Day 52 - Hanoi, Vietnam

I woke up today and when to the SOS medical center to take care of the cold I've had for ages. It was quite interesting to see what medical care was like in a place like Vietnam. The clinic was busy with all type of people. Mainly travellers as everyone in the clinic spoke English. There was an abundance of people who had just adopted Vietnamese children and were bringing the in for a check up. it was quite nice to see that all these children were going to have permanant homes. There was also a guy who was there for his 3rd rabies shot. Now there has to be a good story behind that, but I didn't ask as I'm sure it sucks to get the shot, let alone tell someone what got you into the predicament to begin with. I got checked up by a French doctor and was prescribed some pulmicort and amoxicillin and sent on my way with a blll for $136 US. It wasn't too bad at all.

The first thing I noticed about this city was the ridiculous amount of motorbikes in comparison to pedestrians and cars. They are absolutely everywhere. Crossing the street is like crossing the street in China except for the fact that there are more vehicles on the road and they were ALL honking their horns. Now they honk not just to alert you to move faster but to tell you that they are there, that they are going to pass another vehicle or if they are going fast and bicycle is in the way. This is the loudest I've ever heard a city. Not to mention the fact that some of the horns aren't simple monotonal beeps but a series of harmonic tones over and over again. I know this will start to drive me nuts in no time.

In the afternoon, I went to go see a water puppets show. It's a Vietnamese form of pupperty that was created by farmers on the rice paddys and take place in the water. The ticket was 40000D ($2.50). The show was very interesting. The theatre consisted of a pool of water as the stage. I wasn't quite sure how the puppets worked but as it turns out the puppeteers are in the water and holding the puppets that were attached to sticks behind a curtain. The puppets were very ornate and hinged so that they flowed with life like movement to the sound of traditional vietnamese music.

The next stop was the Hoa Lo Prison where Presidential candidate John Mccain was held during the war and where he twice tried to commit suicide due to the horrendous conditions in which he was kept as a POW. The entrance fee was 5000D (35 Cents) and is no longer in use today. The jail consists of large rooms wth a row of foot shackles that were lined up so prisoners were bound side by side. There was a women's prison as well. They were not chained up but they were kept with their children with them. During the time people were kept here, there was never enough water. There were times where each prisoner ration of water was only a few tablespoons a day. The conditions in which the prisoners were kept was quite unsanitary and inhumane. There were no washroom facilities so prisoners were often saturated in their own waste. When prisoners were executed, the guillotine was used and their heads would be on display as a warning for the remaining prisoners. By wandering the city, I think that this is by far the most interesting place to visit in Hanoi.