Hanoi

Wednesday 28th January 2009

The trip to Hanoi is on a sleeper bus so you can't get it much more comfortable than that other than taking a flight. Its another long slog...18hr in total. I arrive in Hanoi at 6.30am...its cold, very cold! On the way here we stopped off midway for some food and you could even then feel it was getting a little cooler. Passing through most of the towns on the way you can almost sense the change in climate. Anyway it seems as if I'll be wearing a jacket & jumper from here on in! I have booked to stay at the Hanoi backpackers and when I arrive, about 7am, the place is alive with people. There is a great atmosphere about the place...even at 7am!!! Hanoi like all other places in Asia has its far share of touts, all asking if you want a motor bike or to buy something or another. There usual approach is "Hey! Hey you! Motor bike, taxi? After hearing it so often I've gotten into the response of shouting back to them "Hey, How's it going, any craic with ya?" which seems to be enough to throw them off.

Hanoi is like a ghost town, everyone seems to have either left for Tet (Chinese New Year) or are celebrating indoors, either way there are very few shops, restaurants or bars open. Along with that most of the tourist sights are also closed...Tet Tet Tet. I decide my best option is to venture out to Halong Bay and take the trip to Sapa after. There isn't much option on going to Halong Bay on your own, so I book up with the backpackers which seems like a reasonable enough deal. To kill the rest of the day I go to see the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. This is where Ho Chi Minhs body is kept and is laid out in full view for all to see. Its a funny enough site as there are some stricked rules when you enter the building...no photography, no hats, no talking or laughing, no putting your hands in your pockets...its so regulated its unreal. There are guards all around who keep track of your progress, anyone stepping out of line gets a swift hand signal to sort them self's out...which only makes you laugh away to yourself...its hard not to get into trouble! We are quiet lucky as on entering the building we manage to see the change of guard, it almost rivals the British equivalent...well almost they wear shinny white as apposed to red & black! Other than the Mausoleum there is the presidential palace & the Ho Chi Minh Museum to visit. Around the presidential palace there are also several little areas that display items used by Ho Chi Minh one of which is his collection of cars. This made me laugh, there are only two cars on display and one of which is none other than a Peugeot 404...the same car my parents had when I was a kid!