We got up, breakfasted and all that, then it was off for the first cultural activity of 'Team Nam' (a.k.a. 'Team Guch'), to visit Ho Chi Minh at the Mussoleum. Ol' Uncle Ho as the pamphlet says Vietnamese like to call him is well looked after and commands the utmost respect. We arrived and had to check in our bags (but could take our wallets and cameras), then we had to watch a video (in Vietnamese, surely saying how and why Uncle Ho is so wonderful). After that, we were escorted through the grounds in two lines, to the next booth where we had to had in our cameras. It was all swift action and decorum from there. We continued around the Mussoleum building in line, with armed guards lining the way up the path. Once on the red carpet (actually plastic stuff), we were not to stray or talk, I think smiling and showing any action that could be misconstrued as being disrespectful was also 'dame'! Jo and I got shushed even - who'd have thought!? So once in the presence of the wise one, we streamed past his coffin thing, where he was laid out, looking incredibly plastic-like. All a bit weird really...no time for stopping as I'm sure one of the guards guarding would have shot you if you stopped moving! Once out we were free to continue around the gardens at our leisure..! So we went and looked at Uncle Ho's former home - a huge BRIGHT yellow mansion. With guard-type people speckled about, we were almost afraid to talk about Ho Chi Minh in case they were trained to understand criticism/propoganda/slander about him in any language!!

After lunch we shopped and dodged the motorbikes for a couple of hours. Vietnam has millions and millions of motorbikes/scooters/mopeds etc. In NZ when you have a family you get a car, or a bigger car. In Vietnam you just get a bike! While the kids are young, a bike fits the whole family! I saw 6 on a bike even!! Mostly they keep it to 3 or 4, and quite often I saw 5, but 6!! I wonder what age it is when they realise they need to split the family up onto two bikes? Or at what age do the kids get there own bike to ride..!?

We went to the water puppets in the evening after dinner at Little Hanoi. Lovely restaurant, especially amusing as Neal was hit on by the male waiter!! Unbeknownst to us, Neal was uncomfortably having his arm hairs played with, and shoulders rubbed when the guy came over!!! Oh how funny it was when we found out, and could laugh at Neal's unease when the waiter came back!! Poor Neal..! The water puppets were good, interesting and contrary to what some may have said, a must-see to get amongst the Vietnamese culture! A group play traditional instruments, and narrate while puppets do there thing in the water! Of course it's in Vietnamese and we can't understand the story but it's very cool. Traditionally the shows were put on in rice paddies, before the planting.