Happy Hanoi

I arrived early at the airport yesterday to fly to Hanoi from Ho Chi Minh City. Thought it might take ages in the traffic but it was only about 15 mins and I was there. Which then meant a long wait, my flight wasn't even up on the board at the time I got there. Time flew though and before I knew it I was boarding the Jetstar plane. It was a bit of a knackered old heap, which didn't instill me with much confidence at the time. My seat was stuck in the recline position the whole flight as it had long ago lost the functionality to upright itself by the looks of things.

Apart from a bit of turbulence I made it in one piece. Hanoi turned out to be a much bigger, sprawling city than I imagined but the French-style architecture didn't disappoint. A bit like an old-school South of France in South East Asia. It is just how I thought Saigon was going to be but that ended up much smarter and more metropolitan than I anticipated. These preconceptions make it all the more interesting when they turn out to be wrong!

The hotel that I'm staying in is, I have to say, absolutely fantastic. It's quite small but the staff are amazingly friendly and helpful. You don't even had to ask for your room key as they remember you and everyone falls over themselves to ask how you are or say good morning. When I arrived the reception lady went through absolutely everything on the map and gave me lots of hints and tips about getting around, perfect as a solo stranger in a new city. Unfortunately it looks like my plans to go to Halong Bay or thereabouts may be scuppered by the weather as a typhoon was due to hit last night and it may not be possible to go out on an overnight or two-day boat trip. But hopefully it will move on and I can make it after all, fingers crossed. I'll keep you posted - geddit?!?

I went for a long wander last night and headed to a local cafe for some Pho (noodle soup). Delicious. Hoan Kiem lake is on the edge of the Old Quarter and makes for a beautiful setting at night as well as a major focal point of the city. People are out doing exercise classes, going for romantic walks along the water's edge or doing a spot of shopping. The shops seem pretty fantastic so far and I'm trying to resist the temptation to buy any more than I already have. Popped into a couple of familiar Western shops to remind me of home, which was weird.

Had a quiet night reading my latest book set in Vietnam, The Quiet American by Graham Greene. Seems good so far. The sedate evening meant I was all set for an early start to get the proper sightseeing underway today. I headed off in a taxi after breakfast to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum. I hadn't really got my head round the fact that I was actually going to pay my respects to a dead body until I finally entered the building, after snaking around a ridiculously long entry to the mausoleum spreading halfway round the complex. I can see why the Lonely Planet makes a cheeky reference to Madam Tussaud's having the contract to maintain his body as he doesn't look real in any way upon sight. Although I'm sure he moved while I was there! Viewing is all over very quickly as they usher you rapidly through the room.

Next stop was the Temple of Literature, a beautifully ancient Chinese-style building from the 11th century, dedicated to Confucious and later used as a university for the education of mandarins. I stopped for a spot of lunch at the delicious KOTO (know one teach one) restaurant opposite, which is a worthy cause training and helping street kids. The food was amazing and I had the best fruit smoothie I've had so far.

On to the Hoa Lo prison next after a short motorbike taxi ride (a bit hairy but no scrapes thankfully). The prison was used by the French in the war of independence and was pretty grim and sobering. The Vietnamese are clearly very proud of the revolution and their ability to remove both the French and the Americans from their land. Lots of photos showing how many countries around the world objected to the Vietnam war are evident in many of the museums. It's no holds barred on painting others as the enemy (understandably) and what they did to the local people though I had to smile at the propaganda photos showing American pilots putting up a Christmas tree while imprisoned and playing volleyball. I'm sure it wasn't all so rosy.

Back to the Old Quarter later this afternoon for a phenomenal ice cream at Fanny's ice cream parlour. Then a spot of shopping before heading back to the hotel (yes, I succumbed after all).

I've managed a couple of Skype calls to my bezzie mate, Dawesy, and parents over the last couple of days, which has been fantastic and reminded me that everyone is not that far away after all. I got to see them but they didn't get to see me (iPhone 3GS not having a camera on the front) though they were at least spared my frizzy, curly mop in this humidity - something I'm still getting used to...