Water Puppets

 We saw the water puppets last time we were in Hanoi ( 2009) and the experience marked us so much that we vowed never to see them again.

However, old age brings with it a degree of forgetfulness and so it was that we found ourselves once more in the Water Puppet Theatre. 

It was as impenetrable as ever, despite this time having a programme allegedly listing what was going on.

It didn't help that the narration was in Vietnamese only.

Once again I mistook the 'fox chasing duck' for a 'tabby cat grabbing a fish', while JB thought it was a squirrel with possibly a fish, though he can't be certain. 

Judge for yourselves....( sound up for the videos please.  We had to listen to it, so I don't see why you shouldn't too)

The Imperial Citadel

 We woke this morning to sunshine. ( the first we've seen since we left Laos) 

And what better way to celebrate than with a trip to a UNESCO world heritage site (yes, another one), The Imperial Citadel.

As well as its UNESCO badge, it's also one of ten Special National Heritage Sites, so expectations were high.

Built in 1010, it was the home of the Vietnamese royalty until 1810, when they upped sticks to Hue. 

(Coincidentally, that's exactly what we're doing in a couple of days.)

Building works nearby in 2002 revealed a lost part of the Citadel, which is still being excavated.

Inside the complex, there were several pavilions, each with a different exhibition, ranging from roof tiles and pottery to bafflingly, an exhibit of medieval France. 

Modern day Toulouse got a look in too, although JB (who used to live there) said he couldn't see his former house on any of the pictures.

Suspicious. 

Here's a selection of the better bits we saw:

In 1885, the (brutal) French imperialists ( possibly from Toulouse) came and spoiled things somewhat by using the Citadel as army barracks.

The Japanese used it as a prison camp in 1945. It's obviously a versatile space.

From 1954 to 1975, it was the headquarters of the North Vietnamese Ministry of Defence during their (heroic) struggle against the (brutal) American imperialists. 

We went down the steps and entered Bunker 67, the nerve centre of operations.

Here we saw the superior technology that brought about the glorious victory, and most thrilling of all, the Thermos flask that won the war.

It was time for a look at the excavations over the road.

Now, I've been to Ephesus, and I've seen the mosaic floors of Paphos, but neither prepared me for what I saw....

Breathtaking........

Train Street

 Imagine if you will, you're an enterprising ( most probably brutal) French colonial in the late 19th Century. You want to transport goods between Hanoi and the rest of your conquered territories.

So, you build a railway. Over the years (and after a few glorious uprisings), the city grows but the tracks remain in the same place.

Now imagine that you're an enterprising (glorious revolutionary) Vietnamese bar owner.

How to turn a fast dong you ask yourself......

The answer is obvious. Train Street.

Approximately 8 trains a day run through the street and for the price of a beer you too can have a near death experience close up and personal with a fast moving train.

Glorious.

A day out

 Spirits were high this morning as we left the hotel and once more boarded a bicycle rickshaw bound for a packed day of sightseeing. 

Any lingering post-colonial guilt I may have been feeling about the bicycle rickshaw was quickly assuaged by JB who pointed out that by travelling via pedal power, we were in fact,  offsetting our carbon footprints.

Thank God I married a scientist. 

Anyway, today's driver/pedaller was a much younger model and well up to the task:

First stop: Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum. 

The security was incredibly tight. Our bags were scanned and we had to pass through metal detectors, on the off chance we'd brought any weapons with us . 

Quite what they thought we'd get up to wasn't clear. Uncle Ho's been dead for 55 years. It's not as if we could make him any deader.....

The Mausoleum is a severe square building. No windows, but then, I guess he's not going to complain about the lack of a view.

He's guarded by some the Vietnamese Army's finest, although their marching raised a few eyebrows.

The Mausoleum complex is set in really lovely grounds, although there are signs everywhere saying no entry.

There is, however, a rather nice pavilion and pond which I guess is better than nothing.

Our next stop (on foot) was to the Vietnam Museum of Literature. 

According to the guide book, it's a hidden gem in the city.

We visited it quite a few years ago and were impressed.

Today however, we were underwhelmed. 

I fear we may have become jaded as far as Museums of Literature go. (I blame the post-colonial rickshaws).

Whatever.

Here is a flavour of what was on offer, yet failed to engage us .

Hanoi

 Two days ago, we left Luang Prabang and boarded a (hopefully) sturdy, air-worthy twin prop plane bound for Hanoi.

We needn't have worried. During the one hour flight, we were given complimentary almond croissants and coffee,  and as far as I could tell, no vital bits of the plane fell off.

Our hotel was unfortunately located in what can only be described as Hanoi's 'ripped backside'. 

Scarcely a beer to be had, and other than frog noodles or snail porridge,  little to eat.

Something had to be done.

And so it is that you join us now from our luxurious new home in the heart of the Old Quarter. (Yes, we're one kidney down now that we've paid for it, but still....)

This afternoon, by way of celebrating our new-found swankiness, we travelled by bicycle rickshaw to the Vietnamese National Museum.

Not to say we've put on weight, but the driver/pedaller collapsed on reaching the museum.

The Museum is spread between two buildings. The first was full of information about the history of how Vietnam came to be Communist.

The main things I learned were:

a) All invasions must be described as brutal.

b) All resistance and revolution must be described as glorious.

There were various artefacts on display, including,  bafflingly, a car tyre, but my favourite exhibit was the portrait of Ho Chi Minh in cross-stitch.  (Apologies for the glare)

The second building housed more ancient artefacts, some dating from the Paleolithic Era.

Quite interesting, but as JB pointed out, when you've seen one stone axe head ......

There were some Bronze Age pots and more recent pottery pieces.

Here's a couple of the better ones:

And my own particular favourite, the Emperors Ceremonial Jewelled Hat, complete with cute little rabbit ears.

Foreign Pie News

Chicken Pie. (Night Market Stall, Luang Prabang)

First appearance was promising. Similar to the now legendary Greggs steak bake.

Unfortunately, the comparison ended abruptly. 

The pastry seemed to have been constructed from over-boiled suet.

Filling -wise, the beige paste presented had the texture of chicken (admittedly a chicken that had had a hard paper round) yet tasted like cheese and onion.

Frankly, we were stumped.

A reasonable effort for a boiled suet cheese and onion pasty, but a chicken pie it most definitely wasn't.

Vegetable Pie (Same Night Market Stall, Luang Prabang)

Pastry again very disappointing, leaning more towards some type of industrial grease than suet though.

Filling was basically green stuff which, optimistically, JB thought might be spinach. I'm reasonably certain it was shredded Mekong River weeds.

He also claimed to have sighted a mushroom slice in his pie, which, if true, was one slice of mushroom more than I had in mine.

Not even close, I'm afraid......

Wat ho!

 Before we go headlong into today's temple-fest, another word about the Mighty Mekong. (No, I'm not obsessed. Hear me out.....)

You may recall from yesterday that Luang Prabang is situated at the junction of two rivers, the Nam Khan and the Mighty Mekong.

Well, at the point where these two meet, the water is actually two-toned. 

Don't believe it?

Right. On with the temples. They're on practically every corner, and yes, I think we've seen them all.

Here are the highlights:

Special mention should be made I think, of this statue we came across where the Buddha appears to be wearing elf shoes:

And to finish, here's some junior monks on the monk school bus.