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Published: September 1st 2008
So after chilling in Hue and Hoi An, we headed north to Hanoi and Ha Long Bay. Perhaps the most eagerly anticipated city, for me anyway, in Vietnam, Hanoi lived up to my expectations, another bustling metropolis but with a definite sense of refinement. It is more developed and Western than the other cities we visited in Vietnam, Vince you would have fitted right in because the even have a Burberry outlet, Watford give us a wave! Private joke. Also, still having issues with PCs over here cannot upload any photos, hopefully soon.
We spent most of our time strolling around soaking up the atmosphere of the city. We stayed in the Old Quarter were pretty much all of the street names are taken from what goods are sold there. As France figures so highly in Vietnamese history it was of no real surprise that a French Quarter exists in the capital. Taking a break from the local cuisine, sorry guys no dog we just couldn't, we thoroughly enjoyed living it up in some of the many French cafes around town.
We spent a couple of days roaming the streets of Hanoi, we managed to take in a water puppet show, very traditional art form in these parts and taking in the busy city before we headed off to Ha Long Bay. When we arrived at the bay there was a junk boat ready and waiting with a complimentary green tea, very good for your back as is everything else in Vietnam. Initially we thought the bay looked rather crowded with junk boats however our mind was put at rest after we sailed off from the harbor for about an hour, as it felt like we were the only junk on the water.
We walked through some caves and then we did some sea kayaking, nothing too strenuous though. I paired up with an Aussie we meet on the boat while Nat buddied up with an Irish girl from Galway, travelling with a couple of other friends. As we were going to be on the boat all day and sleep over on the junk, it soon occurred that the people you are with on such trips have the potential to make that bit extra special and the group of people we met definitely added to our experience. After an afternoon spent swimming and diving off the junk we all hit the top deck at sundown chatting and drinking some Hanoi beer. As the night sky rolled in we were all amazed at how clear we could make out the Milky Way, also the water was so calm it reflected everything like a mirror, it was truly beautiful.
The next day we arrived a Cat Ba island were Nat, me and our new Aussie mate spent the day biking around the national park. We spent the night in a hotel on the island before catching another ferry back to Ha Long City for our final destination of Hanoi, we would spend another night here before an epic 24 hour bus journey to Vientaine, the capital city of Laos.
So we said goodbye to Vietnam, we fell that with the time we had we got a true flavour for the country, its people and culture, and we were looking forward to a new country and perhaps some different experiences.
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Ronan
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Doctor Quinn Medecine Woman
yis' are like Michael Palin and Doctor Quinn Medecine Woman. great pictures. Do me a favour, bring me back an air tight sealed jar, i need some foreign air in my lungs. My mate Miley is in Thailand at the moment before heading off to live in Australia for a year. I hope he doesn't get taklen in as a political prisoner and hacked up and sold as a delicacy.