It was
day two. We woke up early that morning; dressed into a smart-and-casual attire,
and was ready for another adventure.
Our pit
stops - Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh's Residence (Nha Bac Ho), Ho Chi
Minh museum, and the famous One pillar pagoda in Ba Dinh Square.
In an
imposing, somber, granite-and-concrete structure lies the body of the still revered
leader -
Uncle Ho - dressed in his
favored khaki suit.
Admission
is free but one’s dress code should be respectable (long trousers, no shorts.
Also, no cameras, hats or bags are allowed). Gates are open approximately 7-8am
and closes at 11am. Don’t ask me about their timing issues; just make sure you
get in line early.
 |
| Mausoleum |
Interesting
if a little strange. Once in the mausoleum it takes around 30 seconds to walk
round his body and the guards, of which they are many, won't let you pause even
for a second.
In front
of Ho Chi Minh's house, we walked around a carp lake shaded by mango trees, which
the Vietnamese seemed to appreciate, seeing as they were all applauding it.
They explained that Uncle Ho is said to have called the fish to be fed by
clapping his hands and thus visitors now do the same. I clapped. No fish came,
but a boy next to me smiled.
 |
| Ho Chi Minh's Residence |
The
dwelling displays the obvious modesty of the Vietnamese Leader. It is
interesting to see the humble lifestyle that this leader chose to live.
Existing
in the same complex with "Uncle Ho's" mausoleum, the Ho Chi Minh
Museum provided us with a comprehensive overview of his life and leadership for
Vietnamese independence from the early 1940s until his death in 1979.
 |
One of
the better Museums in Hanoi
|
Two
floors in total. The floor above is first an atrium with a statue of the
founding Father himself and a magnet for Vietnamese parents to take photographs
of their children next to the great man.
 |
| omg! that botak head just cut my view! |
At only
25,000VND it's well worth a visit. The exhibits are presented in a really
artistic way - almost more of an art gallery than a museum.
 |
| I'm innocent! |
Before calling
it a day, we made one last stop at the One Pillar Pagoda. The characteristic central
pillar of this small pagoda is said to represent the stem of a lotus flower,
symbolizing purity.
It is
nice, but not something to go out of your way for. Worth a quick look as you are on
your way out from the mausoleum and Presidential Palace.
After a
whole day’s worth of activities, we were starving! We settle down at a street stall
by the road side and ate the most amazing BBQ noodle ever!
This picture may not
depict what I’m trying to convey, but the taste of the meat was delicious to
the teeth. I was savouring every moment of it.
My taste
buds were alive, and they were screaming YUM! As fate would have it, I wouldn’t get
the opportunity for the second tasting. Boo!
Upon returning
to our hostel, Fatt and I took turns washing our clothes. We previously
purchased the necessities (shampoo, washing powder, bottles of mineral water,
snacks) at the nearest shopping centre (Sieu Thi CITIMART Pico Mall). If you’re
wondering where you can purchase your necessities at a fair price, the
supermarket is your answer.
We were
overjoyed to find a 3 pin socket available in the supermarket. Mind you, locals
here only use 2 pin sockets. We panic cause hand phone and camera batteries
were running low. So that was a life saver!
We had
KFC for dinner. The friend referred to it as luxury food. @@
It’s a
departure from the fast food meals we have in Malaysia. But it was affordable at
43,000 dong (RM 7).
When we
were ready to leave with our bellies fed, the pouring rain outside was reduced
to heavy drizzle. But the entire freaking street was
flooded! When I set foot on the road pavement, the murky water rose to my
knees.
We then had to make our way back by foot to our hostel. Oh dear, the
traffic! That wasn’t the worst though, I couldn’t have prepared for the next
blow.
Our dear
friend came to our hostel room with a
looming dark cloud above his head. Some news that viciously stab its way into
the heart of excitement I had for this trip.
We had
to leave Vietnam eight days earlier than planned.
My jaw
could not have sunk any lower. Any plans to Hue
and Da Nang were obliterate.
This
meant we had to purchase an emergency departure flight at the 11th hour from
Noi Ba back to Kuala Lumpur. Our Da Nang return flight was burned because of
the difference of location we booked. That burned a huge hole in my wallet. RM560
gone just like that!
Being a
natural pessimist, it was a struggle to find the good in this situation we were
stuck in.
From where
we stood, we had two options.
Option 1:
March ahead with the original plan and head to our destination as plan. But the
language barrier was a huge factor and that weight heavily on us.
Option 2:
go back home early and attend Jason Mraz’s concert. I could make it in time. Was
it worth it? As it has already come to past, I’ll leave it at that. *winks*
Why dwell
on what went wrong when I still had five days left in Vietnam right? Five days
to appreciate what Hanoi and Ha Long Bay had to offer and make the absolute
best out of it!
Pfft! I wasn’t going to allow some glitch deter me from enjoying the heck out
of this experience. My adventure still continues…
