Day 14

Our water puppet show last night was very interesting. The puppeteers stood behind the scenery in waterproof boots up to their waists and manipulated the puppets via long sticks under the water. The puppets performed 11 scenarios of traditional life including fishing, horse racing and planting rice--all accompanied by a traditional Vietnamese orchestra.

Our French dinner was outstanding and beautifully presented AND very reasonably priced.

This morning was free and Chuck and I took a walk. The pollution here was giving some of us coughs and I was able to find some Ricola drops.

At noon the group headed for lunch. In the afternoon we took another cyclo ride. Unlike the last one this was not a pleasurable experience. We were in horrendous, noisy traffic (did I mention that the Vietnamese cannot drive without their horns?) The pollution was bad and because of the bad traffic we could not drive around the lake as planned. No notable scenery, we just circled the block.

Our final stop on the tour was a visit to the "Hanoi Hilton" prison where John McCain and other American flyers were held during the Vietnam War. No pictures today except the utility wires in the older part of town.