The sun's out! It's not quite 33* bliss again, but a million miles away from the woolly jumper weather last week, which made me want to eat non stop and find a big blanket!
Last week we discovered Zenith, a local yoga centre not too far from our flat, so I decided to treat myself with my birthday money to a membership for our final weeks. I have just had my third Hatha yoga class and am really, really enjoying it - I've wanted to practice regularly for far too long, but not had the option or opportunity since I left university. The teacher and entire class is very relaxed and non-judgemental, going through each pose slowly and carefully to ensure everyone benefits to their fullest potential. I've done classes before where you can barely keep up with the instructor bending into impossible positions and having no idea how to get there, so it was perfect to begin with full support. We use more equipment like chairs, belts and blankets too, as well as scary looking ropes on the wall to hang off (this is my favourite part!).
The community at Zenith is very chilled and friendly, which has helped me to feel at home here. Their cafe has tonnes of healthy food and smoothies that I can't help but give in to, I think I need a healthy physical and mental detox anyway to balance all the stress and desserts! (Talking of desserts - our last great finds were a whole tray of rocky road at Chops and a bread pudding with bacon... So yum). They hold lots of cool events regularly at Zenith too, so we took advantage of their Ayurvedic cooking class and bike ride by the river.
I found the cooking lesson really interesting, it's not related to Vietnamese cuisine but Ayurveda is the holistic yogic healing system originated thousands of years ago in India. Depending on your predominant Dosha, you can learn to balance your mind, body and spirit for optimal health. This system is still used widely in the Eastern world, which I witnessed a lot in Sri Lanka. Dosha's are three energies derived from the five elements (air, space, water, fire and earth) describing physical, emotional and mental characteristics, of which each person is unique. We learnt about what foods are good for certain people and how to incorporate that into your everyday cooking. So for instance if your predominant Dosha is Vata (air and space = cold and dry), you should base your diet on more warm, nourishing foods like sweet potatoes, hot soup and cinnamon. There's so much detail I could talk about, but if you're interested there's tonnes to read online about it! Try http://goop.com/ayurveda-how-to-eat-for-your-dosha/
Our teacher was a Canadian guy originally from India, so he had grown up with the Ayurvedic philosophy guiding his medicine, diet and balancing his overall health. We used the most simple natural ingredients like ginger, garlic, turmeric and coriander to form the base of surprisingly flavour-filled dishes and healthy pure cooking, nothing fancy or ridiculous. One dish he showed us was literally onion, peppers and freshly ground peanut powder which he made by roasting and crushing the peanuts earlier that day. Fry those three simple ingredients together, slowly, and you get the most delicious invigorating taste and crunchy texture. He gave us lots of little Ayurvedic lifestyle tips too to keep our health in balance, such as eat the heavier foods in your meal first (like our dhaal lentil curry) as they take longer to digest and avoid water for an hour before and after eating. Definitely learnt a lot and can't wait to try it all out!
The bike ride was the following morning - it's amazing what beauty lies five steps outside the city... Apparently endless crops and farmland, anyone who's been to Hanoi will probably think where the hell was that hiding? There's a huge area by the river where all other evidence of the chaotic city is hidden and you can enjoy the peace and quiet of nature. The ride ended with a fantastic three course meal altogether back at Zenith; chunky vegetable soup, baked rice and chocolate brownie. Feeling good!
We spent yesterday how a Sunday should be spent. Productive but relaxed, ticking off chores and washing and shopping before enjoying Netflix and a home cooked dinner with coconut ice cream.
Day 158 - Tues 15th November 9.52pm
Today I refound my love of phô when we ventured into the Old Quarter before work. Fresh light herby goodness! Accompanied by two Californian guys giving light on the recent election of Trump and how the world is going to pan out for us all very soon. Trip to Canada anyone?
Day 159 - Wednesday 16th November 3.55pm
A morning of jogging, yoga and pilates, chickpea curry and cacao shake, laying in the park in the sunshine, organising our Myanmar visa and a good old frozen Kit Kat Chunky.
Day 160 - Thursday 17th November 2.22pm
Now it's back to 33* bliss, this weather seems more confused than an English summer!
Sitting on a bench by the lake, enjoying my pork and pate Bánh Mi in the sunshine, all I need now is a coconut ice cream to top it all off. Today has been beautifully and actively tranquil; after my tropical fruit breakfast I actually enjoyed a jog to my Hatha yoga class, rejuvenated after by a fresh coconut with aloe and mint (yes Aloe - seriously try it!) before my aromatherapy massage at a local centre that trains partially sighted and disadvantaged youths as masseuses. Since my new daily yoga sessions I ached in every corner of my body! What a great morning eh? Now time to prepare for a headache with two hours of my noisy non-stop class of 12 year olds. I knew the peacefulness couldn't last too long!
Day 164 - Monday 21st November 2.05pm
Morning Yoga and Pilates done, green smoothie devoured, time to enjoy the last day of sunshine before the Hanoian frost comes! Which means laying with my book on the one patch of grass that seems acceptable in this city.
We've had a pretty packed weekend, trying out the Hanoian cinema experience on Friday to see Fantastic Beasts (loved it) complete with an Lotteria burger before class after class after class that evening. On Saturday we went for a burrito brunch after yoga then to a special market at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, generously making far too many beautiful handmade purchases from the Northern minority tribes, then an evening of great food at the Hanoi Social Club.
Sunday was spent meandering through the Hanoi Green Market, where we stocked up on dirt cheap Vietnamese local veg and mysterious fruits that looked minging but tasted divine. Then something that should not be legal on a Sunday - covering a rowdy kindergarten class for two hours with absolutely no preparation. Dinner could only be one thing - a street food takeaway delight in front of the TV.
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