Uncle Ho Would Turn In His Mausoleum

Magun's Compass
Learn from the Travel Experiences of Others

The Ho Chi Minh Trail....

Uncle Ho would turn in his mausoleum...

They've done such a good job of stuffing the old boy,
you almost expect his face to twitch as you gaze beyond his less than life like guards.

The tourists file past in silence, although some pay no respect; appearing in multi-coloured, knee-length shorts.

I arrived with the wrong impression that Hanoi under Communism had created a city of large boulevards to accommodate the armoured May Day Parades that glorified their leaders' power.

It is only around the mausoleum, that this is so. The rest of Hanoi is beautified by shaded streets, and numerous lakes that leave a calm impression.

In what seems like a desperate attempt to catch up with
Ho Chi Minh City, though....

Hanoi has taken to the streets with it's market economy.

[Market Economy]

[From Hanoi]

Asia Index

Travel on trains and buses in Asia, then jump into cars with complete strangers in Australia and New Zealand as Michel introduces you to a collection of characters that bring Nomadic Gatherings to life.

If you can't afford to buy a copy of Nomadic Gatherings, the chapters are slowly being made available online - for free.

You may even decide that it really is worth having a hard copy in your hands; a useful read for those long bus journeys being written about, and for endless waits at ferry ports.

Nomadic Gatherings - Online Chapters.

Magun's Compass