront of the rooms:

Bart:

Our first breakfast Breakfast in Hanoi, Vietnam: Great Buffet,
a selection of Vietnamese, French and other international dishes.

Touring the Old City , Hanoi:
The Old Twon of Hanoi, is very colorful, lots of motorbikes,
peddlers, vendors, little shops and markets:

Bart looking for directions:

I am in one of the traditional shops in the old town:

Below, I bought a custom made stamp with my signature in it:

Inside one of the small temples in the old city:

School children in the Old town:

In the French Town, Hanoi ( Influence of French Colonial time)

We had to take the motorbike: what an experience: whew! they go very fast .

My Asian Trip 2009(Bali,Hanoi,Manila)

In a few weeks, I will be boarding once again SingaporeAir . This is my favorite airline because of the superb service and comfort. I will be away for a month starting in Bali, Indonesia followed by Hanoi, Vietnam and then on to Manila, Philippines.

In Bali, I always stay in Ubud. which is considered the centre of Bali's arts and culture. It is a remarkable town in the middle of the island of Bali and the climate is a lot cooler than the rest of the island. Once a refuge for scruffy backpackers, mystics, artists and bohemians, Ubud is now home for a lot of international as well as local artists. I like staying in Ubud, because there I can paint in peace ,but at the same time have enough social interaction with other artists if I want to. At the outskirt of Ubud are beautiful ricefields, village life and local scenes where one can have a glympse of the true Balinese way of living.

The second part of my trip will be in Hanoi,Vietnam. It will be my first time in Vietnam and I'm excited about it because my hubby, Bart Davidoff ,will already be there to meet me.
Below is a Computer World article that covers a seminar in Singapore in which he moderated a discussion on information management.

The last part of my trip will be Manila, Philippines. There, I will visit my father, Jose L. Angeles who will be turning 90 years old next year and my brother Jolan and his wife Tonette, together with their daughters Amanda and Anna .

Unfortuntaley, my daughter Bianca is in College now in Florida and won't be able to come with us for this trip. The last time Bianca was with us was in Singapore and Thailand two years ago :

Bianca in Thailand :

Bianca will be missed especially by her grandfather. Our plan is to take the whole family next year to Manila again for my father's 90th birthday.

I will be in Bali, Vietnam & Manila soon!

I will be in Asia soon!

I haven't posted for awhile because I am busy arranging my next trip to Asia.
I've finally booked my flights. Next month , I will be going back to my beloved Bali, Indonesia

Then on to Vietnam to be with my hubby in Hanoi :

Lastly, I will be in Manila to visit my family before going back to the States .

Below is an original painting I did of Old Intramuros, Manila which was published as a book cover
entitled" The West & the World" written by Kevin Reilly and published by Markus Wiener Publishers