Blogs from Northeast, Vietnam, Asia - page 10

Geo: 20.9063, 107.082Checked out of hotel and bus to Halong wharf.Arrive on Christina cruise boat and have an awesome welcome lunch.Cruise to Halong Bay - a magnificent part of the world.Visit some huge limestone caves.Kayak around some of the islands.Climb to the top of an island, then relax on the beach.Back onto the boat for dinner under the stars.Kate had a rough night, didn't get much sleep.Very basic breakfast, then cruising back to the wharf for lunch.Bus back to Hanoi and out for dinner, again... ... read more

We travelled from Dien Bien Phu to Sapa in a minivan, and apart from a lunch stop that was more for the benefit of the driver catching up with some mates than us actually being able to obtain any food, it was a pretty easy 10 hour trip. On arrival in Sapa we were swamped by the ladies from the surrounding hill tribes trying to sell us their treks and home-stays. They had remarkably good English (all learnt from practicing with tourists) and were incredibly persistent. The 2 ladies that attached themselves to us followed us around the town for 2 hours! The 2 hours part was more our fault though because we had encountered another unexpected holiday - Sapa Cultural Week! What joy... everything was booked out and we felt like it was ground hog ... read more

We wanted to take an overnight boat trip around the one of the ‘new 7 Natural Wonders’ – beautiful Halong Bay. However, the weather wasn't promising ... in Hanoi it rained or drizzled constantly for the 5 days we were there. One day had a forecast of patches of sunshine, so we decided to take our chance and booked a boat trip. While it never got better than overcast, we were still pleased we went. The scenery was almost eerie at times seeing the mountains shrouded in mist. The boat we chose (Carina Cruises) was quite deluxe – very comfortable and each meal was about six courses! The 18 passengers were quite an international bunch with six French people, four English, four American and Kaylene and I. Kayaking around a floating village was a highlight ... ... read more

The Czechs have a charming way of describing someone who is peculiar or off their trolley: “he is special.” The kindest thing I can say about the majority of women in Bac Kan is that they are special. If I want to buy bread at breakfast time, I have to pass three chemists1 and four hairdressers2. One of the main monthly expenses for the Bac Kan household is mum’s hair. As a good old fashioned chauvinist pig I am happy to note that the women take care of their appearance but there is a slightdrawback: they spend all day with their crash helmet on. In banks, offices, restaurants, walking down the street, selling, buying ….. high heels, puffy jackets, cloth smog masks and a crash helmet. img=http://photos.travelblog.org/Photos/264840/828765/s/7911574-ng---i-ph--n--ngu-ng--c-2-0.jpg center ... read more

My friend and I were dreaming of going on a cruise together and so when the opportunity to travel to see the Halong Bay came through, we grabbed it with both hands. We started off in classy Singapore airlines on the first day of the year. I watched a lovely historical Chinese movie called 'Face Reader' with all the thrills and drama of the Chinese court. We landed in Hanoi and it was lovely to feel the slight chill after hot Singapore. We immediately set off to see the Ho Chin Minh mausoleum and the Ethnology museum. I was lost as I admired the 53 different ethnicities in a country like Vietnam. I am too scared to think of the same in huge countries like China and India! We had some street food of baguettes, sausages ... read more