New Year's Eve and Day (Dec. 31, 2014; Jan. 1, 2015)

Today I had a really great day. I went to Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum with four other girls from my hostel. Actually, three of them are in my room and the other was from a room upstairs. This mausoleum is only open in the morning so when the other girls got up to go, I decided to join them, without a shower, but oh well. No one seemed to mind, or at least they didn’t say so.

We arrived there and lined up to go in to see the waxy, life like sleeping Ho Chi Minh. There were a million soldiers in white uniforms organizing and officiating the whole ordeal. It was so formal, and you couldn’t speak, you couldn’t fold your arms, and no photos, in fact, you had to leave your camera at a checkpoint. Anyway, I made it there and the only photo I can show you, is the photo from the outside of the mausoleum. 

Me, outside of mausoleum

Mausoleum

Street scene

West Lake that we walked by

West Lake view

Then we walked around the West Lake and looked at a pagoda that was awesome. We ate at this street vendor that was yummy, but I’m not sure what the food actually was called. Anyway, it was awesome. 

Lunch we shared on the street

Pagoda

Me in front of the pond

One of the Buddha's on the pagoda

Tree in Pagoda area

Then we went back to the hostel, and on the way back, I wanted to go to see if there were any tickets left for the Water Puppet Show. It’s New Year’s Eve tonight and I didn’t have any plans, but suddenly, I had a plan and was going to the puppet show, and then to the lake where there was apparently some festivities. I ended up going with several of my hostel mates. They are all very different, but super interesting and of different ages. I went back to the hostel to get ready to go out, but I met Crystal on the street and went with her to the coffee place across from our hostel for Egg Coffee. I had heard about this and wanted to try it. It was fantastic, like a dessert or a caramel mousse. If you want to find out more, you should look up Cafe Trung form Vietnam. It is truly a delectable treat.

Egg Coffee across the street

Crystal the Social Worker from
Alaska, and me

Motely crew at dinner enjoying Pho

L to R: Crystal, Stella, Paola, Me

Water Puppet Theater

One Water Puppet photo

From my room, there is Sandra, 31 from Sweden who is on a several week vacation; Crystal, from Alaska who is a 31 year old Social Worker who had quit her job to travel the world; Paola, 23 from Buenos Aires, who is travelling for a medical therapy, which she later told me is Hodgkins Lymphoma; Laure, Karen, and Darren who are from Kingston Ontario, Philadelphia, and England, all teaching English in Kyoto, Japan and on Winter Break holiday, vacationing in Vietnam. We were the motley crew that went to the Puppet Show and then out to the Countdown for New Year’s tonight.

Street scene

Street scene

Huge stage with music on lake

Me, waiting for midnight

20 seconds until New Year's

After the crazy New Year’s Eve countdown which was really cool, but tiring, we walked back to the hostel and went to bed around 1:00 am. It was a very memorable New Year’s Eve and I enjoyed it very much. 

Jan.1., 2015

Today I got up slowly as my poor little feet and legs were definitely feeling all the walking and standing from yesterday. I took my time getting up, showered, did some hand laundry and then went with Crystal for some coffee and to walk around. She was leaving today, on the night train for another destination, down south from here, but we had a lot of the day to hang out, plan the next stops, and go for yummy food, coffee and a walk. She is really nice and I might end up meeting up with her on the southern tour, because we all kind of end up seeing the same places. She told me that I shouldn’t book a tour to see Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island. That I should just go on my own, and that she wished she had done that. So, today, that’s what I did. I booked this trip to Cat Ba and then booked an Open Bus which you can get on and off of, as you work your way down south, to Ho Chi Minh City. It’s a sleeping, comfortable bus that allows you to stay where you want, for as long as you want, and then you just take it to your next destination when you’re ready. It provides a lot of flexibility and options when you are travelling and don’t know if you’re going to like a place enough to stay any length of time. I was really glad to have this done, as it is my least favourite thing to do, and the most time consuming to organize.

Anyway, here are the photos of our yummy Egg Coffee at another place, as well as our lunch and dinner, before she left. Oh, I bought a day backpack to take around when going to the beach, or buying stuff. That way I won’t have to take my big one, which is often too large for beach day trips, or walking tours that require munchies and water bottles. I think it was a great purchase and got if for $10. It’s a North Face and water proof so that should work well.

Second place to try Egg Coffee

Crystal and me

Second Egg Coffee was better as it
wasn't quite as sweet. I love this stuff!

So, that’s it. Tomorrow I think I will visit the Women’s Museum and maybe the Museum of Literature, if I have time. I don’t want to rush around too much, but still want to see some of the cultural sights here before leaving for Cat Ba Island, the day after tomorrow. I will leave my big suitcase in the luggage lock up at this hostel, as I’m leaving the day I return from Cat Ba, from here and they will store it for me. Great, as I won’t have to haul it then. 

Hope you all brought in the New Year with style. I sure did. Miss you and Happy New Year.