Halong Bay for Leah's 26th!

When you are meeting loads of travelers everyday, you often find yourself in the same conversation about the same topic...travel: where ya been? where ya going? whats a must? whats a miss? Anyone we have met that has been anywhere in, near, or around Hanoi has insisted many times that we MUST do the cruise through Halong Bay when we get to Hanoi and we MUST book it through Hanoi Backpackers Hostel. They would go on for 20 minutes about the beauty they had seen, the people they had met, and the fun times they had. So we made it our mission to make it to Hanoi and be cruising through the bay by September 5th for Leah's Birthday! The trip started off a little shaky when we unloaded the overnight bus to Hanoi to find our bags drenched and reeking of fish...not the best thing at 6am. We stank up the entire lobby of the hostel trying to sort out what could be salvaged and what needed to be rushed to the laundry and re-packing our bags into trash bags.

Unloading in the middle of the hostel lobby

Our new luggage

We spent that day in Hanoi doing some shopping, picking up some necessities for the trip: aka T-Shirt Towels, and preparing for our departure bright and early the next morning! We were picked up from the hostel at 7am and made the 4 hour drive to the port of Halong Bay where we were herded onto boats to be taken out to our home for the next couple of days!

Ready to Board!

We had to show up in the proper attire

We were sailing for about 2 hours before we made our first stop, where we spent an hour playing in the water and jumping off of the top of the boat!

 We then loaded up in Kayaks and started cruising through the Bay. First stop: a cave

Both our first time in a cave!

After exploring the cave, which is not so easily done in flip flops, it was back into the kayaks to continue paddling through this scenery...

Halong Bay

To get to this floating village...where some of the inhabitants have never seen dry land!

Leah nor I had ever been kayaking before, but we both really loved it and are going to try to find more places to do it along the rest of our trip! Once the kayak tour was over it was back to the boat for showers, dinner, and of course card games and dancing. We were all on guard watching the clock to celebrate the turning of Leah's Birthday at midnight!

Celebrating the stroke of midnight!

The next day we were woken up at the crack of dawn again for breakfast and to board the boat that would dump us on "Castaway Island." Its a deserted island with open air huts jammed full of mattresses, a couple of bath houses, and a big pavilion used for food and hanging out. We had our own private beach, equipped with a volleyball court, badminton sets, kayaks, and a floating barge out in the water. We had the whole day to do whatever we wanted including joining in on some water sports! Hayley and I chose the easy road and picked ole'fashion tubing, while Leah was feeling more ambitious and took a shot at wake boarding!

Hayley and the boys turn

My turn!

The death of my 3 yr old Greek Key ring

We spent the rest of the day resting in the sun, followed by dinner and more games and dancing with the 30 or so other castaways! We were woken up far too early by the big metal gong the next day and had to board the boat to be taken back to dry land, to make the 4 hour drive back into Hanoi. We left a little dehydrated, a lot sleep deprived, and with many bumps, scrapes, burns, and cuts! But it was all worth it!! I can't imagine a better way to celebrate Leah's Birthday!!! I would do it all over again in a heart beat if we had the time...and the money of course! Here are some more shots of Halong Bay that I got from one of the better photographers on board...

The Best Corner in Vietnam

Located in the heart of the Old Quarter of Hanoi, lies an intersection of 4 small streets, called Bia Hoi Corner. Bia Hoi,, or "Fresh Beer" is a local beer brewed every night and delivered to small restaurants across the city every morning and sold until the keg runs dry for 5,000 dong (24 cents). 

The corners are littered with tiny plastic chairs and stools were Foreigners and Vietnamese alike start setting up around 6pm to drink away the long hot day in the city!

Bia Hoi Corner

Apparently his was too expensive

We found our way there with some new friends our first evening in Hanoi after a long day of market shopping.

You never know what kind of characters you will run into at Bia Hoi Corner. Not pictured here, unfortunately, is who I refer to as "Pink Lady". Named after her bright pink, not so discreet ensemble. The only thing more entertaining than her clothing was her "life story"...She is Vietnamese...but she lives in Holland with her boyfriend...while they wait for her husband in England to die...so she can get all of his money...and they can travel the world. Bia Hoi Corner is her favorite corner in Vietnam. She sometimes comes in the morning; sometimes in the afternoon; sometimes at night; and sometimes all three! Fantastic lady! Then there's "Rainbow". We are pretty sure she is the daughter of the lady that fights with the other lady next door about whose plastic chair is whose. We are not sure what her name is but I like to call her "Sassafrass." She has an attitude like no other, her favorite word is a particular cuss word that starts with F, and wears a short bob wig that she likes to fluff every 20 seconds. Lucky for us, she took a liking to us, so we got an even bigger dose of attitude!

