Day. 3

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Day 3
An early start, and a good breakfast to kick off the day. By a good breakfast I mean no chop sticks where needed!We set off for the local bus to see Ho Chi Minh Ho Mausoleum in Ba Dinh Square. It was really weird! There was a never ending queue of people waiting to visit. There was so much security to get through before actually getting in. It was a highly regimented visit - no water - no cameras - no hats - no sunglasses on head - no hands in pockets - no chatting - no giggling..... Well if the visit didn't make you laugh - the surprise inside, then the visiting rules certainly would! No- one had mentioned he was actually in there! I was expecting a museum type thing, not his actual body!!

We returned for lunch ..oooohhh wonder what delight it is today , there is one thing for certain..... It will require chopsticks!

I have added some pics of the traffic, they don't really do the craziness justice. Every time you cross the road.....you take your life in your hands!

Really nice lunch, was a bit surprised. I think I must be getting used to it! After lunch a small group of us - Nadia, Britt, Hannah, Andrea, Amberline and ...and me went for walk to the lake again to spend more time there. we stumbled upon a lovely bridge which led us to a small temple on the lake. At the northern end of Hoan Kiem Lake is a small island with the Ngoc Son ("Jade Mountain") Temple. The temple supposedly dates back to the fourteenth century, although the current buildings were probably built in the eighteenth century. The temple is dedicated to the hero Tran Hung Dao, who defeated a force of 300,000 sent to invade Vietnam by the Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan.

I have just got back from having my nails painted..... On a kiddie stool in the street! It was 30,000 dong ....about £1.50!!!!! We are having dinner soon, then out for a few beers, well will finish here for today xxxx

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