Lost in Translation

A couple of days ago Pearce and I went on our first adventure without Eric who conveniently reads and speaks fluent Vietnamese. I soon realized I should have been more diligent with my RossettaStone Vietnamese lessons. Bright and early, the three of us drove our motorcycle with stroller in hand to the Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum. Eric said his goodbye and zoomed off to work. Pearce and I rolled up to the gates of the Mausoleum ready to see Uncle Ho. Built by the Soviet Union in 1975 as a gift to the Vietnamese people, it is intended to represent a lotus flower. There are strict rules for visiting the Mausoleum. It is not permitted to take phones or cameras inside. Oh and strollers, which is not mentioned in any tour guide book. No shorts or tank tops, and you must maintain a respectful demeanour. And of course I was denied entry. So naturally I walked around to every gate to try and smuggle my way in, but no luck. Some kind Vietnamese tourist took a picture of us in front of the Mausoleum. and then took a picture of Pearce and his wife in front of the mausoleum.

If you notice, from the pictures, there is a lot of grass, and it is all manicured by hand. Yes, all of it. Yikes. And the grass is heavily guarded with men and signs posted, no walking on grass, in Vietnamese, so naturally we walk on the grass. I thought they were going to kill us. Poor Pearce will never walk on grass again.

Next, we strolled past the Presidential Palace, conveniently next to the Mausoleum. Constructed in 1906, the palace was home to the Governor General of Indochina. No one may see the palace unless you are invited to one of the official functions. I am still waiting for my invite. This street was lined with government buildings and large trees on each side. Vietnamese flags and Swiss flags alternated over the light poles. The Swiss flag? In honor of the Swiss President who was invited to visit Vietnam for the first time.

We followed the lake where we stumbled on a few Pagodas and Temples. Pagodas (Chua) is dedicated to the worship of Buddhism. A Temple (Den) is dedicated to the spirit of a revered person. First we saw the Chua Mot Cot (one Pillar Pagoda) Ong Ich Khiem is situated between the Mausoleum and the Ho Chi Minh Museum. King Ly Thai Tong built the original Mot Cot in the 11th Century. He dreamed he saw the goddess Quan Am seated on a lotus, holding a son towards him. Legend has it that on marrying a young peasant girl who bore him a son, he erected the pagoda to show gratitude for the birth of an heir. The pagoda was destroyed by the French when they left in 1954 and a new smaller version was built in the late 1950's.The second Pagoda is next to the Mot Cot, called Chua Dien Huu a quiet haven with a lovely small courtyard for worshiping.
We continued to walked around the lake, Pearce asleep now. So we caught a cab who took us to the wrong hotel, and circled the Mausoleum three times. Lost in translation was the theme for today.