Hanoi Hilton

On Monday the 27^th May we caught the 5pm overnight train to Hanoi.  The only available tickets were the top bunks of a six bunk ‘hard sleeper’ compartment.  The top bunks were above my head and had so little head room that it was impossible to sit up and the width of the bunk was such that if I lay flat on my back and my arms at side, my fingers hung over the edge of the concrete like mattress.  So after 12 hours in these conditions I must admit I was feeling a bit stiff and sore the next day.  Bob said he slept fine which I can confirm by the loud snores I heard all night – not sure what the other 5 Vietnamese passengers thought of this!  (Yes one bunk had two people in it – an adult and a 4 year old.)

So bleary eyed at 5.30 am we stumbled out of Ga Ha Noi and to our surprise the hotel we had booked had someone to greet us.  He didn’t actually take us to the hotel but got us a taxi, then rode his motorbike ahead of the taxi to the hotel to then lead us down the back alleys to the hotel entrance.  The hotel, The Splendid Jupiter, turned out to be the nicest one we have stayed in so far and only $24 per night.    We found out that the owner of our hotel is a 28 year old man who came from the country to Hanoi 11 years ago and now owns 4 hotels.

As our room wasn’t ready for us at 6am, we left our bags at the hotel and walked around Hoam Kiem Lake, a big parkland in the middle of the city.  The place was teeming with people walking, exercising, doing Tai Chi or group aerobics to music, fan dancing, ball room dancing – every aspect of life on full view with no apparent self-consciousness or need for privacy.  All this happening before I am usually out of bed!

Early morning aerobics at  Hoam Kiem Lake, Hanoi

Needing a caffeine hit around 7am we stopped at a café for a Vietnamese coffee – thick, strong with sweetened milk on the bottom.  Sitting across the street was this wonderful old ‘patriot’, a 90 year old man who fought in the Indochina wars.  He was sitting on one of the ubiquitous little plastic chairs watching the comings and goings of the neighbourhood with a far off look in his eyes (no doubt thinking of his days on the HCM trail fighting the Imperialist aggressors) 

The old patriot

until his daughter helped him slowly walk back to the house around 8 am.

  

We made a print of the first photo and gave it to his daughter the next day.

Later in the afternoon after freshening up we started the tourist rounds.  First we went off to the Hao Lo Prison, the infamous Hanoi Hilton that McCain was in.  Most of the exhibit talked about the French imprisoning the 'patriots and revolutionaries' but then there was a few rooms exhibiting artifacts when the prison was used to imprison the American pilots with pictures of McCain and others.  Lots of patriotic language / propaganda but I could see a similar exhibit extolling the virtues of the American founding fathers.  I suppose it is all a matter of perspective and which side one is on.

Hao Lo Prison under the French

 

The next day Bob came down with Ho’s revenge – probably as punishment for all his irreverent remarks against Uncle Ho, so a quiet day resting.  In the evening, for my birthday, we went to the Water Puppet performance. 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_puppetry

Fantastic!  A must see if in Vietnam.  I was especially struck by the orchestra playing traditional Vietnamese instruments.  The Dan Bau had the most exquisite and haunting sound.

The next day we did more Uncle Ho things – The Mausoleum and museums.  It was all very formal at the Mausoleum.  We had to march pass very solemn, no pausing, keep in line, guards everywhere ensuring everyone is respectful and keeps moving and not straying away from the designated There was a dress code as well - no knees or shoulders showing.  Must say Ho was looking quite pasty having been dead for over 40 years. They really deify him which ironically is exactly what Ho did not want.

 

Ho's Mausoleum