Ho Hoan Lake

This lake sits in the heart of Hanoi in a park like setting, it is surrounded by wide winding side walks, trees , flowers, and benches.. It is a very popular place for a lake side stroll. We sat by the lake and watched the locals walk by. In October 1967, John McCain was shot down over Hanoi on a bombing raid and was badly injured when bailing out . He landed in this lake by parachute and was pulled from the water by a man in a boat. When they reached the shore, an enraged mob grabbed him ( he had a broken arm ) and proceeded to badly beat him. The military arrived and saved him from from being beaten to death. He spent the next 6 years tortured and imprisoned...........how times have changed.... We have been welcomed by all , they have forgiven and forgotten,as we have . As in all of Asia, Vietnam has a young population , most born long after those terrible days. Those who do remember have treated us well, the war has been forgotten . ( they did win ) .

Hanoi Tea House

We spotted this Tea House down an alley and went in for a rest. It was in a very old house in remarkably original condition. We ordered a pot of tea and two cups ( they were tiny ) . They filled the pot almost full of loose green tea then boiling water. The result was a small amount of really strong tea, it was a nice rest for us. ( Cost ; $1.75 )They were super friendly. ( ice in the urinal ? )

Silk

Karen found a shop that makes custom made silk clothing. She ordered a silk dress, it will be ready in 24 hours. They made men's shirts, etc but I wasn't interested . That's Karen getting measured by the shop owner. ( Hillary Clinton had been in the shop and had clothing made, they had a signed photo of her ) The clothing was inexpensive .

Hanoi lunch

We stopped in a tiny restaurant for lunch for some local food. We had stir fried veggies with noodles and tofu. I had a Hanoi brand beer, Karen had a soda. Very good lunch for $ 6.00 ( both. )

Street food

We never eat street food but like to check it out . One lady sold a blue tub of insect larvae . another dried mushrooms. Women set up tiny stoves right on the sidewalk and served hot meals one at a time. A man used a mortis and pestle to pound live shrimp into a paste. Prices are never displayed

Specialty streets

Each street in the old city specialized in a type of product, Silk Rd sold shirts. Other streets sold just towels, or toys . The shiny timware shop sells hand made wood fired ovens in various sizes. Another street had lock smiths working right on the sidewalk. A fan repair shop on the pavement . Some streets were too narrow for cars.

Hanoi street peddlers

The streets were full of woman selling fruits, veggies, cooked meals, baked hoods, flowers, etc. The quality of things looked very good. Some of th hauled huge loads

Hanoi Streets

Although quiet when we got to the Old City Center, the motorbike traffic was crazy by mid day, Tan and green police attempted to control the chaos. Drivers only sort of obeyed lights, one way streets etc. We had to be VERY careful crossing streets, we usually crossed with groups of locals.

Hanoi

We arrived in Hanoi an hour ago ( 8 pm ) to an oddly empty airport after a harrowing flight thru violent thunder storms. Although there were no soldiers walking around, all employees wore military style uniforms with the single gold star of the Communist Party on their shoulder epaulets. Other than our half empty flight, the place was a ghost town. The half hour ride into the city center was thru strangely dark urban streets with no lights on. Hanoi is the darkest city I have ever seen . The main boulevards were lit but most side streets were dark. No electricity ? They go to bed early ? We are staying at the Hanoi Hilton Opera, located near the old city center. We are surrounded by old French colonial buildings . Our room is western style and modern. The lobby is Huge. Tomorrow our guide meets us at 9 am . Lots of photos to come . Weather is nice, in the 70's

Final island day

We are getting ready for a convoluted trip to Vietnam . We leave this island by boat, travel to Sulawesi , fly to Denpasar, ,Bali, spend the night , fly to Hong Kong , spend the night and fly to Hanoi Vietnam . 48 hrs of painful transit, the price of adventure , will be offline till Hanoi, A few final Siladen shots: air drying mahogany boards,
Coloniai Dutch coconut stllls, ( the island was originally a coconut plantation set up to produce coconut oil ) employees spent two hours every day scrubbing pool . They gave Karen and I a honeymoon dinner on the beach, it was a bit embarrassing. , I think it was a computer glitch.
, Be back here in a couple days, Cheers

Last day on Siladen

We leave tomorrow ( hate to go ). They gave us two turtles to release . They will return in 25 years to lay eggs. We loved this island and the people, they had a barbecue on the beach under the stars. Food was awesome ,satay ( skewered fish, pork, beef on bamboo sticks ) lots of local veggies , a gourmets delight .