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Vietnam, some love it and some hate it…

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

Hello all,

Well I have been in Vietnam for a bit now and wow what a different country than the rest of South East Asia.  Or at least that is how I felt in the first week or so.  I started in the north at Hanoi.  I expected it to be like the rest of the cities I have seen in South East Asia and I guess it was but this is the first place I can honestly say that the people were not friendly at all.  Right from the guy who gave me a ride to the airport till when I left they all seemed so intense, yelling lots and never wanting to help.  It made it for a difficult experience to start Vietnam off with.  I smiled as much as I could but sometimes it got very frustrating.  I met up with Maris who I had met while traveling in Malaysia and we were in contact with Facebook and were able to meet again.  She was traveling with 2 great dutch girls (Sina & Carolina).  The group of us planed a trip to the northern parts of Vietnam right away.  The traffic in the inner city is so crazy as the streets are very narrow and there are a ton of motorbikes.  At times it is impossible to cross the street, kinda reminded me of playing Frogger (now that dates me).  This is the closest I have seen to the traffic I remember while in the Philippines years ago.

Our first stop out of Hanoi was a boat trip through Halong Bay.  It was a 2 hour bus ride to get to the boat but the scenery was great.  Once we got on the boat along with 14 others the scenery went from great to spectacular.  We spent the day cruising all around the bay and even though the weather was grey and cloudy I think it added to the mystic of the area.  We stayed on the boat overnight and had an opportunity to go kayaking as well.  When the sun was going down some of the group were jumping from the top of the boat into the water.  It looked like a lot of fun, just not for me (my fear of water is so much better but jumping from that high is not about to happen).  The second day we made our way back through some different channels and it continued to amaze.  The worst part was having leave and go back to Hanoi as it was so peaceful.

We were not in Hanoi for long as we took a night train to our next destination of Sapa.  The idea was to get sleep but we ended staying up until after midnight playing card games.  When the train got into Sapa we were all still very groggy.  We had a driver pick us up and transfer us to where we were staying about 2 hours away.  Later that morning we started a trek into the mountains.  We were joined by a bunch of the village ladies that helped us along the way looking for us to buy the different bags, scarves and other items they carried with them.  With all the rain, parts of the trek were really slippery but tons of fun.  It was not to hot out either so that made it for good trekking. We hike to a town called Lao Chai (7kms) and had some lunch there.  Then we continued another 4 kms to Ta Van where we were staying for the night.  The homestay was very simple but then that is exactly what I expect for a homestay.  We had some time before it got dark to explore around the village and spent some time at the river relaxing and taking in the sites and sounds.  An older dutch couple (Franz & Andrea) were on the trek as well and were completely awesome.  The whole trekking idea was a little out of their element but they made it the whole way and I never heard a complaint.  They were so nice and great to talk with.

The next morning was an early start as we wanted to make it to the market in Ba Caa as their Sunday market is one of the best in all of Vietnam.  We made it back to Sapa first then another 2 hours to Ba Caa.  The market was really awesome.  It was the first market I have been to that is selling live animals.  It was like some big livestock show with the horses, buffalo, chickens and such in their own area.  There was also an area for dogs, I hope they were been sold for pets but I think I know better.  Lots of interesting local crafts as well and tons of food.  Some looked very scary and I was told by the guide not to try some of it because he was not to sure how clean it was and our stomachs probably could not handle it.  After some lunch, in a diner, we headed off to visit some villages.  The villages are very different here as the are very spread apart instead of everything been close together like most other places. Not sure that they like their neighbors to much.  There was a big thunder storm that night so we all stayed in and played cards and shared in a bottle of local wine.  I got some massage practice in with leg massages for Franz and Andrea.  They were still moving slowly but at least they were moving.  Our last day of the tour was a hike to Cat Cat village and a very cheesy waterfall.  It looked like Andrea might not get through the entire hike but 1/2 through her legs were feeling great and she did the whole thing while some others took a motorbike back to Sapa.  They afternoon was free for us to tour around Sapa and I took the time to get a massage.  I will tell you that is was not a great experience, the massage was awful and the lady would not stop trying to offer me a happy ending.  I ended up leaving before the hour was up still looking for a good massage somewhere.  In the evening we took the night train back to Hanoi and this time we were a little smarter with our timing and got some decent sleep.

We got back to Hanoi at 5am and went straight to the hotel and got a few more zzzz’s.  We then spent the rest of the morning touring around some of the sights of Hanoi.  A lot of the main sites are only open in the morning until 11am and so we got all of those done.  The main attractionwas the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.  You are herded 2 by 2 into the mausoleum to see the body of Ho Chi Minh.  It was very stately but confusing since his last request was to be cremated and here he is for all to see.  There are lots of other places in the same area all dedicated to Ho Chi Minh.  He is a very revered man in Vietnam and he seemed to have some really good principals.  In the afternoon I stopped at a temple and the St. Joseph Cathedral.  After a full day of touring I made it back to the hotel to chill out for a while and then caught a night bus to Hue.

The night buses are called sleeping buses and have fold down seats that is supposed to make easier to sleep.  The only problem with it is each spot is quite small and if you are short (shorter than me) it works great, anyone 6 ft tall would really suffer.  I was only in Hue for a few hours and in that time I got a motorbike tour of the highlights of the old city.  Another bus took me in the afternoon to Hoi An.  I wanted to stay here because I had heard very good things about it from other travelers. Hoi An did not disappoint and the people seem to be getting much nicer and more relaxed as I head south, which I was told would happen.  Hoi an is known for its tailors.  Almost everyone that comes here get some clothing made.  I am no exception as I could use some new stuff.  Most are getting suits made but since I have no need for that i got some shorts and 2 shirts made.  Really good quality and all done in less than a day for so cheap.  I was also able to take in all the sites around the town and enjoy the smaller town.  It was very comfortable what I really wanted was a beach.  They had a beach here but it was 6km out of town so after 2days here I took a night bus to Na Trang and then another bus to Mui Ne.  Mui Ne is beach heaven.  It was sunny, hot and humid all the things I like.  The town really is for kite surfers and wind boarders but I still fit in really well.  I just took so e time to slow down and chill out for a while.  The beach was really windy in the afternoons so I spent mostly the mornings tanning before the wind really started to blow.  I was able to finish my book that I had been reading for a few weeks and mostly not think about anything.  I took a tour of the sites one afternoon and saw some amazing sand dunes, canyons and a great fishing village.

The relax thing can only last for so long so then i made my way to Ho Chi Minh City and that is where I am now.  Even though the city is 5 times larger than Hanoi it just does not seem as busy.  Most of the touristy stuff is within walking distance of the center and I will be checking all that out.  The locals are really nice as well and seem to want to give a helping hand.  The south is so much nicer than the north as far as the people but the scenery up north made it worth while.  I will continue on through the area and then see where I head next.

That is it for now, take care all, till soon….

PS: One big birthday wish this time.  It is my mom’s 70th on Sunday May 2nd.  I know the rest of the family is getting together to celebrate.  I wish I could be there.  Love you sooooooo much!!!

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi

Typical residential street in Hanoi

Our boat for the Halong Bay tour

The beauty and mystic of Halong Bay

Me relaxing at the front of the boat during Halong Bay tour

Working the fields during trek to Ta Van

Carolina, Andrea, me and Sina relaxing at the river after a day of trekking

The incredible view of the rice terraces near Ta Van

Ladies in traditional dress at the market in Ba Caa

Transport from local villages to Ba Caa for the market

Red and white sands along a small creek outside of Mui Ne

Fishing village just outside of Mui Ne

White sand dunes of Mui Ne

Me on the beach at Mui Ne