On the first day of our trip, we had fun exploring around both terminal 1 and 3! It was nearing Christmas and Changi Airport was decked with many Mickey and Minnie Theme Decors. I really luv our airport so much because it always help to set the nice travelling mood with all the facilities and shopping before stepping foot on the air plane!
Woodblock really has great time goofing around while I was busy posing excitedly with all the aesthetic decors.
When we finally arrive at Hanoi - it was already night time and it was freezing cold! Was very upset wth our tour agent who told us that it wasnt cold at all and I packed the wrong clothes - shorts and shirts =( I didn't even brought along any jackets at all. Thanks to my dear hubby woodblock who made sacrifices by letting me have his jacket for the rest of the trip!
The morning started with some simple breakfast before we went to the Ho Chi Minh Musuem. Usually I dislike going to musuem with all the history stuff unlike woodblock who likes it, but I must say that I am really impressed and intrigued by the life story of Ho Chi Minh. I also learnt new things like how Vietnam's history is closely related to China's. Therefore, it wouldn't be a surprise to find many Chinese-like artefacts and decors in Vietnam.
How can we resist saying 'Hi' back to Mr. Ho Chi Minh before we leave!
Near the museum was a unique temple known as the 'One-Pillar Temple'. This is a small temple which is supported by one pillar and this is actually not the original one as the original one was destroyed during the war. Many may be wondering what is being house inside this temple? Someone whom many is very familiar to ' Song Zi Guan Yin'. So if you are keen to have a baby soon you may want to come here and pray. (ps: I did not pray of course but woodblock did. I hope his tummy wun grow bigger becos he is going to give birth to all the buffet food he has eaten).
Now, even though the weather was cold but the sun in the afternoon was very strong and it really gave us a mixed feeling of hot and cold =( - not the kind of weather I like.
Behind me lies the body of Mr. Ho Chi Minh. However as the period was when the museum personel do maintainance work on the various artefact and maybe even the body so we din get a chance to see Mr. Ho Chi Minh.
Next we visited the home of Mr. Ho Chi Minh. He is a guy who is very humble and we went overseas when he was in his teen to search for the solution to free his country from France. He had man close shaves as he was often being captured but he had great frens who actually manage to save him. Even when Ho Chi Minh became the Country's leader, he insisted not staying in big houses and amidst luxury, so he stayed at the servant's quarters(in the ex-house of the Governor of France stay) initially, but the pple built him another house by the lake so he then moved to the new house. His house has a great view of the lake despite it is small but I felt that it was a real nice cosy house.
Ho Chi Minh's house by the lake.
Beside his house, there were many pomelo trees planted around. Despite pomelo's are heavy, the branches were actually small.
We then went to another venue which I am not sure what the place is called. But it is the place where scholars all around the country will come and sit for the imperial exams.
Once we entered the place, we were greeted with the sight of many stone tablets by the sides. On these stone tablets, the name of the scholars who made it through with flying colours and were conferred as the new officials of the imperial were being engraved. There are 80 plus tablets in all. Many students were touching the head ot the turtles in order to gain some good luck for their studies =) Even though both of us have graduated, we couldn't resist to touch them too - just in case you know.
After a tiring half day tour, we went to a nice restaurant to have our lunch. The restaurant was located near the lake and we even saw some camera crew videoing
Next, it was off to the Ancient street - 'Gu Jie' to tour the streets on trishaws! The whole journey took 45 mins which i find it kinda slow =(becausethe the smoke on the roads of Vietnam was terrible till th point that the locals even put on masks.
Next, we visited another temple again. The lake behind us is said to house a huge turtle. The legend goes that the giant turtle took back the golden sword from the king while he was boating.
After this, we took a 3 hours bus ride down to Halong Bay.
By the time we reached Halong Bay, it was night fall and we had our dinner at a restaurant near our hotel. Now we were given a huge room with crazy facilities like massage bath system lol. However, many members of our tour group din know that usually for corner rooms in the hotel - it is usually the biggest and sometimes better. So they thought we din even have a good view to the Halong bay. After the great dinner, we rested for a while before going for some massage arranged by the tour guide.
To be honest at this point in time, many pple even the Vietnamese cannot believe that woodblock and me were married. And yes I'm not married because I'm pregnant hello. What makes many pple think that if you are married young it must be pregnancy???? Real upset by such steroetyping and I'm freaking irritated by all these questions. Sure blog the rest of the trip on the next entry =)
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