VIETNAM: Hanoi (July 29th - Aug 3rd)

The last place we got to visit at the end of our travels was the capital city of Hanoi, Vietnam.  This definitely rivals Bangkok when it comes to chaos and a crazy atmosphere.  We are convinced that Hanoi is the motorbike capital of the world.  Also, because so many merchant set up their merchandise on the sidewalks, and everyone parks their motorbikes on the sidewalks, you're forced to walk in the street with all the madness.  You definitely need to be on your game, keep your head on a swivel, and stay alert.  We felt like Frogger sometimes trying to cross intersections. 

We had two more nights with our group, plus three nights where we would be on our own before coming home, so we were excited to get to stay in one place for an extended period of time (5 days would be the longest we were in one place since Tahiti at the beginning of the trip over six weeks ago).  We did a lot of walking around the city and the Old Quarter to familiarize ourselves with it.  We also went to see a Vietnamese Water Puppet show (one of those cultural things that's been a part of their history since forever that you need to see once since you're there....but once is enough).  We went out for dinner and drinks with our group on their last night and had one of our best meals since being in Vietnam at a very authentic restaurant called Little Hanoi.  Some of our new friends were continuing the tour the next day into Laos, others were heading back home, and still others had months of world travel ahead of them.  We thought our 47 days was a long time but found out it was one of the shorter trips being taken among our travel companions. 

We had been going strong for so long and seen so many sights that we were perfectly happy to relax for our last three days and not feel like we had to go be tourists.  It also helped that a storm was passing through and it was pouring rain off and on.  We shopped, ate good food, hung out in the hotel room, and went to a spa.  We had to take advantage of the good massage prices one more time before leaving Asia.  (I got one of those awesome massages where the gal actually stood on my back and walked all over me....still trying to get Emily to try that one on me).  We also did the most "I miss home" thing you can think of.  We went to a huge mall, ate at Pizz Hut, and saw Captain America in 3-D. 

We took this trip thinking we needed to travel and get it out of our system, but I think all we did was catch a bug and now want to do it more than ever.  However, even though a part of us wanted to keep going, a big part of us was ready to come home.  We missed our family and friends and the comforts of home (such as a soft bed, lack of giant cockroaches, beef that tastes like real beef instead of mystery meat, movies without Asian subtitles, going 5 seconds without hearing the 'beep beep' of a horn, and the list goes on.....).  After a 21 hour journey including a 5 hr layover in China, we were back in the "real world".  See ya soon!

 

Emily and two of the UK girls, Chloe and Georgia, hit it off.....obviously.

The glory of Hanoi.....view from our hotel room.

Mapping out our day at Highland's Coffee....the Vietnamese version of Starbucks.

William, our tour guide through Cambodia and Vietnam....he's a good ol' boy from Alabama who now lives in Malaysia.  He was so excited to get to hang out with another American and be able to talk football.

...and just like that the rain would dump.  ( they had rain panchos for 2 people)

The shoe district....Em and I tried hard to find some shoes....but again, this country was not founded by large people.

Whether you're in the womb...

....a few months old...

....or a wee little lad, you're never too young to hop on a motor bike in Vietnam.

When the weather does this.....

Emily does this.....

....and my reward is this...

....and all is right in the world.

A really cool tree....



VIETNAM: Halong Bay (July 27th - 28th)

We had to leave at noon for the train station to take one more overnight train, this time from Hue, to Hanoi, where we would catch a bus out to Halong Bay.  While waiting at the train station we were befriended by a group of young college-aged kids who were waiting for the same train.  They were so curious about us and where we were from and full of questions....even though their English was very limited (as is our Vietnamese).  Em and I had both been starting to feel a little tired and rugged from the constant traveling and going, but meeting these energetic kids seemed to really lift our spirits and put us in a better mood before another long train ride.

The train ride had an interesting moment as well.  Em and I were laying on the bottom bunk watching a movie on the laptop ("Source Code"... a movie about a guy that goes back in time over and over again to stop a train from blowing up....great choice)....when suddenly the train window in the hall outside our cabin shattered.  And when I say shattered, I mean suddenly exploded and blasted glass into our cabin, all over us, all over our beds, luggage, glass everywhere.  Other than a mild heart attack, we actually didn't have any cuts or injuries.  It took awhile to clean up and we had to move to another (smaller) cabin, but we were glad it wasn't worse.  We never found out what caused the broken window, some of the train workers figured it was kids throwing stuff at the train, but we never found anything in the cabin.  Crazy Train!

We finally made it to Halong Bay and boarded a Junk Boat to for the day.  Halong Bay is an area right off the Northeastern coast where these giant, rock, island like cliffs, jut out of the water, creating a series of water ways, caves, and breathtaking views.  There are over 2,000 of these giant natural structures throughout the bay....it's increible.  We stopped at a floating village to rent some kyaks and we had an hour to explore on our own.  There was one area where we rowed into a low, dark sea cave, and when we came out on the other side we were in a secluded cove, surrounded by huge cliffs all around.  The only way in or out was through the small cave opening.......beautiful and amazing don't even describe it.  We were with a few of our friends from the tour group so we tied our kyaks together and swam around in the warm water.  Another surreal moment and highlight of highlights.  We made it back to the junk boat to continue exploring the bay, stopped to tour a large cave/cavern, and headed back to land.

At dinner that night.....Emily ordered a margarita pizza......it came with baked dough topped with ketchup, thick velveeta like slices of cheese (half-way melted with an expiration date stuck to it) and moldy tomato slices.  I guess that's what we get for ordering pizza in Vietnam (oh how we're ready for real American food).  Only one more stop to go!!!!!