Seafood Wholesaler

One photo I forgot to post from our cruise on Halong Bay...



This is a seafood wholesaler out in the middle of Halong Bay. Fishermen sell their catch here...storage is in underwater cages. Hotels and restaurants send shoppers to buy. No frozen seafood needed here!

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A Few Shots from Hanoi

Women groundskeepers in the park adjacent to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum watering plants...using a huge open container filled with water. It took both of them to push it. Noted men workers close by that had hoses. So much for gender equality!



Hanoi's version of our food trucks...




Enjoying a game of checkers on the sidewalk:




More movable retail stores:













Parade of rickshaws:



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Back to Bangkok

Sunday, November 16, we had breakfast while cruising back to the dock, then headed for another 3-hour drive, to the Hanoi airport, then by air back to where we started our journey... Bangkok.

As we arrived in Bangkok around 5:30, and didn't get to our hotel until around 7:00, our only activities here consisted of dinner and bedtime!

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Halong Bay

On Saturday, November 15, we said "bye" to Hanoi and headed on a 3-hour drive to Halong Bay, a landscape of almost 2,000 limestone islands dotting the waters. Once there, we boarded our private junk (the four of us, plus our guide, and a crew of four) and started cruising the bay. Unfortunately, photographically, the skies were overcast, so getting good lighting was difficult. Also, although we had the option of stopping at an island and exploring a cave, or kayaking, we were tired and opted to rest on board and just cruise around to islands. Lunch and dinner were served on board, and we slept anchored between islands.







This shot with camera set for posterization...


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Hanoi Touring - Friday, November 14 - Part 3

Next on the agenda...a stop at Starbucks! Complete with Christmas music and a Christmas tree...in a country that is only around 8% Christian. I also saw lights going up on our hotel. I asked why Christmas was such a big deal, and the response was that it's just another holiday for celebration...no religious overtones, no Santa Claus or presents...just a reason to have a holiday. They also recognize Easter as a holiday! Go figure.

Our guide also told us that the Vietnamese people do not hold a grudge against the U.S. for the "American War," as the Buddhist way is forgiveness.

We next visited two contemporary Vietnamese art galleries, but didn't see much we liked...although we did at similar galleries in Saigon. This is a small excerpt from one painting I did like:




For entertainment, we attended the Thang Long Vietnamese Water Puppet Show...an interesting show in which the puppeteers are in the water, operating puppets on a long pole (the pole remains underwater, so you never see it) from behind a screen, accompanied by live Vietnamese folk music and song. (I liked the music, but Rita assured me that I would be thrown out if I got it on my iPod!) here are a few photos...pardon the quality, but there was very low lighting...










While the show was enjoyable, it would have been more fun with grandkids and other young friends!

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Hanoi Touring - Friday, November 14 - Part 2

There were several cute kids in the area...













Following the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum area, we headed to a place that made beautiful lacquer artworks...and bought one!




Next brief stop was a park right next to our hotel, where brides and grooms were being photographed day and night when we were there...a tradition in Hanoi. We joined in the fun and shot one couple, with their permission.




Our next stop was the "Hanoi Hilton" prison, built by the French in the late 1800s to house Vietnamese political prisoners...which would include any Vietnamese opposed to colonization. The prison, whose real name is Hai Lo, became famous (or infamous) during the Vietnam War for housing American POWs, including John McCain, whose flying suit is on display:







Of course, the prison-turned-museum emphasized the cruelty of the French to the Vietnamese during colonial days, and how well the US POWs were treated during the War...the latter rebutted by those that were "guests" there.

More in Part 3.

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Hanoi Touring - Friday, November 14 - Part 1

First observation...traffic is even worse than Saigon! Nobody pays attention to any traffic signs or directions...including "Do Not Pass" and one-way streets. This shot shows some of what you face when trying to cross a street...




Our first stop today, after driving around the French Quarter, and the lake into which John McCain parachuted when he was shot down during the Vietnam War, was at the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh...or more correct, the park adjacent to the mausoleum, as the mausoleum was closed for renovation. The park contained the living quarters and office for Ho Chi Minh, when he was president of the reunified Vietnam. Also some of his cars. The one-pillar pagoda is also in the park.
















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