The first day in Hanoi and last day with an intrepid group for the next couple of days was spent recouperating and sorting out stuff I'd been leaving until i got to Hanoi...(internet, new simcard, laundry, and sending home 5kg of stuff I would never need that was taking up valuable space in my bag!) Then went-a-wandering to get my barings amongst the numerous allyways and streets that make up Hanoi. Wierdly, seeing as Hanoi is not a small place, I ran into Nick and his friend Burnsey. (Nick my rugby coach who's travelling round Asia aswel) But I was quite happy to carry on wandering so didn't meet up with him again til later.
We had our last group meal in a Vietnemse restaurant- the ground floor was under a marquee with buffet running round the outside; a total free-for-all was ensuing! Luckily Ting led us to the Second floor which was a normal restaurant where you didn't have to use your elbows to get to the food! We ordered an ate 'til we could eat no more!
Introduced Nick and Burnsey to the rest of my group when we went for a few drinks after the meal-an experience for Ting (our chinese leader) and Tegan (an unsuspecting Aussi) to meet a proper "Buxton Lad"! ...i think they couldn't really understand what he was saying for a lot of the time!
The next day I moved out of the Hotel and into the Hanoi Backpackers Hostel in the centre of the Old Quarter. A brilliant place to meet other travellers as it was THE place to stay in Hanoi if you were backpacking. Spent the next couple of days sightseeing round Hanoi; went to visit the prison and army museum. Saw models of the defence the Vietnemese under took in the Vietnam war. Soldiers would have a three pronged bomb on the end of a pole and when an american tank would roll past the soldiers would throw themselves at the tank, sticking the bomb to it, and sacrificing themselves. Although I'm sure there is some propaganda in everything you read and see at the historical sights, no matter which country your visiting, it was a eye opener to get the vietnemese point of view of a country struggling against colonists for centuries and finally winning united independance.
On a lighter note, at the army museum an old communist gave me his number! I was just walking round the aeroplanes and got waved over by this old vietnemese man who, without any introduction or attempt at converstion, wrote his phone number down on an envelope and indicatied for me to do the same! Havn't resorted to ringing it yet!
I did a day trip to the Perfumed Pagoda which entailed a scary bs ride for an hour to a river where a tiny vietnemese woman in a tin boat rowed 4 heavy westerners for an hour up-stream to the start of the walk that led to a series of buddist temples and then the Pagoda. The hour upstream was a long one sat on a tiny wooden bench feeling sorry for the lady rowing us! The Perfumed Pagoda itself was actually in a cave where a princess of old vietnam took herslef to when she got leperasy and didn't want to infect her kingdom. She spent her days there practicing Buddhism and healing herself from the surrounding plants. (Aparently Almonds will sort most things out..?!) The Buddhists follow the rules of 5 things in moderation; money, food, fame, wine and sex. Perhaps this is where the west are going wrong!
The eveinings after my sightseeings were spent on the roof top bar in the hostel meeting other travellers, playing cards and picking up tips for further down Vietnam. I met guy called Donald who had been travelling since 1992!
On the 12th May I went to a pool at a hotel with Nick and Burnsey and said goodbye to them in the evening as they set of to HaLong Bay and then down the coast of Vietnam.
Yesterday I met my new intrepid group which consist of mostly women (again!)from USA, Aus, and Britain ages between 19-early 30's, one single guy from Aus in his 60's and one older couple from NZ. Our new trip leader is called Hi, he's Vietnemese and seems more up for mingling with the group and taking us to bars than his chinse counterparts were!
Today (15th May) was spent looking round Ho Chi Minh's mauseleum and seeing him lying all waxy and embalmed in his coffin- (he actually asked to be cremated in his will)- and looking round the surrounding area where he lived and worked.
Tomorrow we head for Halong Bay for some sun, sea, and Karst mountains!!
Vietnam's Flag
Map of Vietnam