Now I made sure this hotel had buffet breakfast,om nom nom, we devoured some tasty goods and headed out towards Hoa Lo Prison. Entrance only costs a few AUD, I had read reviews about it, but when you arrive you get the full feel for what so many people went through, some of the conditions and treatment of people are just shocking. Alot of it has been translated into English which helps, but I found still ALOT which for me, being a somewhat tourist destination should be a little more covered in English. Nonetheless it was a great place to visit for a few hours. (Excuse some of the quality of the shots from inside the prison, not the greatest)
Afterwards was tasty lunch of Vietnamese spring rolls (Nem) next to Hoan Kiem Lake, then a nap because y'know, I'm on damn holidays! The rest of the day was spent relaxing, blogging and dinner!
We walked over the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, they are quite strict and cannot take any liquid, cameras or bags in, so after checking my camera in we joined the long line. The guards keep everyone in check, you cannot have your arms behind your back, speak overly loud, wear sunglasses or hats. It's just a sign of respect obviously so really its not that bad. Eventually we were ushered into where he lays, its so quiet, he lays with in a glass box with 4 guards standing around him. Uncle Ho honestly looks like he is just taking a quiet nap.
We stopped for some really tasty Vietnamese coffee right next to The Flag Tower of Hanoi on the way back to the hotel, they have so much choice! mmmm coffee!
I went out in the evening to get some street photography around The Old Quarter and along the train line. I do not understand how people can live so closely to the trains (as you'll see in the shot). After a few hours exploring we went up to the rooftop bar/restaurant of our hotel for dinner!
