us check-in at that early hour. Oh well, we got a room and proceeded to shower and freshen up. At a more respectable hour, we took off in search of breakfast and found a coffee shop on a boat on West Lake. Highlands Coffee, it turns out, is Vietnam's answer to Starbucks... they are everywhere. Even though the park had been full of people practicing their early morning tai chi, we were still the only people in the restaurant. Breakfast was good... fried egg, toast, and pate. And of course, more pictures of Matt with his eyes closed. It's becoming a theme.After breakfast, we walked over to the Ho Chi Minh Mauso
leum to pay our respects to Uncle Ho. It's all a bit remarkable since he specifically requested to be cremated after death and have his ashes scattered across the land of Vietnam... they decided to promptly ignore him and build a huge mausoleum. The building is a very impressive structure, and we had seen it a couple of times from the taxi. It stands alone with a large grid like set of grass patches in front. There are numerous sidewalks cutting through the grass, as well as, lots of signs warning you to keep off the grass (humorous since at 5am there were probably 200 people on the grass practicing tai chi. We are good at following instructions, so we didn't even think about walking across the grass. However, what the sign doesn't say (and should) is that you are also not allowed to walk into the mausoleum area on the sidewalk, either!! Turns out, there is only one way into the mausoleum, and you can't cut across the front. It was a full 2km from where we were to get to the entrance, even though it seemed as if we were right in front - very confusing. Eventually we figured it out (after getting yelled at by a motorbike driver and a guard). Before you get into line to go in, you have to hand over your camera. We were a little skeptical, but we handed it over and were told we could pick it up on the other side. Once in line (a very long, double line), you progress slowly into the mausoleum (blissful a/c). All told, you're inside for about two minutes and get to see Uncle Ho for about one minute as you walk by (no stopping), then you emerge from the other side of the mausoleum - sure enough, our camera was waiting for us at the shack there.
leum to pay our respects to Uncle Ho. It's all a bit remarkable since he specifically requested to be cremated after death and have his ashes scattered across the land of Vietnam... they decided to promptly ignore him and build a huge mausoleum. The building is a very impressive structure, and we had seen it a couple of times from the taxi. It stands alone with a large grid like set of grass patches in front. There are numerous sidewalks cutting through the grass, as well as, lots of signs warning you to keep off the grass (humorous since at 5am there were probably 200 people on the grass practicing tai chi. We are good at following instructions, so we didn't even think about walking across the grass. However, what the sign doesn't say (and should) is that you are also not allowed to walk into the mausoleum area on the sidewalk, either!! Turns out, there is only one way into the mausoleum, and you can't cut across the front. It was a full 2km from where we were to get to the entrance, even though it seemed as if we were right in front - very confusing. Eventually we figured it out (after getting yelled at by a motorbike driver and a guard). Before you get into line to go in, you have to hand over your camera. We were a little skeptical, but we handed it over and were told we could pick it up on the other side. Once in line (a very long, double line), you progress slowly into the mausoleum (blissful a/c). All told, you're inside for about two minutes and get to see Uncle Ho for about one minute as you walk by (no stopping), then you emerge from the other side of the mausoleum - sure enough, our camera was waiting for us at the shack there. Afterwards, we made our way over to the Ho Chi Minh Museum to learn more about his life. The museum contains extensive documents dating back to his days as a young man and early revolutionary. It was really quite remarkable that all of the letters and documents were actually kept! There is a good story that follows from his birth through Vietnam's war with the French... but it is curiously missing the last piece of Ho's life (the War of American Aggression and his death in 1969.
On our way to lunch, we found a photo store, so we stopped in to get some passport photos made (we need them to get our visa for Laos when we arrive there). Despite the massive language barrier, we were able to get 4 passport photos each for about $2. They would be ready in an hour, so we proceeded to lunch at Brother's Cafe. The place has gotten some good hype, but it was a buffet lunch... for $10 or something like that. Nothing outrageous by standards at home, and the food was pretty good, but definitely a tourist trap and way overpriced for the region. We grabbed our photos after lunch and then jumped a cab to the Sheraton (and fantastic air conditioning) to escape the heat and wait for Amanda to arrive.
In the evening, we went to the old quarter, around Hoan Kiem lake, to stroll a bit before dinner. We made it to the Opera House - a stunning building - which was hosting a celebration of Canada Day, and then we walked around the lake and stopped in a few stores. Our dinner plans for the evening included meeting up with another group of Kelloggians - Odette, Juliana, Jeanette and Gita - at restaurant Bobby Chinn, home of the famous Vietnamese TV chef. Dinner was quite good (Viv's soft shell crab quesadilla and Matt and Amanda's Curry Prawns were both excellent), the menu was punchy (check it out online. you can also buy it for $5). 
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