230607 - 240607 Days 21 & 22
Woke up damn early to go to Ho Chin Minh Masoleum, where his body is resting. Admission is free and the queue is super super long. We queued for about 1 hr before getting to see his body for about 30seconds. But I must say it’s truly amazing how they managed to preserve the body till today.
Then we had lunch and it was one of the worst lunch I had here. I was quite irritated by everything. Anyway, some of us took a walk to West Lake after eating. The lake is big and scenic. 8 of us took the Swans, with 2 people in each Swan and we can paddle together to move around the lake in the swan for an hour. Me and Jasmine paddled together but we damn slack, paddled awhile then just slack in the lake. It was breezy and cooling as there is shelter, and we even bought a coconut to drink.
Serene West Lake, Happy Swaning
Then we decided to proceed to Old Quarters again but we rested in a 5 star hotel on our way to use their toilet and enjoy the air con. But it turned out we attracted a lot of attention in the hotel and our intruder status was discovered after some time and we decided to leave, after making a scene there for like 45 min. We took bus to Old quarters and we splitted into smaller groups to walk around. So me, Jamine, Xinyi and Siya took bus to this shopping centre to walk but there’s nothing for me to buy. They did not buy anything too. It’s the 1st shopping mall I stepped in Hanoi. Saw the usual labels like Giodarno, Bossini, Nike, Reebok… which are all expensive.We shopped along the street but it is more like a gals street as it’s mainly gals shops. We had KFC for dinner then made our way to this club called TOILET bar. Weird name they have but it sounds funky. We entered this shop to see and the salesgirl was quite friendly so I just had a causal chat with her. And she told us TOILET is closed at the moment. I was so sianz, cos that’s what we were looking forward to and it’s not opened. In the end, after a lot of discussion, we decided to return to dorm.
But guessed what? There was a 3rd blackout!!! WTF! And it’s the worst one ever. Up till now, it lasted for like 18 hours already. It’s like the primitive times, we had candles on every floor, and every source of light is precious. Our fans, air cons, lights are all not working. The air is still and humid. The gals had to bathe with candles and torch lights. We had to fan ourselves. Some of them even had the thought of checking into a motel for the night but it did not materialize. Some people still tried to sleep, but I wondered if they really slept. I ended up playing card games with Xinyi, Michelle, Xuan Ting and Jasmine, till like 4 plus then we decided to try sleeping.
SIAN BlackOut!
I woke up at around 8am and I had many mosquito bites throughout the short sleep I had. Really reminds me of my army outfield periods. It is our last night here in dorm and there has to be a blackout. Well, how nice if only it’s delayed for one more day. But I guessed it’s a memorable night we will all remember.
We are gonna fly to Ho Chin Minh is about 6 hrs time. I’m looking forward to going there as we will be checking into hotel and I think it’s a more exciting city. And having being in Hanoi for 3 weeks, I think I had explored enough of this place.
Hanoi Airport
I sat on the plane with Zi Liang but think we slept for most part of the flight. The flight is surprisingly good, smooth flight and nice food. The weather when we touch down is great, so much less humid than Hanoi and much cooler. We went to a restaurant for dinner and there was a NTU banner at the entrance to welcome us. We felt like VIPs surely. Dinner Restaurant with Zi Liang & Shu Shan
After dinner, we proceeded to hotel which is damn shoik and comfortable. We have nice rooms, wi-fi in hotel, thats why I can blog now, and the hotel is near to the night market, pubs and fast food restaurants. Finally, we all begin to feel where the money we paid are spent on. Nice sleep after such a long time :)