We had to make one last appearance at the corner after our return from Halong Bay to visit our old friends. Unfortunately, Pink Lady wasn't there, but Rainbow was manning her corner in all of her glory! I sure will miss the circus of Bia Hoi corner...it holds a special place in our hearts!

Stuck in Nha Trang

We had been pretty disappointed in the beaches of Vietnam so far, but had heard many good things about the beach town of Nha Trang, which was our next stop! We were pleasantly surprised to find a long stretch of beautiful white sand with many islands out in the water in the distance. Not to mention, this town had a reputation for a pretty big nightlife. One day and night here and we knew we would probably be here for a while. And that we were! We spent a week relaxing on the beach and getting our dance on at the Beach Bar/Night Club called Nha Trang Sailing Club. By the way: the third girl showing up in the rest of the Vietnam blogs is a 20 year girl from Vancouver, named Hayley. We met her on our bus out of Saigon and ended spending the next 3 weeks together making our way to Hanoi. We had a really great time with her and will definitely miss having her around!!

Beaches of Nha Trang

Crab and Mussels on the Beach

Leah's First time being buried

Fire Show at Sailing Club

Dancing at Sailing Club

Me, Hayley, and Leah

Face Paint Night

We did manage to make it off of the beach a couple of days. One day we spent on the biggest island off the coast, Vin Pearl "Hollywood" Island. A Russian investor took this island and turned it into an amusement/water park. We couldn't pass on the chance to act like kids again. So we jumped on the longest ocean cable car and headed to the island. We spent the day riding dinky roller coasters, playing in an average arcade, and sliding down many water slides over and over again! 

Cable Car to Vin Pearl

Cable Car Ride to Vin Pearl

Arcade at Vin Pearl

Arcade at Vin Pearl

Our last day in Nha Trang we jumped back onto a scooter and headed out to see some more waterfalls. We rode for about an hour or so and arrived at the Yang Bay Waterfalls. We originally wanted to swim in the pools in front, but the water was not looking the most sanitary, so we opted out!

Yang Bay Falls

Yang Bay Falls

Yang Bay Falls

Yang Bay Falls

After a week of sun and fun it was time for us to finally move on. We were sad to leave, but excited to see what else Vietnam had in store for us!!

Dalat on the back of a motorbike

The next stop after Mui Ne was the colonial French town of Dalat, located in the Central Highlands of the country. We headed out the first day to explore the city, but yet again got chased back to the hotel by a rain storm. We realized if we wanted to get anything accomplished it would have to be really early in the morning to early afternoon to beat the rain!

So the next morning we were up and at it bright and early! Leah owned a scooter while teaching in Korea and after much deliberation, we decided our best bet would be to rent a scooter for the day so we could go wherever we wanted. So I jumped on behind her and off we went to face the Vietnam traffic!

It has been a while since we were able to do any hiking, so our first stop was Lang Bien Mountain for a little dose of nature!

We had originally planned on making it to the Peak of the mountain range. Unfortunately, we stopped a man for directions on the way up and he informed us that he had been bitten by three leeches! The thought of pulling a leech off of my foot really freaked me out. Not to mention, where there are leeches there are probably snakes, which is my biggest fear in the world! After a short deliberation at the fork to the summit, I decided to put on a brave face, and my poncho, and keep going! I made it about 20 minutes tip toeing along drenched in sweat with my poncho plastered to my body. We then came to an area that was wildly grown over with way too much foliage for my comfort. I was just too terrified of seeing a snake...I tucked my tail between my legs and turned back, while Leah continued on to the peak. I was disappointed I wasn't able to overcome my fear, but it just wasnt worth it to me. So I waited for Leah for about an hour and a half at the fork in the road, eating crackers and attempting to do old dance tricks from high school to entertain myself.

The next day, we had a 12:30 bus to catch, but there was a huge waterfall we wanted to get to see. So, we got up really early and set back out on the scooter. After about an hour and half, 10 stops for directions, and 15km in the wrong direction, we made it to Elephant Falls!

