I’m not insane

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Sanity is not statistical

- Winston Smith in George Orwell’s 1984

After another awful night’s sleep, I awoke well before my alarm went off. I did my weekly check-in with my parents and sent my laundry off to be done. In most of Asia, it seems that there aren’t public laundromats. There are laundry facilities that wash and fold for you and charge by the kilogram. After yesterday’s run-in with at least one less than honest character I opted to include an itemized list of the contents, providing one to the hostel staffer who would see that it gets where it needs to go and keeping a copy for myself.

The weather outside remained dreary, with completely overcast skies and a light wind. The high would not get out of the 60s again so I broke out my jacket for the first time (other than as a blanket on a bus) since New Zealand.

My first touring stop was at the puppet theatre to get a ticket for one of today’s water puppet performances. The water puppet shows are apparently quite a large part of the culture in Vietnam so I decided to see what it was all about. I would learn at 3:30 this afternoon.

I headed back down past the lake, out to the opera house and history museum. There I came upon an actual Ha Noi Hilton, the hotel, not the prison where American POWs were kept during the Vietnam War. I then proceeded back to the hostel to use the facilities. Since seeing what I thought was a rat yesterday, I’ve been on edge. The bathroom here involves a climb up a few stairs to get in. With the main door typically opened, it allows a cursory glance into the room to make sure the coast is clear. Ever since my encounter yesterday, I’ve made sure to take a peak before entering. Anyone seeing this going on must think I’m some kind of kook, as I bend down to check under the stalls and in the showers before I go about my business.

After my brief stop, with no sign of my little friend, I made my way back outside. I headed down past the lake again where, as is all too customary, I was bombarded by requests for rides on a motorbike and in rickshaws, to purchase bananas, pineapples, postcards, phrasebooks, guide books and anything else the locals could come up with. While I continue to be polite, dismissing each initial request with a “no, thank you”, my patience is wearing thin, especially with those that insist on referring to me as “my friend” as they walk along and offer me an array of products that I have no use for. There is also the occasional beggar who, if he or she spoke better English, I would break out a few lines from Liar Liar.

I finally made it down to Cam Chi, s small street consisting of numerous food stalls, where I dined on my first dish of Pho with beef. Pho, a white noodle soup, originated in northern Vietnam but now can be found all over Vietnam. It was good but is a basic dish without a whole lot of flavor.

After lunch, I had an hour to spare before one of the museums reopened so I walked west to the government section of town. Along the way I passed embassies for Denmark, Ukraine, Kuwait and Romania, along with one flying the European Union flag, but didn’t see any other flags. I also passed a large monument with a huge Vietnamese flag protruding from it before getting to Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and the royal palace. Both were very grand though I could hold no great level of respect for the Vietnamese communist leader and president of North Vietnam like most of the people of Vietnam do.

My next stop was the museum. This museum wasn’t just any museum. Rather, it was the former site of Hoa Lo Prison, known to Americans as the Ha Noi Hilton. Hoa Lo was built by the French colonialists in 1896, in which were “confined and persecuted both the body and the mind of thousands revolutionary patriotic soldiers”. This was its use until 1954, when the north was liberated. It was then used until 1964 to keep lawbreakers. From August 5, 1964 to March 29, 1973, Hoa Lo was used to house American pilots as POWs. Today, only a portion of the prison remains as a museum. Most of it was cleared away for land on which to construct a high rise building.

Inside, I first viewed a broad section that was dedicated to the first 58 years of the prison’s history. These areas contained models and pictures of the prison, examples of cells and confinement rooms and dungeons. Then it transitioned into pictures denoting the people of Paris’s interest in the late 1940s of granting Vietnam its independence. What struck me about this, for the first time I wondered just how France, which was overrun by Nazi Germany just a few years before, still had colonial power over any area.

As I walked around, ominous music played in the background. The music was befitting a horror movie soundtrack, especially in the area of the French guillotine.

It was then that I made it to the much smaller section that was dedicated to the prison’s use to house POWs in the Vietnam War. Based on what I had heard about this place beforehand, it was a detestable place with poor food and unsanitary conditions where severe torture was regularly conducted. This was quite at odds with the description that the prison’s museum provided - “During the war, the national economy was difficult but Vietnamese Government had created the best living conditions to US pilots for they had a stable life during the temporary detention period”. If this was the best living conditions the bar is set pretty low.

Additionally, there was a display of clean prisoner clothes that looked almost new, photos of airmen playing sports, eating and drinking, receiving medical treatment (this one of John McCain) and celebrating Christmas festivities. The way it was portrayed it looked like a fun holiday for these men. Oddly omitted were the acts of torture committed to make airmen speak against the practices of the United States and photos showing anything but the best of circumstances.

Following the museum, it was time for the puppet show at Thang Long. Water puppetry originated in Vietnam more than 1,000 years ago. It consists of puppets controlled by long sticks that are hidden under water. The puppets dance in and on the water and also sail on it at times.

The puppets were controlled by backstage masters while off to the side a handful of musicians provided lyrics and background music. The introduction was made in Vietnamese, English and French but the rest of the performance was solely in Vietnamese.

I observed that the scenes of this show - things like agriculture, catching frogs, fishing, boat racing, Harvest festival, Phoenix dance and fairy dance, among others - all had to do with everyday life and celebrations. With such basic things presented I wondered if the allure was more to the performance than the message. Either way, I found it mildly entertaining and a cultural experience.

This evening I was working on my computer in one of the common areas when in scurried my rat friend. Now that I saw him again I knew I wasn’t crazy. He hid behind some large shelving and didn’t come out. I eventually worked up the nerve to go over and, standing on some furniture, shook the cabinet to get him to come out so I could capture it on my camera. He didn’t move. So, since the area was dark, I snapped a picture behind the cabinet to see what was there. Buried in the corner was the rat. I now had photographic evidence to show the people at the hostel. I told them I’m not complaining and don’t want a refund or anything. I just want this thing gone. I’ll see where that gets me.

I went back up to work on the computer some more. He was still in hiding and tried to come out a few times. Each time he got scared when he saw me and went back into hiding. He wouldn’t have to be scared if he went back on the street where he belongs.

For dinner, I went western again (a chicken club sandwich, God I miss sandwiches) to try and get some real calories in my system before a few days of what will surely be small portions of Vietnamese food, which I enjoy; though it leaves me empty) on my tours.

Tomorrow I head off to Ha Long Bay for two days.

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Photos

Ha Noi Hilton
An actual Hilton Hotel. I was a bit surprised they wouldn't choose to use a different brand under the circumstances.

Pho
My first order of Pho with beef, a northern Vietnamese dish now found all over Vietnam.

Mausoleum
The mausoleum where Ho Chi Minh's body rests.

John McCain
In April 2000, John McCain visited the Hoa Lo Prison, where he was formerly a POW.

Pictures of airmen
The museum features a set of pictures of some of the captured US airmen. The bottom one is John McCain being pulled from a lake. The lower single person photo is of Douglas Peterson, who later became US Ambassador to Vietnam in 1995.

Clothes
Samples of the clothes worn by prisoners. These must have been well laundered or never used.

Musical support
A group of musicians adds the audio to the performance.

Water puppet
One of the puppets dances in the water. He is controlled by a long pole below the surface.

Boat
A group of puppets ride around the water in a boat.

Rat
My evidence that I am not insane.