Hanoi, etc.

Hoa Kiem Lake, Hanoi
Originally uploaded by djflowerz

After brief visits to Ninh Binh, Cuc Phuong National Park, and a relaxing overnight boat trip on Halong Bay, the tour headed for our last destination: Hanoi. I enjoyed Hanoi much more than Saigon. I found it to be a more cosmopolitian and comfortable city with more relaxed people and refreshing green areas. The traffic was crazy though. As in all of Vietnam, you have to be confident and alert while crossing the street and walk with a steady pace; the motorbikes will weave around you.
On our first day in Hanoi I went to the massage place across the street from our hotel. The decor was very basic (this was no spa) and I had to pay up front (70,000 dong, or a little over $4, for 1 hour); for a second I was a little sketched out, but the receptionist spoke good English and was very friendly and I had faith that the experience would not scar me too much. I was brought into a little room that had only a padded table, towel, and pillow, and place to hang my clothes. There was also a shower/steam room attached. The masseuse who worked on me spoke no English. Before she started I pointed out the huge bruise on my hip that I acquired from slipping on the wet bathroom floor in Hue. (Oh yeah... I fell a few days before and got the biggest bruise of my life. It looked like Tanya Harding had attacked me.) As soon as she saw my bruise she went straight to work on it. First she rubbed in a menthol-type heating balm, then she got a bunch of fresh herbs (I wish I knew which herbs...), wrapped them in a towel, steamed it in the shower, and patted the compress on my bruise. She repeated this about 4 times and then rubbed in more menthol stuff. My bruise looked and felt much better afterward! Then she climbed up on the table and started digging into my back and shoulders with her fingers, elbows, the heel of her hard, her forearm... It's good that I like a lot of pressure here, because that's what I got. This was not a massage for the faint-hearted. She also wrapped one of her legs around my leg and pushed her free foot up and down the inside of my leg. It was a little weird but fun. I gave her a big tip, because I really appreciated the special treatment for my bruise.
Also in Hanoi our group saw a water puppets show and visited the Ho Chi Minh complex, which includes his waxy corpse in a glass case, his house, and a museum about his life. Ho Chi Minh, or "Uncle Ho," is worshipped like a saint here. The complex had the most security measures I had come across in Vietnam. Usually the Vietnamese seem pretty lax about everything, but not when it comes to Uncle Ho. We had to pass through a metal detector before viewing his tomb, and women were requested to cover their shoulders and knees.
When our tour ended I felt a little lost without the structure and companionship of the group, but luckily I met some local girls at the Temple of Literature to entertain me. The girls (age 22-23, named Chang, Lan, and Xuan), who were recent graduates with degrees in tourism, had gone to the Temple to pray for a good job and also to practice their English with foreigners. We had a nice conversation and they gave me their mobile number. I called them the next day. They picked me up on their motorbike and took me to West Lake for ice cream, then to their neighborhood beauty salon, as I wanted to get a manicure and pedicure. This was a neighborhood that tourists don't usually venture into. I was the first foreigner customer that the salon ever had and they were all super nice to me and happy that I was there. I got a mani/pedi complete with floral designs on my toes for $2. Two dollars!!! Then Xuan (pronounced Swan) took me to dinner at a popular restaurant (where I was also the only foreigner) and ordered for me a very tasty meal of mien, which was clear noodles with dried eel, onion, crushed peanuts, and basil. It was one of the best meals I had the whole time, and something I would have never ordered on my own. Xuan was really happy that I liked it. I had so much fun making new friends and riding around town on a motorbike!
All in all I am very happy with my time in Vietnam. Now I'm in Hong Kong and experiecing culture shock all over again!