Viet Nam is over...

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So just thought I would let you all know what we have been up to...

Yesterday morning we got here in Hanoi at 0500 off the train from Hue... The
ride went well and long and the lady that woke us up might as well be a
friggin drill instructor! The only thing she was lacking was the banging
trashcans and camo! Got off the train and immediatley got 4 cups of pretty
good ice coffee. Next we gave our tickets to the police to let us out of the
train station into Hanoi. Got in a taxi to go get our passports that we
havent seen in about 2 weeks due to the fact that we were getting the China
visas... The place we picked up our passports happens to be a tour office
and hotel so we decided to stay there at 12 USD a night.

The next thing we did was clean up a bit and get some breakfeast... From
there we went for a walk to the "Hanoi Hilton" aka ho loa prison which was
about a 1.5 mile walk around a lake in the middle of the old quarter in
Hanoi. While walking to the former prison we went by about 5 million stores
selling everything from spices to spy cameras! There is a whole street just
for selling stanley tools. Also streets are marked for selling certain
things such as: spices, coffee, internet, cable tv, radios, silverware, and
pots and pans. This city is rather big but I dont think it compares to the
not so fun "Saigon"! Still lots of people walking every which direction and
motor bikes driving where they please. I think I will take a picture of all
the power lines on one pole which is probably close to 200 lines! Came back
to the hotel to get cleaned up and go out to dinner. Also to figure out what
the heck we were doing for Sunday and China!!! Ate a really good dinner, I
had a 4 cheese pasta as Im about sick of rice noodle and fried rice! Its
sooo good but its gets old after about 3 weeks of eating it!

Today we woke up to find out that our plans have changed yet again!!!
Instead of staying in Hong Kong for a couple of days we are just going to
fly to Hong Kong on to Beijing putting us there at about 2200 (10 pm). We
booked our hotel called the 365 inn, which is about a 15 minute walk to
Tienamen Square and 10 minutes to the forbidon city. The hotel is around
7.20 USD per night. Not so expensive I suppose!!! Anyways back to Hanoi.
Went to see "Uncle Ho" (Ho Chi Minh) today. He aint looking too bad although
he is dead! Its about 38 degrees where he is and well preserved. The
Vietnamese government has him well guarded with about 200 guards, 40 in the
building and the rest all over the place outside, all armed with AK47 and
SKS (Soviet) automatic weapons. You cant do anything while walk in the
building. We werent allowed to talk, have our hands in our pockets or even
where shorts! So we walked through the "tomb" and walked out, glad it was
free because I thought it would have been a waste of money and well time.
But now I can say I saw good ole uncle ho!!! From there we took a taxi back
to the Hanoi Towers for lunch and get the plane tickets to Hong
Kong/Beijing... Now we are waiting till 1600 to go see some water puppets on
the Hoan Kiem Lake. Check it out on the internet. They are pretty amazing
puppets! Then off to dinner.

Well thats about it from this end. I will let you know when we arrive in
Beijing tomorrow. For now take care and love you all...

~KRIS~

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Comments

[Your Mom]

Not really, Your Sister haha
It sounds like you guys are having a shibby time. I hope you got be a Buddah! We love ya!