It was dull and cool (high of 13 degrees) with a little drizzle today. Our first stop on our walk was the lake area. On our way to St. Joseph’s Cathedral I discovered an amazing artisan ceramics shop which was filled with beautiful blue and white pieces….I couldn’t resist. I love blue and white ceramics. I am still amazed by the everyday (for here) things that I see on …
It was a rainy day in Hanoi. We braved the insane traffic and walked to Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum. Uncle Ho as he was known to the people helped lead the revolution against the French colonial rulers and was the first president of Vietnam after they gained independence. We stood in line for a while before shuffling past his preserved body. We next visited the Pagoda located in the …
The overnight train going back to Hanoi was a lot more comfortable than the one going to Lao Cai. This time I slept on the top bunk. It was a real challenge for me to get up into it, John captured it all on video and thinks it has the potential to go viral on the internet. We arrived in Hanoi at about 4:30am and then went back to the …
Good morning Vietnam! We hopped on a tour bus at 8am. I am always hypnotized by the traffic. A little old lady with a cane slowly wandered out into the hectic traffic. Everyone veered around her. She walked as though alone in a field. Hanoi has 7 million people and 5 million motorbikes. It’s a 2 1/2 hour drive to Ninh Binh Province. On the way there we pass many …