Uncle Ho, Bamboo Hats and Hong Kong
I am writing this almost 10 days since we departed Vietnam.
We did, as mentioned in the previous post, arrive at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum a little later than planned- 7:25am to be exact. We headed for several apparent entries to the site but on duty guards would inevitably stop us and direct us towards the left. We eventually found the main entrance for "tourist riff raff" and locals some distance from the tomb. We quickly joined the line, which seemed to consist of several tour groups from China. One spent some time chatting with Susanna who understood their dialect. They seemed somewhat stunned as she discussed Canadian weather and pulled up photos on her phone of our front yard buried to a depth of 3 feet in snow. Our line barely moved between 7:30 and 8am but shortly after began to move forward at a rather fast pace.
After clearing security we were released into the main Mausoleum Gardens. Our entry into the tomb was delayed somewhat due to a large group of students in blue uniforms who seemed to have a priority standing. Several wreath presentations ( reason unknown) as well as a Changing of the Guard Ceremony kept us waiting. At roughly 8:30, an hour and a km later, we entered the actual building. "No talking, no photos, no stopping, hands out of pockets" Entering the main burial chamber we walked counterclockwise past a very emaciated, but very well preserved Uncle Ho at a slow steady pace. Enclosed in a glass sarcophagus, his body has been drawing thousands of visitors during the brief 4 hour, 4 day a week visitations. The actual viewing is no more than a minute in length as the line streams at a steady pace, encouraged by the military guard.
Following the mausoleum visit, one is encouraged to visit an exhibition featuring his final home while in Hanoi, the Stilt House, its walkways and fishing pond.
For the balance of the day we caught a cab back to our hotel and then spent some time in search of some last minute souvenirs , including an extra male conical bamboo hat. Shaped somewhat like an enlarged pith helmet, these are the male version of the plain conical hat worn by women. Interestingly, most tourists seemed unaware of the difference, with many males walking around in obviously female hats, unaware of their amusing faux pas!!!.
Our transfer arrived on time at 4pm and we set off for the Hanoi airport, located 15km north of the Old Town.
Our departure was significantly smoother than our arrival in the country and our plane lifted off shortly after 6pm and we said "Goodbye Vietnam", concluding our first, but hopefully not the last, visit to this amazing country.
Hong Kong was an 8 day blur of visits with Susanna's family, a quick afternoon visit with my cousin Alison from England and an endless stream of restaurant meals ranging from Duck to Dim Sum.
Next time we'll try to spend a little more time on the Kowloon side, tour a few of the outer islands and sample some street food.
We did, as mentioned in the previous post, arrive at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum a little later than planned- 7:25am to be exact. We headed for several apparent entries to the site but on duty guards would inevitably stop us and direct us towards the left. We eventually found the main entrance for "tourist riff raff" and locals some distance from the tomb. We quickly joined the line, which seemed to consist of several tour groups from China. One spent some time chatting with Susanna who understood their dialect. They seemed somewhat stunned as she discussed Canadian weather and pulled up photos on her phone of our front yard buried to a depth of 3 feet in snow. Our line barely moved between 7:30 and 8am but shortly after began to move forward at a rather fast pace.
After clearing security we were released into the main Mausoleum Gardens. Our entry into the tomb was delayed somewhat due to a large group of students in blue uniforms who seemed to have a priority standing. Several wreath presentations ( reason unknown) as well as a Changing of the Guard Ceremony kept us waiting. At roughly 8:30, an hour and a km later, we entered the actual building. "No talking, no photos, no stopping, hands out of pockets" Entering the main burial chamber we walked counterclockwise past a very emaciated, but very well preserved Uncle Ho at a slow steady pace. Enclosed in a glass sarcophagus, his body has been drawing thousands of visitors during the brief 4 hour, 4 day a week visitations. The actual viewing is no more than a minute in length as the line streams at a steady pace, encouraged by the military guard.
Following the mausoleum visit, one is encouraged to visit an exhibition featuring his final home while in Hanoi, the Stilt House, its walkways and fishing pond.
For the balance of the day we caught a cab back to our hotel and then spent some time in search of some last minute souvenirs , including an extra male conical bamboo hat. Shaped somewhat like an enlarged pith helmet, these are the male version of the plain conical hat worn by women. Interestingly, most tourists seemed unaware of the difference, with many males walking around in obviously female hats, unaware of their amusing faux pas!!!.
Our transfer arrived on time at 4pm and we set off for the Hanoi airport, located 15km north of the Old Town.
Our departure was significantly smoother than our arrival in the country and our plane lifted off shortly after 6pm and we said "Goodbye Vietnam", concluding our first, but hopefully not the last, visit to this amazing country.
Hong Kong was an 8 day blur of visits with Susanna's family, a quick afternoon visit with my cousin Alison from England and an endless stream of restaurant meals ranging from Duck to Dim Sum.
Next time we'll try to spend a little more time on the Kowloon side, tour a few of the outer islands and sample some street food.
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