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We are staying at the Thaison Grand Hotel in Hanoi, lovely little room and good facilities. It has been raining a fair bit so we need somewhere to relax while the weather is bad. We have done many of the touristy things in Hanoi. On our first full day, we headed out in good weather to Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum - fitting tribute to Vietnam's beloved leader Uncle Ho. The mausoleum is open between 8:00 and 11:00 except Mondays. There was a changing of the guards type ceremony outside while you queued. Then, there was a sombre, silent parade into the room where he lies in state - he was looking so peaceful and as if he might wake up at any time. He wanted to be cremated, so this tribute is completely against his wishes. It was certainly unusual to see the Vietnamese conduct themselves in such a restrained manner.
Paul got up very early one morning to photograph the red bridge over Hoan Kiem Lake. The bridge is one of the iconic images of Hanoi. Paul got to see the citizens of Hanoi do their tai chi and play badminton and undertake other exercises lake side. The lake features a building known as turtle tower named after the revered and mythical creatures that used to live in the lake. The lake is home to one last remaining 6 foot long turtle, over 100 years old, called Cu Rua - old grandfather. It was captured in 2011 to treat its lesions caused by pollution in the lake. Some Hanoi citizens believe Cu Rua to be over 500 years old.
Hanoi is not as frantic as Saigon, but it is still very noisy with beeping cars and bikes. The pavements are lined with parked motorbikes so you have to walk on the roads. Crossing the road is a skill that Paul has mastered, there are no gaps in the traffic, so you just have to choose your moment to go and maintain a consistent and predictable speed so that drivers can negotiate round you. I did a quick video at a junction - see the video tab. On another day, the weather was a bit drizzly, but we headed out to photograph the railway bridge which also has paths for motorcyclists. See photos. We walked through markets and down narrow alleys where vendors sold meat and fish. Paul also stopped to talk to an artist who has worked for 54 years in Hanoi drawing from photographs with charcoal using a chopstick with an eraser on one end and a toothpick on the other. We also visited St Joseph's cathedral and the peaceful Temple of Literature - a temple dedicated to Confucius. Between 1076 and 1779, the Temple of Literature was the home of the Imperial Academy, used to educate the monarchy, nobility and the privileged elite. We never want to stay too long in the cities now, so it's another lovely $17, twelve hour sleeper bus, 380kms into the hills for our next stop Sa Pa, near the Chinese border. Loving the messages, keep them coming.
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