Saying hi to Ho

We started off this morning with a tai chi session in the park. Our "uniforms" were waiting in our room when we returned from dinner last night. Flynn tried his on and announced that it was too small - his head did not fit through the hole. Once we unbuttoned it, all was fine! 

The boys spun and kicked their way down the hallway to the elevators, with some "hy-ya" noises. The lobby was full of equally ridiculous looking adventurers and we walked out and around the corner to our class. The class went for about half an hour and was very fun. We were the subject of many photos from walking tour groups, who looked a little envious. At the end of the session, the master showed us how the moves we learnt (or attempted to learn....) were fighting moves. He demonstrated with one of his students. The boys eyes lit up and we have since had a number of repeat performances throughout the day. 

We changed back into normal clothing and had a quick buffet breakfast. There were a number of interesting juices (green pumpkin and pineapple, lime and lemongrass) that we all tried. Everyone had worked up an appetite during Tai Chi and breakfast tasted great.

Our next activity for the day was a tour through the old quarter in little golf cart style buggies. Many of the streets were organised by product - a toy street, an electronics street etc. The buggies were open and quite low and we felt part of the action. It was far better than a bus ride although the traffic was a little scary close up. We were dropped off at the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum. Our group had donated a wreath - one of only 13 allowed per day- and we were taken past the huge lines straight to the front of the line, to watch the wreath being presented. You can see the wreaths in the photo below. We then filed into the chilled mausoleum, up some stairs and past Ho Chi Minh's embalmed remains. He looked a little waxy to me but it was very interesting. We continued on with a walk through the grounds (Ho Chi Minh's house, his cars, the one pillar pagoda etc).

We were dropped off for a look at the temple of Literature, where there was a hunt for a large plastic Easter egg for the kids. It was filled with Hershey's kisses. I think that was as close as we could get to Easter in Hanoi. We finished off the planned part of the day with a trip to the Hanoi Hilton - the jail, which was worth a look. 

The afternoon an evening was free so we had a relaxing time with lunch at the pool, a swim, and a walk around the lake. Dinner was at the Opera Club Nouvelle and was very tasty.