The Amazing Eurasian Odyssey
as told by characters Matthew Garrick and Stephen Williams Part 8: Hanoi, Part 2

Our first activity of the day was a somewhat impressive cave... or at least it would be, but after seeing Carlsbad Caverns two years ago, nothing really compares.

We ate a tasty (but tiny) dinner and anchored for the night. We all took the opportunity to swim. Everyone took turns hopping off the upper deck of the boat. Everything was great until a film of gasoline covered the waters around us. It seemed that these boats are not kept up as they should be, a very sad fact, since this is such a beautiful area (and a national park).

We headed to our cabin shortly afterwards to get some sleep. Despite being on the water, it was still grossly sticky. It is times like these that we really miss A/C.

About 6:30 am, we were awakened by a rapping on our door. We were told it was time for kayaking. We grunted and rolled over but made it out of the bed so that we could go for at least 20 minutes...around a few islands. We got a good look at some of the water- level caves.

Then we were back on the boat for a meager breakfast, before being whisked away... heading back to the main dock. After a few stops to pick up some other passengers along the way, we were back by lunchtime.

The next day we decided to try to go see Uncle Ho or Ho Chi Minh as he is known to the world, whose embalmed body is available for viewing in the mornings. This was to be the first stop of our exciting "Dead Communist Leaders" tour, as we hoped to see Chairman Mao in Beijing, and Lenin and Stalin in Moscow. However, when we arrived they were closing the doors... so sadly, we missed our opportunity.

While wandering around the area, we found the Ho Chi Minh Museum, which gives another rather slanted view of Vietnam's past. A few exhibits were closed, though, as they were undoubtedly rewriting history as these states tend to do.

The next stop before we were to head to the train station was the Hoa Loa Prison, better known in American history as the Hanoi Hilton where the North Vietnamese kept captured American pilots. Only one corner was left and would be turned into a museum, as the rest was demolished to make way for an office complex.

It was full of propaganda like the other museums, so we took everything with a grain of salt. Many of the exhibits pertained to the French use of this prison during their colonial occupation of Vietnam ("The prisoners were treated very badly") but there was a part relating to the American War. ("The prisoners were treated like guests," which contradicts just about everything that former prisoners have said about their time here.)

We really questioned the use of propaganda. Certainly, there have been points in time when things haven't been conveyed as clearly as they should have been, but we decided for the most part, the American government hasn't exactly "rewritten history" to suit its own needs.

There are some events such as the American Revolution in which the people involved are always called great patriots and such; however, ask the British, and they will surely say something different.

When it comes to atrocities, for example, The Trail of Tears isn't covered up. The government forced 15,000 Cherokees to relocate to Indian Territory (present day Oklahoma) and about 4,000 died en route. It's out there for all to see.

Departing the prison, we then made our way to the train station for our 44- hour ride to Beijing.

www.thestevo.org/adventures/eurasia