Day Thirty-Six

St Joseph's Cathedral, Hon Lo Prison with Museum & the Temple of Literature

Early morning rise ready to sample our first Vietnamese breakfast in the hostel as it was free. We had been informed by our Argentinian friend Ana that she would be arriving in Hanoi today from Nanning. Downstairs in the seating area all we could hear was Spanish talk - yipee Ana was already here!!! It was great to see her & we couldn't wait to hear the rest of her China adventure.

After breakfast we planned the day & decided that we would visit a few of the sights in Hanoi. The first stop was St Joseph's Cathedral. Who would have thought that just around the corner from our hostel there was a big massive cathedral but compared to our cathedrals this was more like a church. Along the way Ana was so full of enthusiasm that she wanted to drink beer at 11am so we went to a little shop whilst she bought a beer. Walking to the cathedral you could heat the big loud bells ringing. When we got outside there was lots of children which must have been on their dinner break. The place was buzzing around with the noise of lots of chatter & laughter. Hanoi has so much charm & an atmosphere that I don't think you could find anywhere else. It's just wonderful! Unfortunately the cathedral was closed because they have certain opening & closing times which we had missed. As we had a busy day ahead of us we decided not to hang around for it to open but make a move to the prison.

We walked along a massive road which was so busy with motorbikes that you couldn't move. We passed a little window which had cakes in the window. The placed looked really small & it was more of a stall than a shop but the cakes looked so yummy that we had to have one. We stared through the glass at all the cakes & we couldn't make our mind up what one to have but because they were so cheap about 30p each we decided to be greedy & get two. Oh my gosh the cakes were delicious especially the one that was like a Victoria sponge cake. Really satisfied we continued to walk along the streets to see if we could find the prison. We knew that we where in the right area but the buildings started to become confusing so we asked a parking attendant who pointed to the building over the road.

We crossed over the road & there was a little hut set at the side of the entrance to the prison. We paid our entrance fee & in we went. There were big boards that had descriptive writing on to tell you about the prison & how the prison was used. As we walked through we got to see the cells where the prisons where kept & how they where treated. The prison was similar to the one in South Korea where they had reconstructions of what happened. We were shocked to see the conditions & how the prisoners were shackled. There was one cell where there was lots of prisoners kept & on a massive platform at the front was the toilet which was just two giant holes & everyone could watch you do your business.

The more around the prison we walked the more we got to understand the war & how the American soldiers were captured & made to live. To be honest it was a hell of a lot better than how the Vietnamese prisoners lived. This prison was where American politician & presidential candidate John Cane was kept during the war also this place is the reason why he can't raise his arms above his head. We got the see pictures & descriptions of how prisoners were executed & how the women were also killed. 3/4 of the way round & Ana started to feel unwell so we sat her on a bench whilst we continued to look around.

There was lots of photographs which were taken during the war of the prison which we took time to look at. In a special room upstairs they had now turned it in to a war memorial & it has the names of the people who's lives where lost during the prison period. It was excruciatingly shocking to think that it was not so long ago but it just goes to show that the people of Vietnam are not to be messed with. When we had finished looking around we went back to see if Ana was ok. She was complaining of stomach cramps so we headed of to find a pharmacy where she could buy some painkillers.

With the pain killers sorted we headed through the streets mesmerised by all the traffic & how the people of Hanoi go about there business. On every street you will find a lady selling baskets of fruit or little street cafes. These places look really crummy & dirty but the sell the most amazing food. The next place on our agenda to visit was the Temple of Literature. We had read that this place is a must see in Hanoi so off we headed following the map.

When we had arrived at the Temple of Literature it was really busy with tourists. You could see tourists from all different countries & they were being marched through the gates by tour guides. We had noticed that there was a local park with a fishing lake over the road so we decided to go over & have a look before going in to the temple. In the park there was lots of people fishing so we stood & watched for a while. Whilst standing there we notices that there was big baldy cockerels that seriously had most of their feathers missing running freely round the park & making a hell of a noise. We quickly noticed that there where big straw cages that they had been kept in. When walking further around we seen lots of men with the cockerels so we went over to inspect what was going on. It soon became clear that there was cock-fighting taking place in the park & the men were allowing the cockerels to run around freely in order to get them ready for fighting.

