Our visit to Madame Tussaud's (sorry, Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum - but hey we were both pretty sure it's a waxwork) was interesting for the fact that a) we weren't sure if it was a waxwork or not as it looked almost too (sur)real, b) it was interesting to see the massive presidential palace that this communist leader (some are more equal...) definitely did not live in - he lived in a little 3 roomed house on stilts, and only used the palace 'for entertaining'. Presumably he entertained these people with boiled rice and bowls of noodle soup and definitiely not smoked salmon and chateuaneuf-du-pape.

Despite leaving this world in 1969 he is obviously still held in very high regard - it was almost like a pilgrimage to a holy site, I even got told off for having my hands behind my back - you have to walk with them by your side. We still are not 100% sure if it is a good thing that this man has been raised to these heights and whether the country needs to move on but hey, as I said, without getting too deep and into the psychology of a country/region, it was a good hour or so!!! There have been loads of rumours about HCM fathering illegitimate children and the like - one tribal woman even disappeared in mysterious circumstances...

Onwards and upwards - water puppets tonight then Hong Kong tomorrow - our package has arrived in HK a day early so we're pretty excited now - in about 30 hours I will be getting my first taste of Walker's Salt and Vinegar for about 3 months which is the longest time period since I was about 4 years old...Jen has got Monster Munch Pickled Onion for her sins.