Saturday was loaded with history, culture and the French.
Well not the French, but what remains of the French influence in Vietnam.
We started the morning off of the southern corner of Hoan Kiem Lake in the French Quarter and had a look at the architecture of the Opera house before sitting down to breakfast near (a photo of) the Louvre.
After some time we decided we should start making more out the day and wandered off deeper into the French Quarter to find the Women's Museum. I will admit I was foolish to take the map. But I will only accept 75% of the blame for causing us to circumnavigate an entire city block. The museum was supposed to be across the street from the movie theatre. I found the movie theatre! But the museum was not there. The walking in a circle part, well that was... good exercise.
We did eventually find the museum and thank goodness we did because it was amazing!!
The information, the artifacts, the displays and presentations were all wonderful. The insight it provided into the lives of women, different ethnic groups and practices, war participation, family make up, cultural beliefs and the role and place of women in Vietnam today was brilliantly showcased.
Not really the best transition - the happiness of ice cream to the hollows of war - but after Fanny's we went to Hoa Lo Prison (also known as the Hanoi Hilton) to read the stories of POWs and see the condition in which they were detained.
It is interesting to note that Hoa Lo does give a small look into the war and suffering the Vietnamese faced under the oppression of the French. Which is largely overlooked due to the American-Vietnam War. Only in Saigon did the French Indochina War reappear and cite the damages and harm that were done to the people and the country during that time.*
After the heat and sorrow at the prison, we needed to cool down. We took a break in a coffee shop for a while before hiking to the Temple of Literature (Van Mieu Pagoda). The hike to the temple turned out to be quite a trek, so we needed to take another break! But this break turned out to very useful since we met a Contiki guide and his Vietnamese co-guide. I told him how I'd done a Contiki tour and we got talking and asking for tips on what to see and do.
His brain thoroughly picked and ourselves cooled down, we went to the Temple of Literature to find it closing in five mins. No trouble, we decided to just grab a cab and head back to the hostel, clean up a bit and get some dinner. It'd been a hot, full day anyways.
Except the day's events weren't over.
Without any effort we got a taxi right outside the gates of the temple, only to find out a few short minutes later that the driver was not a real taxi cab driver, he was a con man running a scam taxi cab scheme. Sam noticed the meter was flying at a super-charged rate and when she pointed it out I immediately told the drive to stop, to pull over - which he didn't until I persisted and finally when we were stopped and out of the car the real fun began.
I had thought that since we caught on to his scam and gotten out of the cab he was going to let us go on our way, that he was bested and it was over. Well he wasn't. He was determined to get paid. It turned into a battle of ground - I was not going to pay him $10 for a five minute cab ride and he wanted his money. He spoke no English and I spoke no Vietnamese so it was a test of voices and hand motion. People were looking (and not helping) so I had to stand firm. I gave Misha my camera (slightly nervous the he would grab it from my hands and take it as payment) and went to battle with a grown man... over $10 and the injustice that he was doing. I'm not sure who won, or how it was seen to the locals as they stared at four white girls, but he only got $3.00 from us and we learned to always check that the cab was marked with a known taxi service logo and had employee photos posted on the dashboard.
I can't say I'd want to face off with a grown man again, but I did it once and once was exciting enough!! A little bit scary as well. Even though it's not really a moment to highlight as memorable - I loved it and I will keep it as a top travel story!
*I am not slighting the effects of war or the ugliness that will always and forever be a part of it; I'm merely commenting on the propaganda that is the sister to such events in history.
Not to discount Sen. McCain's suffering or injuries but you should Google the full account of how he was shot down. He also revealed to his captors that his father was Admiral McCain and his treatment was much better after that.
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