We've been in Hanoi since Saturday. Toot toot honk honk. Every 2 seconds someone toots or honks or asks us to buy a watch, a zippo, a hammock, a pineapple, a banana, some rambutan, a cap, a tshirt, some chopsticks, another banana, a toy wooden pecking chicken, a bowl of pho, a postcard, a map, a lonely planet guidebook, another banana, a rambo dvd, a silk wall hanging a conical hat, a beer, a bunch of bananas, a bunch of roses, a bunch of limes, a pair of sunglasses, a guided tour, a cyclo ride, another banana, a taxi ride, a motorbike ride...I'm sure you get the picture...and if you don't someone in Hanoi will surely sell you one.
We've seen Ho Chi Minh the dead communist leader who did so much to revolutionise his country and help his people (before the yanks decided to blow the crap out of the place that is)...They have Uncle Ho freeze dried under glass and if you want to see him you get lined up single file and marched into the mausoleum that holds his body. They also have him under yellow light which is extremely erie. It's very dim in the crypt. I suppose the dimmer the lighting the better when you've been freeze dried since 1969 and 5000 people a day walk past you. He does look almost alive though. Like he's suddenly going to wake up and smell the Pho.
We also visited the somewhat surreal museum dedicated to him and his life. He definitely did a great deal for the Vietnamese people. The absolutely love him.
Last night we went to water puppet theatre. It was great and cost about 2 dollars. Marionettes on water depicting aspects of Vietnamese life. It was great fun.
There seems to have been an influx of tourists in the last two days. Tomorrow if my birthday and we are hopefully going on a cycling tour in the country side. It will be great to get out of the city. Friday we head up to Halong Bay for two days on a Vietnamese Junk surrounded by spectacular scenery. Then we're off to the Mountains of Sapa for 7 days to explore the hill tribes and hopefully do a homestay in one of the little villages.
