Hanoi & Ha Long Bay

Well, we arrived. Yesterday was a long day, we arrived in Taiwan at 5 am and wondered for 4 hours prior to our next flight. We had a shot of free Jack Daniels at 6 am and Steven had about 2 beers by 9 am. Granted, when you are in a airport time doesn't seem to matter and I swear at 6:10 am they let all the people out of the walls. Crazy busy!

We arrived in Hanoi at noon.. with all our bags.. even better! Our driver was holding the "Mr. Crystal Begin" sign and we were off! It was pouring rain all day yesterday and I was thankful for jeans and a raincoat... because it didn't stop all day...

After the near death experience of driving in Hanoi and the realization I will not be renting a motorbike as I can barely cross the street on my own.. we arrived at our hotel. A room in the back, with no windows except to the hallway which surprisingly is a blessing as we do not hear the constant horns and other noises from the very crowded streets.

We bundled up and went for a walk throughout the old quarter. Picture scooters, cars, people, and bikes all going in various directions as apparently there is no real side of the road, nor do people walk on the sidewalk, because obviously that is where the cars and scooters are parked. Literally I had to hold Steven's hand to cross the street. At one point he and I were separated and I just was standing on the corner he on the other, and I wouldn't cross. This other tourist walked by and said, just do it... and I just responded.. I can't. Steven said to mention that at one time I pulled him out of almost getting hit by a scooter, so yes, we both saved each others necks a few times!

We walked through the markets where meat is just being sold on the sidewalk, women are skinning frogs faster than I can catch one to hold, vegetables and fruit every where you turn. Steven braved a side street vendor and had some Pho and to be honest I liked it too! A little sketchy for me to buy from someone cooking out of a pot on the ground.,.. but it was really good! We swear there was livestock somewhere in the vicinity of the market, but couldn't find it. We walked for a long time, saw streets of shoe stores, streets of tin boxes, streets of purses and finally called it a day around 5.

We got back to the hotel and Steven crashed. For those that have heard his rant on Jet Lag and how he doesn't believe in it.. it was a bit of pride and "so there!" moment for me when I couldn't wake him for supper so I left, booked our tours for the next day and to have him wake up and the first thing he says to me is "Ugh.. I can't get past this jet lag." It was a moment of triumph for me, but he will argue tooth and nail that it was a freudian slip and he meant "sleep deprivation." Regardless, one for me.

After a quick bite to eat, we were in bed at 9.. slept hard to 6 am and took off to Ha Long Bay. A 4 hour bus trip through busy streets, a country side that appears to be a city as there are soo many people here (87 million live in Vietnam), rice paddy fields, people in the traditional teepee style hat on their bicycles carrying everything from 2 by 4's to all of their kids. Same thing on scooters. I swear we saw a baby Abbey's age on the back of a motorbike holding onto her mom... makes you wonder.

Ha Long Bay is beautiful, its a Unesco world heritage site and its stunning. The weather worked in our favour and actually was able to wear a tank top and take in the sun. We went to a fishing village where the family lives on their floating house and the squid, catfish, oysters are just farmed in their docks. We then had lunch where these pirate kids tried selling us fruit but in actuality were there to shanghai our food. Now those that know me know I have no patience for this practice when I travel and quickly they knew that they were not getting food from me. It was similar to Lima Becky.. similar to Lima.

We then went Kayaking. This is the first time Steven and I have ever done anything like this together and within 30 secs of being in the kayak together there was an "f-bomb" and the realization we could never do the Amazing Race together.

We kayaked through the grottos (after working out our kayaking differences) and Steven leans back to take a picture and loses his sunglasses in the water. He starts looking, I think this is futile so we continue on to the next grotto. On the way back Steven wants to stop to try and find his glasses.. I don't believe in him that he can actually find them.. and I am now owing him 50 dollars. He did slice his foot up pretty bad on the barnacles, so hiking tomorrow is not an option. We'll be applying hydrogen peroxide to those wounds for a while. Nothing to deep but better to be safe then sorry.

The tour continued to this wicked cave.. it was so big! The cave is filled with Vietnamese legend in that the orginal king and queen married there, had a huge wedding where all the animals came to congratulate them and they had a 100 children where 1/2 of the children went with the father to the south of Vietnam and 1/2 went with the mother to the hills in the north, and that is how Vietnam became. When you go into the cave there are all these rock formations that look like turtles, lions, monkeys, snakes... it was really cool. There is also the "entrance to heaven".. its the pic attached where you see the sun rays penetrating through the cave.. it was gorgeous.

Steven and I are bagged. We slept all the way back to Hanoi and I just ran out to grap some amazing shrimp, veggies, and coconut milk over rice supper and we are turning in for the night. Tomorrow, its supposed to rain all day again, so we are off to Ninh Binh to go to this place called Tam Coc.

Until next time..
C.