Halong Bay / Hanoi / Hue / Hoi An

We staged most of our activities in the North from the Old Quarter in the bustling city of Hanoi. The Hoan Kiem lake near the center was a popular area for the locals and visitors alike with it's winding walking paths and shaded benches looking out on the water. The serenity of the calm water clashed with the waves of weaving, chaotic mopeds zooming the surrounding streets. With Hanoi being the epicenter of Norther Vietnam national pride, we were quickly introduced to "Uncle Ho", the former leader and who's image is everywhere. We decided to skip the viewing of his "Lenin" like preserved body but did visit HoChi Minh museum giving us a great deal of history on his efforts. The nearby "Hanoi Hotel" was interesting but full of blatent propaganda that we could do without. It held Senator McCain for many years during the war and still showcases his pilot jumpsuit, boots,helmet and several photos. What irked me was the propaganda films showing POW pilots seemingly living in a posh, resort-like setting during their stay.

A few hours drive from Hanoi, we jumped on an 8-room wood boat built in the traditional style of the old Japanese Junker Boats to tour the well known Ha long Bay. The creaky boat zigged and zagged the many coves of the bay where 3000+ islands knife out from the blue waters. The night brought a perfect calm to the waters, the starlit sky unspoilt and not a man-made light for miles. We sat on the sun deck until late that night sharing travel tales knowing that this moment was the reason we spent 3 knee biting hours in a mini-bus.

We took an overnight bus from Hanoi to Hue, the third largest city and known for its historic citadel walls sitting on the Perfume river. The city is also just a car ride away from the area formerly known as the DMZ or DeMilitarized Zone during the war with America. We spent a day touring the DMZ where we visited the "rock pile", a former US strategic vantage point atop a sheer cliffed mountain. Also Khe Sanh firebase which was the site of some of the fiercest fighting during the war. It was hard to imagine doing anything in the stifling heat..it reached 105 with high humidity that day alone. The final site visited was the Vinh Moc tunnels where North Vietnamese villagers, troops, and their allies dug out miles of interconnected tunnels to avoid detection and the intense US artillery and bombing campaigns.

From Hue we jumped a bus to Hoi An, a town that we fell in love with. Hoi An is a quaint little town along a river that offers a surplus of great cuisine options. A few of our days were spent bike riding along the river to the beach (yes, stopping for mojitos along the way was a must). Hoi An is known for its 500+ tailors who can dress a person head to toe. When walking down the street, you are approached every few steps offering to make a dress, suit, shoes or jacket as shown in the many available cutting edge style catalogs. The tailors never failed to make the same claim:" same, same, but different--just for you". We had the opportunity to take a private cooking lesson. Determined to master the art of fresh spring rolls and calamari, we dove right in. We loved the opportunity to sit down and reap the rewards of a fantastic 4 course meal that was prepared side by side with a professional Vietnamese chef--an experience we highly recommend for all!

While in the town of Hoi An, we had the opportunity to spend time at a small state run orphanage housing children from the ages of just a few weeks through 22 years old. The humble facility was made up of two courtyards with scattered toys and swingsets in disrepair. Two long interconnected building in the middle housed the dormitory style rooms where wood bed frames were lined in rows where children would sleep on top of rolled mats escaping the summer heat. Our time was spent interacting with the children as they went about their activities. We volleyed broken english and unknown forms of sign language back and forth providing some amusement to everyone. Roughly half of these children are disabled and require a great deal of additional resources to care for them. We discovered a small charity here in Hoi An with an office down the street from the orphanage named the Kianh Foundation. The Kianh Foundation was founded in the UK for the purpose of supplementing the existing care of these disabled children. Providing home care, schooling and physical therapy, they offer the services the state has neglected to. Prior to the Kianh Foundation's contribution, conditions were less than humane for these helpless kids. The smallest of donations can do so much here and since this charity relies 100% on donations, it's essential that the word is spread. We've set up an easy link to a site we've put together, allowing donations via credit card to reach a target goal of contribution that we have committed to (our cat has made the first donation). Please join us in raising money for this small charity that has done such great things for these children. We were fortunate enough to see first hand what this small team of volunteers can do to change the lives of these children. The many hardships and bureaucratic obstacles faced by the charity in a socialist country is hard enough, let's not allow financial support stand in the way of a worthy cause.
http://www.justgiving.com/shaneanderin
And, for our friends on facebook, you can see more photos and information from Kianh Foundation Facebook site: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hoi-An-Vietnam/The-Kianh-Foundation/90466841087?sid=afb9ba1dbe41d590da7e1fb19f9f7d56&ref=search

We are now moving further south...

---

---

---