We will be exploring Hanoi today. This seems an odd thing to do as a Veteran of the war.
This is and was the seat of the communist government. All of the orders came from here. "Hanoi Rose" the propaganda voice of the north Vietnamese was based here. She spewed her rhetoric over the radio every day. We laughed it off. None of us liked it. Her "canned" propaganda was uncanny in it's ability to tell us what we were planning.
After talking with one English speaking member of our boat crew, I know there is great pride in the north for having defeated the U.S. And the French. But, as the quote says "To the victors goes the spoils.
Click on the image below to see a slideshow of photos from Hanoi.
Red River
Pagoda
Martha's Notes:
Our one day in Hanoi, we took a walking tour of the Old Quarter, shopping for souvenirs along the way. We had fun bargaining with the merchants, although I'm quite sure we could have gotten better deals, but we still spent less than $150 on a duffel bag to carry them home in, several silk scarves, several tee shirts, some paper lanterns, a couple of cone-shaped hats, a small purse, a couple of small carvings, a hand-carved chess board, and some hand-painted coasters.
Chuck felt strange being in the city where "the enemy" was based during the war. I think walking and talking to people made him feel better by the end of the day. The traveling was starting to get to us. I was breaking out on my face and Chuck's legs were swollen and red. My butt hurt from all the sitting, and my legs were sore from all the walking.
We sent all our clothes except what we were wearing to the laundry first thing in the morning, so were stuck sitting in sweaty, stinky clothes until the clean laundry was delivered around 6:30 or 7. We quickly showered, had a fabulous dinner at the hotel restaurant, and got massages at the spa around the corner. I have to say that every single massage I got in Vietnam was great. I am going ot miss getting twice a week foot massages!
Our hotel in Hanoi, the Essence d'Orient Hotel cost us $62.50 the first night, plus $20 for breakfast. The second two nights were $70 per night, breakfast included. Overall, Hanoi was a little more expensive for everything. Massages at the hotel spa were about $30 per hour, so we got ours at a spa around the corner that only charged $15.
Vital Statistics
Date - Thursday, October 1
High Temperature - 93 degrees, Heat Factor - 102 degrees
Miles Walked - 5
