Cycling No More - now in Hanoi

I've spent the last couple of days in Hanoi, perusing the markets in the Old Quarter and visiting the Ho Chi Minh museum and mausoleum. Have also spent some time planning and pricing out the rest of my trip. Now that the cycle tour is over, I am on my own to explore what I want.

Hanoi is much smaller and a bit calmer than Saigon, although I must admit I feel a little less safe crossing the street here -- more on traffic in Vietnam in a later post. The Old Quarter is set up by guilds. There is a street for mats, a street for bags, a street for shoes, a street for funeral products (tombstones, etc.) There are plenty of local eateries where you can get Pho (noodle soup with either beef or chicken). These places have little child-size tables and stools that everyone sits (actually squat) at to slurp their noodle meal.

Each morning, thousands of people head down to the Hoan Kiem Lake (see photo) around 5am to perform tai chi, general calastenics (spelling?), jogging, walking and impromptu group aerobics of many different types. I've joined them for two mornings (just a brisk walk, no tai chi) and it's been a treat to pick up fresh fruit for breakfast from one of the many vendors on the street walking back to the hotel.

The above photo shows the sign at the entrance to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum where we foreigners are required to leave our cameras, cell phones and excess bags. It turned out that Uncle Ho was in residence afterall, as we had heard that he had been taken up to Russia for his annual embalming refresh. It appears that they do this now in Hanoi and no longer need to send him away. The actual viewing of Uncle Ho was quite quick. We filed in a funeral-type procession line past his glass sarcophogus which is guarded by 4 soldiers (how'd you like that job?). He didn't look particularly well... before he died he suffered from malaria and tuberculosis, which would explain that. I'm not sure why it is that Russia, China and Vietnam have all embalmed their communist party founders, when communism actually promotes cremation upon death. I'm not sure that Mao, Lenin and Uncle Ho would be particularly fond of being on display for everyone.

I'm heading out to the north on a night train today. Hopefully this one will be more comfortable than the "Reunification Express" that we took from Central to North Vietnam. I will spend a couple of days in Sa Pa, which is the main market town for the hill tribe area in the more remote northwest. It should also be quite a bit cooler, which I'm looking forward to after 3 weeks of 90 degree + heat and humidity.

More from Sa Pa....