Today we had a noncycling day – taking it easy and viewing the sites around the historic 1954 battle between the Viet Minh and the French that marked the end of the First Indochina War. The film about the battle really helped explain the dynamics (once the docent changed the language to English) – the French were on the highest ground and had impenetrable defenses – which the Vietnamese breached by digging tunnels underneath.
When we went to view the bunkers, there were a group of new Vietnamese enlisted soldiers who gathered around us, asking to have their pictures taken with us. It’s ironic on so many levels – but typical of my experience in Vietnam – where little children are competing to say “hello” the loudest as we cycle by, and where the teenagers in Hanoi wanted to take cell phone pictures of themselves with me. I swam a few laps this afternoon at the hotel’s (very big) swimming pool. It was empty when I began, and as I swam a crowd of young men gathered to watch. They wanted to try out some English afterward – of course their English is far ahead of my Vietnamese.
Two of us eat a great lunch in the hotel’s restaurant (shrimp with chili sauce and garlic). At dinner, the larger group of us ordered the same dish – and it was also delicious, but totally different. There was a large group of European tourists in the restaurant, and our table was in the back of the large room – so we had a very leisurely dinner.
We’re saying goodbye to Binh and Tunhi, our guide and driver, tomorrow at the Lao border. We start at 7am so that we can make it to immigration by 10:30 – Binh describes Laos as greener (“They don’t burn down the trees like in Vietnam”) but with “roads less good.”
I’m having trouble even seeing my blog right now – so I will again refrain from posting photos. I’ve been trying to email photos to the blog – but can’t tell right now if that has worked.
More news from Laos tomorrow evening.
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