To get to Hanoi from Sapa I had to take an overnight train and after my China experience I was less than enthused.....However, the Vietnam train turned out to be loads better. This was partly because I got upgraded from a hard to a soft sleeper. This means that there was a door to keep out the hallway noise and there were only 4 people in each compartment. After the three Vietnamese I was settled with got their staring over I finished my book and got some serious zzzsss...
Arriving in Hanoi at 6am is probably not my favorite time but I easily got the backpackers hostel and met up with some interesting people to visit Ho Chi Minh's Masoleum and the Ethnology Museum.
Visiting Uncle Ho turned out to be a bigger experience than I first thought. First we had to check all of our belongings besides passports and cash, next we had to walk in two lines with our hands at our sides, not talking and fighting the smirks. I had a moment of travel naivete and checked all my important belongings with a few other people and then got seperated from the one with the claim check. Fortunately we found the guy with the claim ticket and got all my stuff back. Whew. Won't have that freakout again if I can help it.
Next we went to the Museum of Ethnology and saw some great displays of Vietnamese minority history. It was really an eye opener and gave a great introduction to what I will see in the coming months.
Finally, we had lunch at this great little cafe whose top floor was roofed by umbrellas. It was some great food and a nice break from Asian cuisine with a Pesto Sandwich and a local beer. In Vietnam beer is often served on ice....strange, but not bad.
Ho Chi Minh's resting place
TRAFFIC!
umbrella roof
2 comments:
Hanoi is my favourite city in Asia! I used to teach near the Ethnology Museum--that neighbourhood has changed SO MUCH in the last 5 years! Try to go to the Perfume Pagoda--I never made it but it's supposed to be really wonderful.
Will you be going to HCMC next? The train ride is gorgeous near Hue!!
Hanoi was great! I really liked it. I decided to really see the north instead of running down the country so I will miss Hue, Hoi An and Nha Trang.
I am at the Airport headed to HCMC because I am trying to get to Cambodia for xmas and maybe even to angkor wat if I play my cards right.......So the train will be another trip, I am sure I will be back to Vietnam someday!
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