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Published: August 13th 2009
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Hoan Kiem - Hanoi - Island Temple
Small temple, small island...the small lake in the middle of Hanoi...a great place to catch a slightly cooler breeze than the rest of Hanoi So...after wandering a bit on my first night, I discovered that Hanoi was not the lawless, bag-snatching Hell hole I had been led to believe. Though the hawkers were a bit of a pain in their tenaciousness to sell you a hat or a fan or a multitude of other relatively simple and limited use items, no one tried to rob me or take my shoulder bag or steer me down a blind, dark alley to mug me. In fact, most of them smiled and said ' hello ' and offered mototaxis and things...but not once did I feel threatened one bit...and by eleven o'clock, the streets start to empty and it becomes easier and less hassle to walk around. The first morning, I woke early-ish to make the included-breakfast at my hotel. EVERYONE of the staff went out of their way to say ' good morning ' and some asked what I had planned...it was like living in a college dorm where you know everyone. The breakfast was more than sufficient and you could order off a menu and not just be handed what they wanted to give you...plus unlimited coffee or tea. The first thing was...go out and get
Hanoi - Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum
The resting place of the National Hero of modern Vietnam. Wonder what he would have thought about being refrigerated. a feel of my neighbourhood...so I went for a walk. Well...the hawkers made me a little punch drunk and soon I went to the Hoan Kiem for refuge. The peddlars seem to leave you alone by the lake and the perspective of that area is different in the daylight. I had an ice cream..took some photos..and sat down to look at the map of the city centre that I picked up from the hotel desk. I went back to the hotel..and the key to dealing with the hawkers is...just do not acknowledge them unless you want something...they soon move on...the minute you say ' no thank you ', it just spurs them on to try harder. You can't blame them...they are just trying to make a living. If you do see something you like from one...you can bargain in earnest but make sure you do with a commitment in your head...that you will buy it when you think you have your deal...don't bargain just for the fun of it then walk away without intent to purchase...that is how you get into trouble. At my hotel, off the internet, I searched out a few likely restaurants for lunch in my area.
Hoan Kiem - Hanoi - Island Temple and Walkway
A bigger island and a different sort of temple at the other end of the lake from the smaller temple. I decided on Com Chay Nang Tam...a Buddhist vegetarian restuarant that turned out to be about fifteen minutes walk. It is easy to find but in a hot humid environment...not much fun. The restaurant was well air-conditioned but packed with one table open...right in the middle...so I took it. The menu had titles with ' chicken ' and ' beef ' and other meat names but I knew the names were just that...the ' meat ' was made of vegetable glutton and other non-animals products. The only thing non-buddhist was the liquor menu. The lunch was very reasonably priced and afterwards, I headed out towards the Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh. With map in hand, I had no trouble finding the resting place of ' Uncle Ho ' as he is still affectionatley known. A hero for the masses...a communist of convenience when the West spurned him and his Nationalist movement after WWII. His mausoluem is set in a large open area near his headquarters. The tomb itself is only open in the mornings and not every day. The first thing I noticed when I went back the next morning was that the air-conditioning was not actually air-conditioning, it was refrigeration...man, it was cold. No photos are allowed and you cannot wear shorts...you must walk through respectfully with your hands at your sides. Afterwards, you can tour his compound and see that he truly was a man of the people. He kept simple dwellings for himself and his staff...the meeting rooms were practical, not flamboyant nor ultranationalistic and burdened with propaganda posters and such. I am sure he is spinning in his grave at the method by which Vietnam is being run and exploited by those in power these days. It was long, slow ( on purpose due to the heat and humidity ) walk back to the Hang Bé and I reflected very much on the history of Vietnam as I had seen it unfold on the evening news so many, many years ago. You will never see that kind of reporting again from a war, it was the kind of reporting that helped stop that war...you will see a sanitized version that is meant treat war as thing of nationalist pride...one for the gipper and all that. The men who reported ( and sometimes died doing so ) the Vietnam war showed the shame and horror behind the farce that war is...it is a game that bored old people play in the name of big business and hegemony. It is as sad today as it was forty years ago. I didn't even notice that the typhoon was approaching Hanoi.
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