Ho Chi Minh

After goodbyes at breakfast to about half the group, six of us headed off to see Ho Chi Minh. It was a very strange and interesting experience.

We'd got two taxis and each dropped us in different places around the mausoleum. Every time we got to a guarded gate, we were told to keep walking round. Eventually we found the entrance and the other half of our group. In many ways it was like other tourist attractions in that you are guided around, the difference was that this felt very military in the way you were moved about. Bags had to be checked in, then cameras handed over. We were then lined up in pairs and walked into the mausoleum at a strict pace, hats off, in silence and no hands in pockets. Seeing the man himself was interesting, but the process around it was more interesting.

After the mausoleum we walked around where he lived and worked and then into a museum dedicated to him. The photo is of one of the exhibits, I liked the message and also the way it was presented on glass.

After a quick shopping trip to buy coats (we've arrived in Hanoi during a very cold spell), 10 of us met up for a very nice lunch in a French restaurant. We had a room to ourselves and it was a lovely way to end the group part of the holiday. Four others are staying on beyond today, but have moved hotels so I think we'll all be doing our own things. It was sad as they are a great bunch of people and I hope we will be able to meet up with many of them again.