We all got up bright and early this morning raring to go to Halong bay only to spend the next half hour trying to figure out where we were meant to be. The language thing makes it a little bit hard to organize anything. We spent half hour sorting out what we were supposed to be doing.

Halong bay has been postponed until tomorrow and we got to do the Hanoi city tour today. The city tour was good to see, but I think we are all fairly much over temples and museums. Also today would have to be the hottest most humid day yet!
Stops on the tour included:

• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum - we were ushered around the inside of the building past the embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh. The guards dresssed in snowy white uniforms were positioned everywhere creating an eerily authoriatrian experience.
• Presidential palace - constructed in 1906 for the govenor general of Indochina.
• House where he worked 1954-1958
• House on stilts
• One pillar pagoda
• Ho chi minh Museum - filled with memoentos dedicated to the life of Ho Chi Minh. We all found this rather boring, looking at clothing, weights, shoes and pens that he once used.
• Hanoi Hilton ( Hoa Lo Prison Museum)
• Temple of Literature
• Hoan Kiem Lake
• Ngoc Son Temple

The food today was really good. We had lunch at the Koto charity restaurant and had a few drinks to stay out of the heat.

We had some internet time and had dinner at the restaurant in our hotel. There is a great view from the top of the building and we had a 4 or 5 course meal, only let down was the cocktails.