Unbelievably, there are tortoises in the mysterious and murky waters of Hoan Kiem lake. Surfacing on rare occasions and bringing luck to anyone fortunate enough to see one. The Sword Lake tortoise is not just your common garden variety tortoise... its a huge animal. A specimen that died in 1968 weighed in at about 250kg (550 pounds) and was 2.1m long (6.8 feet). No one is sure how many there still are, or how they have survived in this urban setting.
Are these really the lake dwelling descendants of the golden tortoise of Le Loi? Or are they safeguarded in enclosures elsewhere and transported to the lake from time to time, where the occasional appearance is simply an orchestrated ploy to keep the legend of the lake alive?
-Lonley Planet: Vietnam
But yesterday morning I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of one of the tortoises surface for a few moments... The only time I went out without my camera I see something rare... Sucks!!! Once I told my dad he ran over but it was too late. He said that I'm extremely lucky to have seen one because many people who've lived in Hanoi all their life have yet to see one. My dad saw one many years ago but its really rare.
Anyways... I visited the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology and the Museum of Vietnamese Revolution the other day.
Vietnam Museum of Ethnology
This one is dedicated to Jay Vaugh... Yet another Beanie Man sculpture.
Museum of Vietnamese Revolution
Vietnamese Communist Comic from 1945
Anyhow... I had lunch at one of the most luxurious seafood restaurants in Vietnam yesterday. Too bad I don't eat seafood but I did try some lobster. There was only 4 of us but our bill was well over $500 USD. Check out this crazy lobster we ate... Here's a picture of them weezing out some lobster juice.
My dad and his homies!
Afterwards we went back to his factory where they were planting those trees from the other day. Trees make everything look nice!
I also got to visit a garment factory owned by one of my dad's close friends. Its a huge factory that isn't too far away from my dad's. They have over 750 employees...
It reminded me of the scene from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" where that girl's dad hires people to find her a golden ticket...
Well its actually raining over here so I'm just chillin at home watching a few DVDs. Myster went to Silk for her mom's birthday... HAHA! Have fun! Miss you guys! 143!
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