Hangin’ in Hanoi
Hanoi has been a great city to hang out in. All the noise and hustle and bustle, the smells and the people and the intense activity in every street.
And I met the happiest most contented cat in all of Asia. Maybe this cat knows it is not on any future menus. Maybe its owner has promised it a long and happy life, including the ending of it.
I first saw this cat yesterday and was happy to pass by again today for a pat and a chat. The cat spends some (all?) of its day in this basket that hangs off a tree just in front of the owner’s shop. On a busy street of course. Such a relaxed, happy and friendly cat, especially compared to all the other streetwise and weary cats throughout Asia.
I have really liked Hanoi but to survive I have had to stay alert and quick thinking otherwise the traffic would have done me in a long time ago. I ain’t nowhere near as streetwise as this feline.
Gate Crasher
Is this the world’s most famous gate crasher? Maybe it is to anyone who knows a thing or two about the Vietnam War. Yesterday I paid a visit to the Army Museum here in Hanoi and one of the star attractions was this tank. It is the tank in the photo, the photo showing the symbolic end (in my uninformed opinion) of the American occupation of South Vietnam as this tank crashed through the gates of the American Embassy.
There of course is a whole lot more to Vietnam then a war that ended 35 years ago but I have the opportunity to see some of the things I have read about and to be where some of it took place.
I actually thought the museum is very much understated and could be a lot bigger, better and more in your (American) face but maybe the Vietnamese are being nice. Which they are.
Visiting the Father
Today I went to the Ho Chi Minh Memorial. With vast throngs of people I shuffled past the great man inside the building in the photo. I’m sort of a fan of Ho Chi Minh and admire what the Vietnamese under his leadership achieved during the war. But actually ‘meeting’ the guy myself in person was something of an odd experience. The line of people moves along at a steady pace and you only get less then a minute to have a look.
There’s a lot of things to do in a Communist country that you would not otherwise get to do. Even this huge open area dedicated to one man is a rarity in Asia. Dead heros, gigantic bronze statues and there’s someplace in Vietnam where you can fire off a few rounds in the various guns used during the war. Wish I could do that.
Rice Wars
Finally! Finally someone in Vietnam has tried to blatantly rip me off! About time!
This innocent plate of rice was delicious enough and quite the large serving. I also had a can of Coke with it. When it was time to leave I gave one of the guys there a 100,000 Dong note (about $5). He didn’t make any effort to give me change until I indicated to him I was waiting for it. The slimy bastard then told a girl there to give me 10,000 Dong which got my hackles up (is that correct?). At best the meal and Coke was worth 50,000 Dong so trying to go from ripping me for 100,000 to 90,000 was criminal!
So I start ripping into them, especially the sour faced (truly he was) scum who for some reason kept his distance while hurling his venal abuse. Some poor guy on a motorbike who spoke good English became the meat in the sandwich as I stubbornly vented my indignation. The slimy one then told the girl to give me another 10,000 Dong which still meant they were ripping me for 80,000 Dong. Outrageous!
So when the going gets tough the tough picks up a couple of bags of something and starts to walk off. Poor Mr. Motorbike man was working hard at being the neutral negotiator but now that I am a stubborn old man it would not be enough.
Much ranting and raving took place until I finally got 60,000 Dong out of them which meant the final price of 40,000 Dong was fair.
I walked away laughing and raising a finger or two while the sour faced scumbag pretended he might throw a tiny little bowl at me.
Hanoi is the best!
Here’s a photo of the evil man and his big head. Don’t eat there!
Hanoi Hilton
No, just kidding! But I am in Hanoi and I think I have gotten myself a very good room formy stay here.
After a gruelling 11 hour train trip from Sa Pa I arrived at Hanoi station at about 8.15pm. Somewhat sick of relying on the Lonely Planet to find accommodation that everyone else with a Lonely Planet will be looking for, I walked a few streets to see what I could find and asked a few people for advice. Ended up here at North Hotel No2 in Tam Thoung Street which is really just a thin alleyway in the Old Quarter. I must check my copy of Lonely Planet and see if it is listed!
My room is great. It is on the fifth floor of a four story building, well it feels that way when walking up all the stairs. But it is the only room up here and I even have a window with a not that bad view. And I am a little above the noise. It’s the sort of room you might have if it was 1966 and you were a journalist reporting on the war.
Ho Chi’s Man
I think I’ve just met my first war hero. I’ve read quite a lot about the American War (as it is called here in Vietnam) and I’m reading another great book about the war right now. (Fire in the Lake by Frances Fitzgerald).
This man is now 72 years old and lives in a very humble home in a very nothing little village. On the wall are many certificates or awards he has received over the years and also his war medals. His wife also received several honours as well.
Nothing but extreme bad came out of the war and there really is nothing to be enthusiastic about but for me to meet this man in his house with his momentos proudly displayed was still a sort of honour to me.
I think it is fine and just that Vietnam kicked our arses and won back their own country which we invaded. I admire them (right or wrong) for overcoming the shit we threw at them. And they are so quietly proud of what they accomplished and so they should be.
This man was part of a team that operated an anti-aircraft gun. He seemed to indicate that he drove the thing. Amongst several photos was one of him standing by one in Dien Bien Phu when he went there in 2009.
Good for him and I’m glad to have crossed his path in our very different lives.
So the cat
This is So the cat. I named So So as he or she had not been named by the owners (who were happy enough to have me name their cat).
Unnamed So was sprawled on my lap as I sat by this fire after dinner and seemed to be a very contented cat. (Um, I was in a house in a village in a valley while on a not too exciting 2 day ‘trek’ [the word trek can be abused at times] just outside of Sa Pa in northern Vietnam).
I asked the guide to ask the woman of the house what was the word for “Happy” in her language and it is “So”. So So was named So by me and everyone was so please with this.
The family does not intend to eat So but the guide said they may eat So if So were to die.
! GLORIOUS VICTORY !
What glory! What VICTORY! What the #;^@!?!
Ian Wright, conqueror of all Indochine has made his triumphant entry into the People’s Republic of Vietnam, or whatever it is called. Enduring an arduous journey crossing the border between Laos and this might nation (in an uncomfortable bus mind you), I have gain great prestige and a comfy bed in the birthplace of the Vietnamese struggle against Western Imperialism, Dien Bien Phu.
Dien Bien Phu is where the French got their collective bums kicked by the Vietnamese under our humble beloved Uncle Ho Chi Minh. Soon the Imperialist Dogs would all be licking their collective bums and hightailing it out of our Glorious Homeland.
This statue is on top of a hill in the centre of Dien Bien Phu and is my first ever big bronze Communist sculpture. Amazing! And a damn good one at that. The view from here over the plain on which Dien Bien Phu sits is very good and a nice place to watch a sunset and get away from the rat race below.
The Vietnamese have a somewhat negative reputation when it comes to their wheelings and dealings with western visitors but here in northern Vietnam things may be different. I found the people in Dien Bien Phu very friendly and honest, even to the point where someone made sure to give me back the excess money I gave them.
I only stayed here one night then took a very arduous bus journey to the mountain town/resort of Sa Pa which hopefully I’ll get around to blogging about.
