Today was our one full day in Hanoi. After breakfast and a little Lindsay work, we caught a cab to the mausoleum of Ho Chi Min. It was a sight to behold. A large, grey stone cube elevated above a stark courtyard with a line of literally thousands of school children waiting to get in. We wandered around the complex and eventually found our way in. Our wait was not that long, and after several security checks we neared the entrance to the tomb, which was heavily guarded by stone-faced military men in white uniforms. A large sign reminded us that "no jostling" would be tolerated, a rule that Lindsay violated multiple times while standing in line. We entered, proceeded up some creepy steps, rounded a corner, and before us was the zombie-like body of Uncle Ho himself. He was very skinny and pale and I couldn't help but think of how I would escape IF he came back to life and tried to eat us. (I have a bit of a weakness for zombies if you didn't know.)
Once we we done with the viewing, we toured the surrounding grounds where Ho Chi Minh lived and walked though the surrounding neighborhoods, ending up at the not so impressive Temple of Learning. From there, we made our way to a recommended restaurant Quan An Ngoc, which did not disappoint. It was set in a beautiful garden courtyard surrounded by a number of food stalls, all associated with the restaurant. The basic idea was "here's a bunch of delicious Vietnamese street food, sans street." We had a couple of Tiger beers on ice and a scrumptious assortment of dishes including green papaya salad, crab wontons, and lemongrass chicken.
After lunch we walked the 30 minutes back to hotel and took it easy. I went out and bought a bottle of wine for the upcoming trip to Halong Bay and took some more photos. Lindsay, you guessed it, worked. That evening we returned to Quan An Ngoc for another sampling of the best of Vietnam. Before retiring for the night we popped into a jazz club for a drink.
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