Figuring Out the Day
So, I’m in Hanoi, yeah? And everyone’s like, “Temple of Literature, Temple of Literature.” Kept hearing about it. Figured I might as well see what the fuss was about. Didn’t make some big song and dance about it, just woke up one day and thought, “Yeah, today’s the day.”
Getting There – Easy Peasy
Hopped on a Grab bike. Honestly, best way to get through that Hanoi traffic. Driver knew the spot, dropped me right out front. No drama. Good start, I thought.
Stepping Inside
Ticket wasn’t much, which was a relief. Walked in, and man, it was way quieter than outside. You get this big courtyard, lots of trees. Felt kinda nice, actually, a bit of a break from the noise. You go through these big ol’ gates, and then there’s another courtyard, then another gate. It’s like, a whole sequence of these open spaces.
Those Stone Turtles Everyone Talks About
Then I hit the part with the stone turtles. Big fellas, carrying these stone slabs on their backs. Supposed to have names of smarty-pants people from ages ago. Heaps of people were around them, clicking away with their cameras. Saw a few folks touching their heads for luck or something, not sure if you’re really supposed to. Just kept wandering, looking at stuff. There were these little ponds too, pretty neat.
The Actual Temple Part
Made my way further in, to what I guess was the main event – the temple itself. Smelled like incense, big time. There’s this main hall, got a big statue of some important old dude, Confucius, I reckon. People were pretty quiet in there, doing their thing. Saw some offerings laid out. It was all pretty traditional looking. Snapped a couple of pics, didn’t want to be that tourist, you know?
Around the main bit, there were other buildings. One had these massive drums. And get this, loads of students were there, some in actual graduation gowns. Taking tons of photos. Guess it’s a big spot for them, ’cause it was like, the first university or something.
So, Was It Worth It?
Hung around for maybe an hour, hour and a half. Walked all the paths, peered into the buildings. It’s not like it takes all day. Once I felt I’d seen the highlights, I just walked back out. Back into the chaos of Hanoi. Yeah, it was pretty interesting. Good to see a bit of the old history stuff. Definitely a change of pace from the rest of the city.
