Uncle Ho

Tai chi then kayaking were offered as pre-breakfast activities. I managed to get out of my scratcher for the kayaking and I was glad I did. That was really special, weaving in and out of the limestone stacks on a flat calm bay. Breakfast, then a cruise back to base and finally a two hour drive to Hanoi.

Thus far we’ve been out in the sticks so arriving in the city is an assault on the senses.Hanoi is dirty, smelly, mad and glorious! Think ant’s nest for the level of activity. We took some advice from the hotel desk and visited Ho Chi Ming’s tomb to find some peace. I’d visited Lenin in Moscow in the 90’s and they’ve used the same preserving technique here. Ho’s body was flown to Moscow shortly after his passing and sent home a year later in a state of picklement. The museum and government buildings are interesting too.