Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Hanoi, the capital, Vietnam

Long journey, but we made it! Not quite as busy as Jakarta but still a busy city. Street vendors around every corner. Being in the capital I would think prices would be cheaper but I guess it's the other way around. You can still find deals if you look in the right area. We stayed in the dorms the first night at a very popular backpackers. They have a nice tv area where we relaxed and watched a couple movies on some worn out couches. The next night we stayed across the way for the same price but we were able to have a private room. We were in and out of museums in the city since there wasn't much else to see unless you took a taxi a couple hours outside of town. At dinner a woman sat a nice small alcohol bag down and kept peering into it. I thought maybe she was excited to drink but turns out there was a small dog inside. We sit on what looks like child seats at all the restaurants. Our butts to our ankles. I bought some "Armani" and "Burberry" pants today. I think I've entered a new phase. I've been trying a lot of new foods. For breakfast I had this chicken flavored porridge. Sounds gross but it was very good on a cold day. We actually saw a KFC here, which is rare in a communist community. 

The prison was interesting. Built by the French to hold about 400 prisoners during the indochina war, but would sometimes have nearly 2000 inmates at a time. Later it was used to house American soldiers during the Vietnam war. 

The history of Vietnam museum was very.. anti-American. A lot of the pictures and headlines were out to make the US and its inhabitants not such a good place. A sense of animosity. Thus the reason we tel most people we are Canadien.

The day markets
Communist monuments
Historic bridgeway
They bike you around, but i would feel like a jerk having someone do that
They would shackle the prisoners at night
Vietnamese soldiers pulling John McCain from the sea after shooting down his plane. He was a POW here
John McCain's fighter piolet suit
An oak tree where prisoners would hide letters until the revolution
They teach evolution
Wood buddha from the 7th century
President Ho Chi Minh's armored vehicle
Bikers carry just about anything

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