More meanderings in Hanoi

Took a stroll south from my hotel to the center of the Old Quarter, where lies Hoan Kiem Lake. According to legend, around the 15th century a magical sword was gifted by heaven to emperor Ly Thai To, which he then used to drive the Chinese from Vietnam. After the war, the emperor was boating on the lake when he encountered a giant golden tortoise who snatched the sword and disappeared into the water. Since then, the lake was called Ho Hoan Kiem, or Lake of the Restored Sword, since the turtle returned the sword to its divine origins. A small temple was built in the 18th century on a small island in the lake (the Ngoc Son Temple, or Jade Mountain Temple), so I decided to stop by for a peek. On the way there, I was approached by a Vietnamese university student who asked if we could chat so she could practice her English (and she really did seem to need the practice). We had a nice little chat, and exchanged email addresses in the end (we've stayed in contact since then). Thinking about it later, I was struck by just how bold she was. I mean, I don't think I would have the guts to just walk up to a stranger and ask if I could chat with them in their native language when I barely had a grasp of it. But, when you think about it, that's actually pretty damn smart, since it's really the best way to learn a language. I'm always so nervous and self-conscious when I try to speak another language, so afraid of saying something wrong and feeling dumb. I know that that seriously holds me back from learning though, so I really ought to stop being afraid of making mistakes. But anyway, back to the lake. The turtle thing is actually pretty interesting since there really are giant tortoises in this lake. Or at least one that's still living. The embalmed remains of a past tortoise can be seen within the temple, and if you're very patient and have a keen eye, you just might spot Cu Rua, or "Great Grandfather"--the tortoise who currently lives in the lake. He was fished out in 2011 to treat medical problems caused by pollution in the water. Ohhhhh pollution. It's sadly quite rampant here.

Later, I took a long walk over to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex to get my free look at good ol' Uncle Ho's well-preserved corpse. Ho is highly regarded by the Vietnamese people for his communist ideologies and for liberating Vietnam from colonialism. Despite his wish to be cremated, Ho is now laid out in a glass sarcophagus within a special room inside a very imposing and well-guarded mausoleum. Viewing the corpse is free of charge, but you must leave your bags, phones, and cameras at a reception hall before you join the long queue that is always present. Appropriate clothing must be worn in order to be admitted--no shorts, tank tops, or anything else considered "indecent". After all the fussiness of getting in, I gotta say I wasn't all that impressed. I mean, it's just a dead guy in a box. And actually, he kinda looked to me like he was made of wax, which got me wondering if maybe he really is just a wax carving. After all, that'd be a helluva lot easier to maintain than a real dead body. Supposedly he's sent away to Russia from September to December for yearly "maintenance". I bet they're just chopping him up to make candles. God, Vietnamese people would be so offended right now...

The embalmed predecessor of Cu Rua

The golden tortoise returning the magical sword. Also interesting to note: the Vietnamese people previously used Chinese characters to write (as shown above) but around the early 20th century they adopted a Latin-based alphabet created by a French missionary in the 17th century. Only a handful of Vietnamese people can still read these Chinese-style characters.

I saw old dudes all over the place playing this board game. I was later told that it takes hours to complete one game. Other things to note from this picture are the chairs they're sitting on. If there's one object that I could choose to symbolize all of southeast Asia, it would be a tiny plastic stool. Literally EVERYWHERE, and always amusing to see giant Westerners awkwardly attempting to sit on them (myself included). 

The final resting place of Ho Chi Minh (or perhaps just his waxy likeness, if you fancy my conspiracy theory)