HANOI TO HALONG BAY

May 1 in Hanoi is a day of celebration. On Liberation Day, the Vietnamese celebrate the day 30 some years ago that Saigon became unoccupied by American troops and both North and South Vietnam became one. Communist Vietnam is full of red flags and motor bikes. This 3 day vacation is the one time of the year that all the Vietnamese get out of their homes to visit the tomb of Ho Chi Minh and walk the parks’ and visit the lakes around Hanoi. There are over 30,000,000 motorbikes in this country and I swear, they are all on the streets today. Getting anywhere is a problem but we forge ahead. White uniformed guards line us up for the Mausoleum along with thousands of Vietnamese that have come to Hanoi to visit the patron saint of Vietnam. Like Gandhi in India, Ho Chi Minh is the unifying force between all the country people. We file in past the glass coffin to gaze on the silent figure of this great man who looks for all the world that he has just been asleep since 1969. Hanoi is also about eating. Aside from thousands of people and millions of motorbikes, there are also small restaurants up and down every street. Big steaming pots of soup boil on outdoor gas burners surrounded by little foot stools occupied by Vietnamese all laughing and drinking local Hanoi Lager and eating soup. It seems that all the Vietnamese do is ride these bikes and eat. It is midnight when we return to the hotel, and they are still eating and riding through the streets like an army of ants with headlights. This morning we are off again to Halong Bay and our Chinese Junk or what I like to refer to as a rice barge. Before these junks became small floating hotels for tourists, they carried rice from one part of Vietnam to another. I can’t wait to see what our accommodations will be like. Hope they are air conditioned, as I thought Florida was a hot place to live, but it is mild by comparison to very hot and humid Vietnam. We leave the city and travel east on a main highway across rice paddies and through small towns our bus accompanied by a contingent of motorbikes. I wish I had stock in Honda as they must be making a total killing in this country. Alongside the road is a rail track and a canal for shipping. Either way….I can’t wait to arrive as we will also have the opportunity to hike in a wonderful amazing Sung Sot Cave or cave of surprises…a prehistoric cave deep in the hanging gardens near this beautiful bay. I will also have a chance to do some kayaking today. Looking forward to this amazing day. I am so liking this whole experience….motorbikes and crowds and all. Such a gentle people and lovely culture!