After a month of shitty internet connections and clunky outdated computers, we finally found functioning internet in thailand, so FINALLY after all of your patience and neurotic blog checking, we have a humungo update for you. HOORAY! Here we go....
First up, Hanoi: Sorry to those who have fond feelings for Hanoi, to be be perfectly honest, this is probably the worst city we have ever been to , ever. Smelly, overcrowded, overpriced, can't walk 2 steps without getting creamed by a moto because there are no sidewalks. Well, there are sidewalks, but they serve as a parking lot for every moto in the neighborhood. boo. but, there were definitely a few good sites. First off, there is a really nice lake near the old quarter where most of the backpackers stay. Rumor has it, its full of giant turtles (last sighting in 2006)! There is a temple in the middle of lake that you can access from a long bridge:
Yay commies:
Uncle Ho's (Ho Chi Minh's) resting place. Even though he requested to be cremated, he was embalmed and now rests in what is now called the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex. His body is guarded by 10-15 guards all in uniform who walk you in and out of the site, allowing you to catch merely a small glimpse of their beloved hero (who unified Vietnam as a communist country). Some suspect that he is actually made of wax (Erik). He takes a 3 month vacation to Russia every winter to get a little R&R and a touchup.
We also went to the Hao Lo Prison, also known as the Hanoi Hilton by Vietnam vets. It was the prison where communist soldiers kept American pilots whose planes they shot down during the war. Here is a picture of our very own John Mccain being treated for injuries after the Vietnamese shot down is plane and they hauled him out of a lake:
For us, it seemed that the history told at the Hao Lo museum was pretty 1-sided - showing images of Americans cooking thanksgiving dinner together, playing basketball, receiving fresh clothing, etc. We all know as evidenced by McCain's inability to lift his arms above his head, that this is not exactly a complete story....
And now....the WATER PUPPET SHOW. The highlight of Hanoi. We thought it was pretty funny that in Lonely Planet's Vietnamese phrase book, it includes a translation for "I do not like waterpuppets". So we just had shell out the 60,000 dong for VIP seats to the local Water Puppet Show. We had a couple beers to make sure things would be extra funny. Arriving at the theatre, we realized that we were really the only young travelers there, the rest being old whities with FUPAS and giant SLR's, rolling out of tour buses. Here are some pics for your enjoyment:
Live traditional Vietnamese music, the soundtrack for the puppet show:
Glorious water puppets, operated from behind the curtain and attached to long metal rods. This scene is two men fishing in a boat.
At the end of the performance, all of the water puppeteers come out from behind the curtain. I wonder if it gets cold standing in water for the entire program?
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NEXT, on to Halong Bay...perhaps the most gorgeous, Travel-Channel worthy tourist attraction in all of Vietnam. We came into Halong City by bus right around 2pm, just as a lot of the boats were heading out into Halong Bay. Lucky for us, this meant that the operators were ready to make a deal to pull in some extra last minute cash. We wanted to do a 3 day, 2 night trip, putting around Halong Bay, visiting caves, and staying on Cat Ba island. Most people payed anywhere from $80 to an outrageous $120 per person (depending on how good of a bargainer you are). But because we came in late, we hopped on board last minute for a sweet $43 each. What a steal!
Here's a picture of the "Junk" boat that took us around the bay. We slept on board our first night.
Hanging out on deck:
From the shore after exploring a cave on one of the islands:
The next day, we got up early to go on a 3 hour jungle hike on Cat Ba island (the only inhabited island in Halong Bay):
Here's the gorgeous view from the top (note: I'm wearing Erik's wife beater that came out baby pink in the wash :-)
Spent a relaxing afternoon at one of the beaches on Cat Ba.
