Hanoi - 11th January

A great day -despite extremely heavy rain and slighty steamy atmosphere. Rain solved with the purchase of a 50,000 dong umbrella, (£2.00 to you and I) and steaminess with frequent stops for ginger or green tea and a fabulous Avocado,pineapple and yogurt smoothie. Spent the day walking through the city firstly to Ho Chi Minhs mausoleum, a strange experience filing past his body. This had to be done in single file. No hats, cameras, chewing gum or hands in pockets allowed. Apparently his body is shipped to Moscow once a year for restoration! Then on to the Womens Museum. A fascinating overview of female culture and traditions, including the female contribution to the war effort. This was not just in a supportive capacity, but included involvement in combat as part of the guerilla movement and mainstream forces. Finally took a stroll through the manic streets to Long Bien Bridge. The Americans repeatedly bombed this bridge during the war, only for the Vietnamese people to immediately rebuild. The history here cetainly highlights the tremendous resilience of the Vietmanese. Now waiting for a taxi to take me to the station for my overnight train down to Da nang. Quite sad to be leaving Hanoi, it's manicness certainly starts to grow on you.