We asked the men if we could sit & watch to see exactly what happens & they agreed it was ok so we sat on a big massive stone slab on the grass alongside the men. The man had a little bucket of water & he was washing the cockerel down with a sponge & occasionally squeezing water in to it's mouth. The cockerel seemed very trusting of his keeper as the man was gently stroking what feathers it had left & the bird was careful & would not stray too far from it's owners feet. Next he taped little sponges to the cockerels claws & at that point we realised that it wasn't a serious fight but it was possibly training for the cockerel so when it does fight it can be the best. When both cockerels were all taped & everything sorted the men then put on these tiny little muzzles over the beaks of the birds so they couldn't damage each other properly & then they let them fight.

The cockerels squared up to each other beak to beak & they were marching around in a circle as if they were sussing the opposition out. It was so fascinating to watch & when they wouldn't fight the man intervened & played with one of the cockerels wings & that was that - they were fighting. They had their necks wrapped round each others bodies & they were pecking for glory, luckily they had the muzzles to protect them but feathers still went flying everywhere. It began to get more vicious as the claws got involved. The birds would jump up & using their wings for strength they would claw away at each others body. It was crazy as we stood there for about 45 minutes just watching. As we could see the birds were getting tired & not much damage was being done we headed out of the park & back over the road towards the temples entrance.

The three of us marched through the gates & in to the Temple. The first part looked like a big massive garden area & they had nice flower decorations leading up the pathway. Straight ahead of us were big heavy looking doors & a lovey archway which we headed through. On the other side there was a path the walk but in the centre there were 2 big ponds - Andy's first reaction was let's look for fish. I think he was disappointed when he didn't find any.

Further around we all walked & headed through another archway. Through the archway there was a beautiful courtyard that had various different buildings. Every building looked really pretty but it was a shame that most of them where being used as stupid souvenir shops. We headed to the main building where there were typical statues & shrines & lots & lots of people taking photographs. I was feel extremely claustrophobic & had to go outside. At this point we had lost out companion Ana. We looked around for her but couldn't see her anywhere so we decided to head to the other parts of the temple. Walking further round we came to another building & we could hear sweet soft music being played so we decided to go in.

Inside there were beautiful women in traditionally dressed clothing & it was them who was playing the music. There where chairs in there so you could sit so we parked our behind for 5 minutes hoping that Ana would catch us up. We still didn't see Ana so we got up & continued to look around. There was lots to see in this temple, it was splendid! We entered a museum type part to look at old antiques belonging to the temple. Further outside there was a massive big bell & a huge drum, probably the biggest we have seen yet. We went to look around at them before making out way back through everywhere we had just been looking for Ana. After searching around she was nowhere to be seen so we sat on a bench & waited. After 30 minutes we went to look again & she wasn't around. I suggested to go to the front main gates but Andy was saying that she would leave us so sat down in a different part & waited. Still no joy so we then headed for the main gates & sat on a wall outside & waited. Still no joy so we went back in & still couldn't see her so we went back to the wall to
wait. At this point I realised that we should have paid to enter & we didn't & we have been in twice already. Totally fed up of waiting the doors where closing & all the tourist began to make their exit. We entered a third time without paying but still no sign of her so we headed back.

So tired from a long long day we trudged through the streets seeing the city change from daylight to nightlife & it was still just as busy. We passed through crazy narrow streets & at one point you couldn't see the tarmac on the road because the whole place was covered with motorbikes. There was that many it was ridiculous & nothing like we have ever seen before. It must have been rush hour. Finally after lots of walking we made it back to the hostel only to find Ana all comfortable washed & changed. She said that she has been waiting at the main gates (where Andy said she wouldn't be!) for over an hour before just leaving & heading back.

It was time for a chill out so we went back to out room only to be greeted by our 2 new Swiss friends. We all spoke about what day we had before deciding to all go for tea. We knocked on Ana's room door & asked if she would like to join us only to find that she was sharing a room with a German man who was travelling on his own so we asked him to join us too. The six of us all went walking along the street to see if there was any place we all fancied eating. We found this little restaurant so we went in & ordered beers & food. Tea was over very quickly as we were really hungry but the chatter continued for hours.

From the restaurant we found an outside street bar which had tiny stools to sit on & crates for tables so we all sat down apart from Ana who was tired from her travelling & the busy day so she wanted to head back to the hostel for an early night but we got comfortable & ordered other beers. We all chatted away about anything & everything & it was nice to be mixing with other travellers & talking to like minded people. As it so got late we headed back to the hostel.

Such a busy day & lots fitted in. Sleep was certainly in order. Not sure of the plans for tomorrow, we'll see..........