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Published: February 3rd 2008
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Our sleeper train arrived at Hanoi train station just prior to five o'clock in the morning. This was preceded by some Vietnamese music playing intermittently over the speakers as an alarm clock, followed a few seconds later by a knock and a face peering into our booth telling us to get off the train. We stumbled bleary-eyed onto the platform, discovering that Hanoi was rather chilly at this hour of a winter's morning. A friendly Swedish couple who we shared our booth with offered to share a taxi with us to their hotel. We were more than happy to do this, as we had nothing booked and were unsure of what would be open at this early hour.
The taxi got to their hotel, only to discover it wasn't open! Our taxi driver knew of a place called the 'Elizabeth Hotel' that was open, so he took us there and we got a room, albeit a little more expensive than we had budgeted for, but our options were severely limited at 5am. The bonus was that they offered free Internet and breakfast (hence the photos that were added to my previous blog entries - make hay while the sun shines!).
After getting a couple more hours sleep, it was time to have a shower to warm up (we had no idea how cold it would be in Hanoi - the weather reminds me of the cold winters I experienced growing up in Ballarat), only to find that there was no hot water. In fact, there was no water at all! This was anything but good news, especially considering this was the most expensive room that we had paid for thus far. I went down to the office to inquire as to the extreme water saving measures that had seemingly been put in place, but they assured me everything would be back to normal in thirty minutes.
We decided to go and investigate Hanoi on foot in an effort to warm up. As we were walking down one particular street, we had to move rather swiftly in order to avoid being struck by numerous limbs - of pigs. For you see, it is obviously quite the norm to be riding a motorbike through a congested street with three recently disembowled pigs lying across your lap!
After a time, we arrived at the 'Temple of Literature' which was dedicated to
Confucius in the year 1070 AD and was later set up as a university for the education of Mandarins. China's influence is quite evident in the northern parts of Vietnam, with the study of the teachings of Confucius being one such example. Once the students completed their years of study, they were then examined by the King. It would have been a great place to study and it gave us a chance to see some old Vietnamese architecture, complete with signs (read: stone pillars) out the front instructing visitors to dismount their horses.
Our next stop was the 'Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex', which is pretty hard to miss. The edifice is an enormous structure, towering over the surrounding grounds. There were legions of guards throughout the complex, complete with bayonet-equipped rifles. Unfortunately the mausoleum was shut and would not open until Monday, which was a shame after such a long walk, but we may get back there, as we'll be passing through Hanoi again after visiting Halong Bay.
Hanoi itself is much more cosmopolitan than Saigon and people seem a little happier here. Maybe it's because the north won the war and didn't feel compelled to flee their own country, like thousands did in the south? The city has many lakes and peaceful parks, which provide a welcome refuge from the tooting horns and rumble of motorbike engines. 'Lenin Park' in particular is a wonderful place to relax, or exercise. It covers an enormous expanse of land and contains a scenic lake at its heart, along with many rides for children and a smattering of junk food vendors.
We are now staying at a place called 'Old Street Hotel' in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, due to the cost and dramas of our previous hotel (the water ended up still being off by nightfall, there was a slowly spreading flood of stinking water across the carpet in the hallway of our floor - quite ironic when considering that there was no water coming out of the taps on the very same floor - etc, etc). It is a little cheaper, but the room they promised us they double booked, so they gave us one of their best rooms for the same price, which was rather fortuitous for us. The only concern is that they cannot seem to locate our laundry; however, they assure us it will be here at 7am (we leave at 8am). Fingers crossed!
Tomorrow morning we are off to Halong Bay, which has been the one place I have been looking forward to seeing more than any other, so hopefully I haven't built it up too much in my mind and the weather is kind.
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anita
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brave aussies...
hello marty and bronsen, I know exactly where you going through. It´s not always easy and funny but this experiences will be forever in your mind. I´m almost with you when I´m reading your reports. Take care! rgds anita HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!