Back in Vietnam
Trip Start
May 16, 2008
1
16
41
Trip End
Sep 15, 2008
Hanoi,
Vietnam
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Ok it was totally worth getting up with the sun (and roosters damn it!) and heading down to Hoan Kiem Lake (which is the lake in the Old Quarter), got to see everyone in their morning routine of exercise which was anything from walking, tai chi, aerobics, jogging or badminton. After about an hour's peace, the motorbike traffic starts.
Sandra needed to go shopping for sun block and we had a hard time finding some without a "whitening" agent
Chaos in the sky
. Vietnamese girls do all they can to keep their skin from getting a tan, they have special shirts to ride their bikes in which cover up all their skin from their finger tips to their eyes. They must think we in Canada are nuts actually trying to get a tan. Visited Ho Chi Min's mausoleum and house on stilts. Uncle Ho is a super super big deal and to visit there are a few rules including: dont walk on the lawn in front (that also means the pathes through the lawn...oops!), no bags, cameras, shorts, tank tops, hands in pockets, etc. The walk through is solemn, and Uncle Ho is really lying there all lit up. You then get shepparded through his house complex and the Presidential Palace. The grounds are nice, very high security (which, in my opinion, seems to be most concerned with you walking on the grass as opposed to any sort of vandalism).
Huc Bridge leads to the Ngoc Son Temple, where all 3 religions of the region are represented, Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism.
Walked our soles off using our Lonely Planet Guide walking tour which takes you through all the neighbourhoods of the Old Quarter including the blacksmiths, knock offs, gravestones, toys, herbs, etc. Very cool, we did it at our own pace, stopping for cold drinks along the way.