Oh, Mr. Noi. Used to work in the U.S. for the World Bank - so there's actually some big brains behind that goofy smile. He now works for a Thai organization researching the effects of industrial pollution on the climate (hence his reason for being in Vietnam). He claimed to be a spy because he would snap secret photos of smoky towers during our bus rides. He also had an obsession with American rock music: especially Bon Jovi, Eric Clapton, Led Zeplin...wherever we'd go, he's stick in his headphones and sing along to his mp3 player. He has an extensive collection of over 100 guitars. Whenever he talks, he sprayed spittle like a typical pulsing Vietnamese shower head. It was even worse when he had a few drinks. Here's a picture of the 3 of us sitting in front of our hotel on Cat Ba, along with our other friends Marion and Peter (Ireland) and Marketta and Zanek (Czech Republic):
Us with Marion, Peter, Marketta, Zanek, and Linda (who at first glance looks entirely like a Vietnamese local, but when she opens her mouth and says "gday mate", you realize she is a born and raised Aussie).
From the Junk boat, we even got to take a little cruise out in a put put boat through caves tunneling through the rocky islands in the bay. One of these tunnels was actually used in one of the Pierce Brosnin James Bond movies:
In some areas of the bay, they actually have virtual towns that float on the water (with houses, schools, and town stores). Here's a pic of one of the many families that float around on boats, selling fruit to the tourists that come by.
Overall, our time on the Junk was incredible, however we had one small - then frustrating, now funny - complaint. Food. All of our meals during those 3 days were included in the overall price - I think they took this as a signal to whip up the worst concoctions ever made in Vietnam. All of our meals were bad, but the worst was on our first night on the boat: cold (literally almost frozen) soggy French fries, fermented fish cakes, mushy flavorless tofu, and springrolls so greasy that they drooped when you picked them up. Because Erik was afraid of going to bed hungry, he ate like 5 pounds of plain steamed rice and shuffled off to bed.Halong Bay was UHmazingling beautiful - we highly recommend a visit for anyone headed to northern Vietnam. Just make sure to bring an entire backpack snacks, or it's fermented fish cakes for you!! ;)
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After a 1 day layover in Hanoi, we were off to Sapa in the northern mountains of Vietnam. The only way to get to Sapa is by overnight train. Here's me in my "cozy" bunk bed on the train (my face was literally 6 inches from the ceiling).
Once we arrived in Sapa, we found this amazing hotel called Darling that offered us a clean, comfortable room with a private deck overlooking the mountains for $10. Even though we didn't use it, the room even included a fireplace (we couldn't find any wood). This was probably one of the best bargain rooms during our whole trip. Here's the view from our balcony (the mountains look a little hazy because the weather is super foggy at this time of year):
The main attraction in Sapa is trekking through the mountains and visiting the multiple hill tribes that now live in the area after migrating from areas in China, Laos, and Thailand years ago. We booked a full day trek through a local agency and ended up with with awesome guide - a sweet, 27 year old, 4-foot something, woman from the nearby Hmong tribe. She couldn't read or write, but had learned to speak English amazingly well by interacting with tourists during her treks. Chi was always quick to joke and laugh at everything. The first time we stumbled across cow poo, she asked "Are you hungry? Would you like some cow chocolate?". Chi and I became friends really quickly. Everytime I'd crack Chi up, she would put her arm around me, or even hold my hand for 15 minutes at a time while we walked. Same sex affection in Vietnam, and particularly in the hill tribes, is very common and openly accepted. It seems kind of strange at first, but it makes it a lot easier to make friends when you can express affection in those ways.Here are a few pictures from the trek:
Erik with Chi (wearing traditional Hmong clothing, and western style hiking boots):
Rice terraces:
A woman from a local tribe dressed traditionally:
Kids from one of the villages (the girl wears the basket sitting next to her on her back to carry supplies for her family).
More cuties:
Chi offered to take us through a cave along the way - we agreed, expecting it to be like every other cave we have been through before - with constructed walkways and wide open tunnels. This was a whole new game. Scrambling up and down rock faces, squeezing through teeny tiny openings. Most of it was all navigated by flashlight in the pitch black (2 flashlights for 4 people). Here's a picture of me squeezing through a tiny opening deep in the cave.
At the end of the trek, Chi wanted to show us the room where she and her cousin stayed when they were working in the city. Here's a picture of the two of them:
Cool cats! Thanks for tuning in and always love reading your comments
TAKE CARE
Megan and Erik
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