Robin Williams Said It Best

You knew this was coming...



Whatta week!  Morgan and I are flying through Vietnam, trying to see and do as much as possible.  At one point, things became a total blur…two overnight trains and one overnight bus in a period of four days, a night on a boat with a 7am wakeup call, and a night in the mountains at a ‘homestay’, where we slept on cushioned mats on the floor along with ten (snoring) others.  It’s been exhausting, but we’re having a great time, and we’re finally at a point now where we can slow things down a bit.

Morgan on the somewhat claustrophobic overnight bus; the whole thing smelled like feet

A little over a week ago, we started in Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi.  We stayed in our own room at the highly recommended Hanoi Backpackers, the newest of three hostels owned by two Australian guys.  This place is an incredible, one-stop shop.  They have a bar, restaurant, computer room with games and a flat screen TV for movies, nightly activities (BBQs, etc) and an extremely efficient travel desk, where their staff can pretty much help you plan your entire trip in Vietnam.  It was here that we booked a trekking tour to Sapa in Northern Vietnam, a cruise around the islands in Halong Bay, and most importantly, our hop on/hop off bus ticket, which allows us to make six stops as we work our way from north to south. It’s definitely made the planning part of our trip much easier!

Hanoi:  The horns from the cars and the motorbikes here will drive you CRAZY, but the city is actually much quainter than I imagined (but that's possibly because we were staying in the old section).  There are small, tree-lined streets everywhere, and rickshaws to take you from place to place.  Not too many sights to see, but plenty of museums, especially those related to the war.  We also saw Ho Chi Minh's embalmed body; pretty crazy stuff (no pix allowed though).

By the lake

Planes from the war

Out with jokers we met at the hostel.  Everyone sits on tiny chairs when they eat and drink on the sidewalk.

After Hanoi, we headed out on an overnight party cruise around Halong Bay, which is a must-see for anyone who visits Vietnam.  Though it was pretty, it looked a lot like many parts of Thailand, so I wasn't super impressed with the area.  Pretty sad when you start to take beautiful things for granted because they aren't new to you anymore.

Morgan and I with Sumi, who is also teaching English in our program

Taking the plunge

We went kayaking and stopped at this cave

We got back from the cruise, and boarded an overnight train a few hours later to Sapa.  This place is beautiful; the town reminds me of a ski resort out west, and the mountains are covered with rice terraces.  Our group did a 15km trek in the mountains one day, 9km the next, and spent the night at a 'homestay' (a family cooks for you and you stay at their place, but it's unclear whether it's really their home or set up simply for tourist purposes).  We encountered many village tribes along the way (who can drive you insane trying to sell you stuff), and saw some of the world's cutest children.

Sapa town

Look at that baby's cheeks!!  I want one.

Rice terraces

 

We got back from Sapa and it was immediately off to Hoi An (18 hour bus ride!!).  Hoi An is known for its tailors; they are all over town.  You can get anything custom made here, cheaply, within 24 hours.  A lot of men buy suits; women buy dresses and jackets.  I took a pair of shorts to one store, and they replicated them in another color for me for $18.  Definitely a good deal!  This town is adorable too (the old town reminds me of Europe!), and it's only a short bike ride to the beach.

The old town

Cua Dai Beach

Out in town at night

Phew!  I'm exhausted from just writing this post.  We're continuing our journey south tonight, where we plan on hitting a few well-known beach towns.  It's super hot here right now (close to 100 degrees), and will only get hotter as we continue onward.  Send cool thoughts our way!  Until next time....Sawatdee kah!