Ho Chi Mingin'..

Welcome to the capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Hanoi.

01 Kat At Hoan Kiem Lake..

On first impressions Hanoi is sophisticated, modern, and yet maintains a touch of the old at every turn. It has broad boulevards, lush trees, ugly governmental institutions, and dozens of lakes and temples. Add a touch of French colonial architecture to that and you have quite a unique city. It certainly charmed the pants off us.

We started our exploration of the city at Hoan Kiem Lake ( Lake of the Restored Sword ) which is right next to the main backpacker ghetto. There's an island in the middle of the lake with a relatively interesting temple which we wandered through. Of more interest however is the embalmed remains of the biggest tortoise we've ever seen. This thing was a baby eater of massive proportions.

02 Ngoc Son Temple On Hoan Kiem Lake..

We also went to Hoa Lo Prison Museum. Essentially the museum is all that remains of the prison which was ironically named the Hanoi Hilton by U.S. POW's during the Vietnam War. It was fairly interesting and worth the visit but generally it strayed to propaganda against the French and U.S.

On our final day in Hanoi, Dave and I took in Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum while Kat and Teresa took in the delights of facials and foot massages (yes, life's tough for some). The whole mausoleum visit is a little bit of a trial but certainly worth the effort if you like looking at dead people encased in a glass cabinet. I sure as hell loved it, he was looking as good as the day he died. Apparently he gets a 3 month holiday to Russia every year for 'maintenance' so there is a possibility you may miss him.

03 Smoky Insence..

All in all we had a great 3 or 4 days in Hanoi. We walked the streets and took in what the city had to offer. We had two great companions to hang out with during the (not so) long days and nights. We ate, we drank, we came, we saw and we conquered. Well maybe not the last but it fit the sentence.

This is another one that comes highly recommended by the Cole's.

Next Pod - Hoi An, Vietnam.

Love,

Nath and Kat.

04 Power To The People..

05 Getting My Pho On..

06 How Much For That BBQ Doggy In The Window..

07 The 2Bad4U Crew..

08 Ho Chi Mingin's Mausoleum..

09 Papier Mache Models At The 'Hanoi Hilton'..

10 Not Papier Mache Models.. And Vote For Pedro..

11 Us At The Entrance To The 'Hanoi Hilton'..

12 Teresa, Dave, Kat And I Knocking A Few Back..