We only had about 20 minutes to enjoy the falls before we had to jump back on the motorbike and rush back to the hotel. It was then onto another bus to continue our journey up the coast...next stop, Nha Trang!

Sand Dune Sleddin in Mui Ne

Our first stop out of Saigon was the small beach town of Mui Ne. Its a quiet fishing town tucked away on the Southeastern coast. We we greeted about five minutes after our arrival by a torrential downpour, and didn't have much of a change our entire stay there. Apparently, we chose to travel through Southeast Asia during monsoon season...what are ya going to do?

Our welcome storm

Mui Ne is known for the huge kite-surfing community that flocks to the beach to catch some of the strong winds pounding the coast. It has also become famous for the very out of place sand dunes located a few kilometers outside of the city. It is very strange to leave the beaches of Vietnam and find yourself in a place that looks like the deserts of Saudi Arabia!

 Our second afternoon there, we jumped in a Jeep and set out to the dunes. We enjoyed the beautiful weather, while it lasted, taking in the beautiful coast.

 Once we got there, we paid a dollar to rent a piece of plastic and headed to the top of the dunes! We spent the next 45 mins trying to master the art of sledding down a sand dune. We were at a bit of a disadvantage seeing that both of us are from the south and have minimal sledding experience! But we had a good time trying!!

With our new friend Hayley

First attempt at sledding the dunes 

We got chased back to the Jeep after only 45 mins and then had to skip the other three stops on our tour due to yet another storm! But we did get to experience a 20km ride in a monsoon from the back of an open-air Jeep! 

Saigon

After being reunited with Leah and spending a few days in Cambodia, it was time to move on to the next country...Vietnam! We boarded an overnight bus from Phnom Penh headed for Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City, depending on who you ask. We had been advised by a number of people that we would only need a day or so to see the city and to prepare ourselves for the intense level of Anti-Americanism. We arrived early in the morning and immediately headed out into the city....

Our first stop, The Reunification Palace

This was the home and workplace of the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, or the "War of American Aggression" as it is referred to in Vietnam. It was also the site of the end of the war when the North Vietnamese Army tanks crashed through its front gate in 1975.

From there we made our way to the War Remnants Museum, or the Museum of American War Crimes. It's a four story building, housing multiple exhibits displaying photos and propaganda paraphernalia from the war. It was a very hard museum to go through. The pictures were very graphic and heart-wrenching, but it was impossible to not notice how one-sided the story was being told. The worst part was the exhibit showing the effects caused by the "Agent Orange" chemicals used in warfare. I only made it through a portion of that room. We definitely did not leave this museum with a good feeling in our stomach. 

We spent that night soaking in some of the nightlife and trying to wash away the intense day with a few curbside beers at places that I refer to as "PCMT": Plastic Chair Metal Table establishments. These are small places literally set up on the curb serving up beer to locals and backpackers alike. 

The next day we continued our Vietnam War Theme and headed out on a day tour of the CuChi Tunnels. They are an immense tunnel system about an hour outside of Saigon that were used by the Viet Cong in their guerilla warfare. I barely made it through the introductory video without walking out. It was the worst Anti-American propaganda we have seen in all of Vietnam. But luckily, our guide was a war veteran who fought for the states, so we actually got a dual-sided view of the war, with a little humor thrown in every now and then. We were shown through the area of trap doors and boobie traps,

Trap door of the tunnels

 made a stop at a shooting range where we passed on the opportunity to shoot an AK-47 and then it was to the actual tunnels. They have altered a 30 meter section of the tunnel to be a little wider and taller for Western tourists. Well it wasn't quite wide enough for this tourist...I made it 2 steps inside the tunnel before my claustrophobia kicked in and I couldn't get out of that tunnel fast enough! In fact, only 3 people out of our group made it through the whole 30 meters! I can't imagine how they spent months at time down there!

Entrance to the tunnels


Overall, our stay in Saigon was very enlightening, since Leah nor I had much knowledge of the Vietnam War, even if it was hard to bare at times! We enjoyed soaking in the sights and sounds of the city, and playing an endless game of "Frogger" crossing the street, trying to avoid the thousands of motorbikes crowding the streets of this enormous city! Our last night there we purchased our open bus tickets and would start our two week journey up the country, ending in Hanoi, the next morning!