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Published: March 2nd 2009
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Friday, Feb 27th
We arrived in Hanoi at 5am and hugely overpaid for a taxi into the old quarter. Nothing was open yet so we sat by the lake observing the strange dance of the early-bird exercise community. Some shuffled backwards, some hit their backs and heads, some swing their arms, lift their legs and kick, some walk and others jog. If you thought yoga looked funny you should see these people. They even set up a "weight room" next to the road. There were hundreds of them. It's free and much more entertaining than our snotty Virgin Active!
At breakfast we realized that 200,000 dong was missing from our wallet. We tried to figure out where it went and the only thing we could figure was that when Ferdi tipped the lady after dinner last night he must've given her the 200,000 note instead of the 10,000 note. Oops!!! But those damn notes all look the same!
We left Hanoi on a mini-van for Halong Bay three and a half hours away and for the first time in our trip our transport was fairly empty. There was only 6 passengers, our driver and Long, our guide (the name
"Long" means dragon in Vietnamese).
We drove past tons and tons of rice paddies. We used to think that driving in Africa was crazy. Then we thought Thailand and Laos was crazy. But nothing, nothing, I mean nothing can prepare you for Vietnamese driving! In the first hour of driving we narrowly avoided 2 head-on collisions. There are no system on their roads. They just honk and hope for the best. I'm surprised that ONLY 13,000 people died on these roads in 2006! I would think it would be at least 3 times that much by now!
About halfway we took a break at this place where they make these huge china vases, gorgeous tea sets and amazing granite and marble sculptures. There's also a group of handicapped people that make embroidered pictures. We bought a small picture because we thought we'd support a good cause and because it really is beautiful.
We arrived in Halong Bay and was ferried to our gorgeous boat. We cruised for an hour, enjoying the view and then had a mountain of delicious food for lunch. After lunch we visited the Hang Sung Sot caves. These limestone caves cover 10,000 square
Simbaaaaaa!
Granite sculpture meters and was discovered in 1901.
We then went to an island that has a beach and a watchtower at the top of the hill. We climbed the 426 steps up to the crowded summit, took a few pictures and then headed down for a swim.
Back on board the boat and after a shower the crew showed us some jewelry made with pearls that they grow here in Halong Bay. Talita was smitten and we bought a beautiful silver bracelet with 7 pearls for Talita's upcoming birthday.
After another feast we were entertained by a couple who sang folk songs and played traditional music. It was amazing to see the skill of the musician and the very interesting instruments. After the performance we gave the instruments a go but without much success.
We enjoyed some drinks outside and later shared a "Titanic" moment when 2 boats close to us as well as our own played the Celine Dion song from the movie. We had a good giggle about that!
Today's highlights:
1. Having a nice shower on our luxurious boat.
2. Being upgraded from a Superior to Deluxe boat at no cost.
3. Traditional folk
music performance.
4. Visiting the cave and swimming in the bay.
5. Buying pearl bracelet for Talita's birthday.
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