Hanoi

We returned to Sa Pa with plenty of time to spare, even more because the bus was late. The plan was to take a bus, arranged by the hotel, to Lao Cai and meet the train there.

As stated, the bus was late. This was no surprise and the schedule had plenty of flex worked into it. It finally worked out that there were two buses heaving the hotel for Lao Cai and, for a moment, it looked like Debra and I were going to be placed on separate ones. People traveling as a group need to try to stay as a group because if there are no clear meeting plans it is entirely possible that the group members will never find each other again (our, worst case, plan was to meet at my flat in China).

When we arrived in Lao Cai we were dropped, not at all surprisingly, at a café instead of the train station. A lot of drivers will do this because they have made deals with the café and hotel owners for a commission for the business that they steer to them. I know the game but I will not play it. I seldom purchase anything at these cafes that I am steered to. I paid to go to a train station and I damn well want to be taken to a train station (that is the sound of the inner grumpy old man beating down the inner child with a stick).

About a half hour from when the train was scheduled to leave we walked over to the station. The Vietnamese train stations make the Chinese train stations look like marvels of efficiency. They only open for loading one train at a time. So, they just open the main doors and let chaos ensue.

We did make a mistake. In China the soft sleeper tickets are in very short supply. This results in journeys being delayed if a person insists on them. They are also significantly more expensive. As a result we followed our regular practice of requesting hard sleeper.

We later discovered that there is a very small price difference between the hard and soft sleeper in Viet Nam. The hard sleepers were also significantly less comfortable that we were used to. We noted that, for future reference, we would use soft sleepers in Viet Nam; however, as it turned out, that was our last train journey until we returned to China.

We arrived in Hanoi at about five a.m. and were surprised by the presence of cab drivers inside of the train station. We are used to them being required to at least wait until we exit the station before approaching people.

We did employ a cab to take us to our hostel, the Hanoi backpackers hostel. We arrived well before the start of business; however, there was a bell and the attendant let us in.

O that day we did not do much. We walked around a bit and attended a bar-b-q at the hostel. We also purchased some books. There are a lot of counterfeit books available in Viet Nam. Copies of the "rough guide" series are available for a lot less that they sell for in China. In addition, I picked up a copy of "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance" It is one of those book that I had often intended to read and just never did; and no, it is not about motorcycle maintenance.

The next day Debra had tried to attend Mass but found that she was too late. At least we were only a couple of blocks from Saint Josephs Cathedral; so, it was no great inconvenience for her to go and find that she was late.

Later we went and looked for some replacement backpacks. I was getting a small tear where the shoulder straps attach and was getting concerned. I had also bent the frame in one of my trips; and finally, I was running out of space in my pack.

We went and looked at several and identified a style I like. Then it was just a matter of choosing the label. This surprised Debra when I pointed it out. It was the exact same pack with both the "North Face" branding and the "Lowe alpine" branding. Even an odd pattern on one of the straps was the same. It turned out that the person selling the pack as "Lowe Alpine" was selling it for $25USD and the "North Face" guy wanted $30USD; so, I got a "Lowe Alpine, Frontier APS 100+20." This new pack is capable of being loaded down with more that I want to carry (remember, I cracked my knee [the one that always gives problems anyway] pretty hard in Kunming).

Really, it was a slow day with a lot of walking around the French quarter. We also walked around Hoan Kiem Lake (a lake and park in the center of Hanoi. We also visited the Ngoc Son Temple, which is located on a small island in the lake. We also visited several English bookstores. Even with the presence of counterfeit books, there are many English language bookstores. We never saw this large of a selection of English language books in any shop in China. There was even a used bookstore that featured English language books. It really makes sense that the two can coexist. As, the now deceased, Jim Baen explained, as he made many of his publishing houses books available, for free, online. People, who don't read, don't buy books. If people are in the habit of reading, they will buy books. It was interesting to see his theory in practice.

The next day we visited several museums. The first we went to was the Hao Lo Prison, known by many as the Hanoi Hilton. This is where many captured American pilots were held during the Viet Nam war. This prison was first opened in 1896 by the French and was finally closed, with the demolition of two of the guard towers, in 1993 in order to make way for The Somerset Grand Hanoi, an apartment and office complex.

Only the Southeastern corner of the prison has been preserved as a, "Historic Vestige and a memorial to the revolutionaries incarcerated here who gave their lives for their country." This, of course, refers to the Vietnamese who were incarcerated here when it was a French prison, primarily devoted to political prisoners.

While waiting for the next museums to open we went to lunch at a truly Vietnamese place. It was a big restaurant that opened to the street. The food was okay and definitely cost less than the places that cater to tourists. We then sat in a small park and read while we waited for three p.m., when the museums opened. It was kind of funny, the first bench we rejected because it was entirely in the sun. As we were sitting in the second we heard a huge crash and looked over at the first bench. It had been buried under several, heavy, palm branches.

From there we went to the Viet Nam History Museum. It was clear that there was little interest in maintaining this museum. Through our visit the staff sat on the floor and played cards. As a museum aficionado, I have to say that there was nothing special here. It was clear that no one cared.

We then went to the Revolution Museum, which was, nearly, just across the street. This museum they were proud of. It was divided into three sections, 1858-1945, 1945-1975, and the present. Little things made it clear that they cared about this museum, an alert and attentive staff, generally well kept displays, and the presence of air-conditioning and drinking water.

It is interesting that with all of the relics of the French occupation, the strong positive feelings for French culture. Almost all of the buildings attempt to capture some element of French style, cheeses, which are almost unheard of in China, are common in Viet Nam, and many other small touched that show a desire to maintain a link to French culture. Students continue to study French, along with English, in school, a project partially funded by France. Further, when talking to the Vietnamese, they identify themselves with, and state, very directly, that they like French culture.

The next day we prepared to continue south, to Dong Ha.