I have so many photos to share from this and the other days of our tour. My frustration with blogger is that moving a lot of photos is so very clunky that I would be tearing my hair out. You are going to see glimpses here of our first day of touring in no particular order because I just don't wanna fight with blogger. Some somber and painful and some were filled with fun and joy. We also had our first meals and that day and all the others we enjoyed all the flavors of Vietnamese cooking.
For most of our included dinners or lunches we were served a set menu family style that included 7 to 10 different dishes. Over all those days there were not really a lot of duplicates either. I did feel some compassion for wait staff that had to haul all the food and plates back and forth as they served the 20+ of us.
It was after midnight when we got to our hotel, and we found that the lobby was beautiful and the room was very comfortable. We were at this place for 3 nights. The next morning we were happy to see that breakfast buffet at the Intercontinental Hanoi Westlake was amazing with all kinds of foods and flavors including traditional eggs and bacon or sausage and all kinds of Asian flavors from soups, to stir fries, to noodles or rice and don't let me forget the dim sum and steamed buns and a beautiful bakery section too.
We started this day at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. The actual mausoleum was closed but we toured the grounds. We got to see what I called the Vietnamese changing of the guard. A home built for and lived in by Ho Chi Minh was on the grounds too. We saw and you can see in the pictures below a couple of his cars and a lovely pond to enjoy. Our guide, Kiet, was filled with historical information to share with us and he continued that throughout our trip.
Next stop was the infamous Hanoi Hilton. This was a place that just seemed filled with pain. The prison had been in use before the war too and is now a museum. You can walk through cells and see displays of how prisoners were handled throughout its history. One of the pictures below was a Christmas train with Santa scene done by imprisoned American pilots. Lots of feelings seeing that.
Our last stop for this day was at a 1000 year old university. We witnessed a trend that our group had a lot of fun watching. The young adults in Vietnam like to gather at monuments, parks or other special places in their best clothes, mostly traditional, and take pictures. Some were doing selfies; some were taking pictures of each other in groups of friends. Some seemed to have professional or knowledgeable amateurs taking the pictures. We saw groups like this every day no matter where we were in the country.
At the pagoda with the single support column, we saw the first of many dragon decorations. The folks here love dragons and you see them in designs everywhere. Flowers too, flowers all over. Yellows to symbolize gold at altars as wishes for prosperity. Reds for power. It is very wet and tropical here, so everything grows well. It seems like you see nurseries, florist shops and potted plant on balconies and even boats. Throughout the country on this trip we also saw preparations for the Lunar New Year which happens in February.
The little waving kitty was on the dashboard of our bus. So cute!
This was just the first day of an amazing trip. I know you will get tired of the word amazing in the coming posts but it was amazing and it will be okay. Just look at the pictures! Amazing even if I am not the best photographer.
Back with more again soon.
Take care and stay cozy!
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