SCENES IN OLD HANOI

I did Tai Chi in the park with a master and then Bob and I walked in the old town.




The bombardment of action .
...like showing you all  these pictures at once

HANOI

HANOI

The traffic here is like Saigon, crazy and dangerous and loud.

Ethnological  Museum is first class.  Built recently by the French.

This country is made up of more than 50 tribes living in fairly isolated areas.
They each have developed their own culture and language. 
Today there is movement to develop more unity. 
The museum uses fine videos to teach  about each of the tribes.
      As well as the usual museum stuff, clothing, implements, etc. they have built some typical houses in a 10 acre garden.      There are also a few houses that were were donated by the families that had lived in them.  These are only a few generations old.
The museum was very well attended.  Busloads of uniformed school kids.

On to the Ho Chi Min Mausoleum.
  It was closed     but we walked where we were permitted to.
          Then the magnificent Metropole Hotel.
               We upgraded to a bigger room
                            which came with a valet
                     and “Club benefits”   like High Tea.
                            We did not know what to do with the valet.                                                         BUT        
                                    High Tea every day is rather regal!!
                      

Either the guide has a poor memory or he thinks we do.  He keeps repeating,
“Madam, It’s alright I pick you up at  ........   whatever?? 
And he treats us like old people, helping us,     you know,     like you help old people.
Listening to him talk to the driver, the language sounds very stacatto.  Then Bob realized it’s not the language, he stutters.
 He is very educated, a PhD (and professor) in economics of tourism.