Though while we were getting ready we heard the loudspeakers outside again. It started with a very anthem sounding song with opera-like singing and then the announcements went on for at least a half-hour. I really wanted to ask someone what the announcements were saying.
After breakfast we stopped and talked to the manager because we wanted to book a Halong Bay trip for the next day. He showed us a few options and we decided to do a one night trip. He set that all up for us and I mentioned the problems with the computer in the room before we left.
After walking outside we remembered something we forgot in the room and went back up. When we got up to the room the housekeeping staff was already cleaning. And, I swear it had only been a couple of minutes since I brought it up to the manager, there was a guy working on the computer. Seriously, anybody reading this ever gets a chance to go to Hanoi you have to stay at this hotel, the Hanoi Elegance 2.
We finally got out of there and we made our way toward the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex. Referred to as Uncle Ho by the Vietnamese, Ho Chi Minh lays in state like Lenin in Russia. This was only mildly intriguing, but we read that the grounds of the complex is a traffic-free zone and getting to a place where there were no cars and you could walk around without dodging traffic sounded fantastic. Crossing the street in Vietnam was getting very tiring.
We made our way across town to the mausoleum area, snapping a few pictures along the way.
At some point while walking past the Hanoi Citadel, the military complex in the city, we saw some guys (cops or soldiers) with an open fire they seemed to be cooking with. At this point we saw another whole, cooked dog.
Speaking of the military. I had imagined that, this being a regime state, we would have seen a constant military/police presence. But I didn't find this to be the case the entire time we were in Vietnam.
We got to the mausoleum and discovered that it was closed. Not only was the mausoleum closed, but a large section of the area around the actual mausoleum building was closed off. So we couldn't go and walk around grounds. The reason for it being closed is priceless. Once a year they remove Ho Chi Minh's corpse to take it to Russia for maintenance and this happened to be the time of year he was visiting the former Soviet Union.
We stopped and had bananas and water outside the One Pillar Pagoda while trying to figure out what to do next.
We picked the Temple of Literature as our next stop. Built by one of the emperors in 1070 to honor scholars and men of literary accomplishment, the Temple of Literature is dedicated to Confucius and the site of the first university in Vietnam. A really nice and peaceful place to go hang out for a while.
There was a group of schoolgirls in traditional dress there for some sort of event so Lisa and I did our fake picture set-up where I pose in front of her but she is really focusing on something else. We did this way back in Bangkok with the sex tourist.
Lisa with the doctors' stelae, which recorded the names, places of birth and achievements of those men who received doctorates.
Let's see, a sun hat, a camera bag over my shoulder, and a map out. Could I look any more like a tourist?
We walked around the city a little more, stopping at several shoe stores along the way to see if I could find some sandals. Usually they would just look at my feet and shake their heads no when I asked if they had sandals in my size. I really wanted to find some before we went on the boat the next day.
We decided we should get another suitcase for the overnight boat trip so we didn't have to take our big bags. We asked at the hotel where to find luggage and they pointed us in the right direction, which, of course, was the "luggage area." On the way Lisa saw a shop with some clothes she wanted to look at and she bought some light pants for the boat.
We had to pass by the shoe district on the way to buy luggage so I decided to make one more push for sandals. I really, really wanted some open toe shoes for this boat trip. I was becoming obsessed with the concept. We hit several stores and I tried on at least a half-a-dozen pairs with no luck. Tried one last store......
Eureka!
Not exactly the colors I would pick with unlimited choices but they fit and they were comfortable. With three days left in our vacation I finally had appropriate footwear. And they are a pair of Tevas that only cost me 660,000d, or about $40.
Then we stopped at a couple of the luggage shops and finally got a small rolling bag for about $30. We were set for Halong Bay.
Dropped off the loot at the hotel and then went to an Indian restaurant on Pho Hang Be called Tandoor, it was getting too late to make the walk all the way back to Com Chay Adida where we had eaten the night before and we didn't feel like spending a bunch of time trying to find another vegetarian place. Traveling vegetarians can always count on Indian restaurants. We sat at a table on a small balcony overlooking the street and had some good paneer and korma, happy to be watching the street life rather than walking in it for a while.
Next - Halong Bay
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