Vietnam / Ha Noi & Ha Long Bay

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Well I'm not going to say too much here as the photos and captions tell most of the story. Hanoi is an interesting city and somewhat entertaining. The old city is the highlight although on the outskirts of it are also interesting areas to walk with wide tree-lined streets. The opera house is near there and if we had thought of it sooner we would have attended something there as there are a variety of programs offered there. Unfortunately, we were not able to get inside to see it. The outside of the building was not remarkable but the interior is supposed to be worth a look as it is old and ornate.

William wanted to go to the mausoleum and view Ho Chi Minh's body and we just missed getting in there in time. There are only certain days and a few hours each morning to get in there so you have to go early. Since we didn't get in but spent the money on the taxi ride we went into the museum there. The best part in the upper circular exhibits. I learned a bit about Ho Chi Minh's philosphy, what he did for the country and what the current objectives of the governance of the country is now which was interesting for me.

The majority of our time in Hanoi was to take care of business and as a starting place to go other places in the northern part of the country.

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Photos

The Old Quarter Hanoi
A charming, dirty, noisy, fun area of twisty roads (you WILL get lost) full of restaurants, shops and interesting people.

Old Quarter
From the balcony of the 'Sunny Hotel' in the Old Quarter. This hotel had a clean, charming, spacious room with a balcony and windows for $25.00 including breakfast and free internet. Breakfast is often included and we usually have their rice noodle soup with vegetables and chicken or egg. The view down the street in the other direction was prettier with tall leafy trees.

Lake View
We went to a roof top patio restaurant/bar above the Calvin Klien Jeans store near the old quarter and near the Water Puppet show. Great view of the lake.

Scooter Pile Up
There are no stop signs and very few traffic lights in this old part of city. I spent a half hour taking movies on my camera of an intersection and the crazy traffic pattern (of which there is none). The moment I turned my camera off there was this little accident (darn! missed it). The two men said a few words to each other and off they went. Pedestrians learn the art of crossing the streets. We got quite good at it. You just walk at one quick pace. Motorbikes and cars calculate and just miss you. If you stop and hesitate, you throw everyone off. (Think squirrels youv'e hit).

Haircut and...
You can get almost anything on the street. Not sure what this professional was doing to the guys ear.

Great Restaurants
We Didn't eat at this one, but do check out 'New Day' and 'Tamarind' both on Ma May St next to each other. We also liked the restaurant to the left of 'Whole Earth Restaurant'. Can't remember the name but it had an outstanding Barracuda dinner for 60,000 Dong! and other great stuff.

Ho Chi Minh Museum was 'OK' / Taxi scam
Taxi Scam... Beware of the taxis that overcharge. Even the ones that have a meter that runs faster than others. A ride to the museum from the Old Quarter should cost around 40,000 dong. One driver wanted to charge me 200,000! I got out quick before we left the corner. Have your hotel call a taxi and double check the estimated price before taking off.

Halong Bay Is A Must
We took a 2 night trip from Hanoi to Halong bay. It was arranged at the Sunny Hotel. It cost about $85.00 each and included everything. Other people on the same trip had paid more for there ticket. The Boat fleet name was 'Imperial Junk' and was fine for the price. We spent the first night on the boat, and second night on the Cat Ba island. We wished we had paid a little more for the better hotel on Cat Ba.

Our State Room on the Imperial Junk
Ask for a room in the bow of the boat. Other people complained of the generator noise running most of the night.

Bike Trip On Cat Ba Island
One of the highlights of the Halong Bay trip was the boat stopping on the remote side of Cat Ba Island for a almost 2 hour bike ride through the jungle, fields, and village.

Village Girl
We stopped along the bike ride and had a little fun with some of village kids that were up in the trees collecting something. She put her machette down for a moment for this photo.

Perfumed Pagoda excursion
the "Perfumed Pagoda" is a day trip from Hanoi that includes a boat ride on a river to the steps that climb a mountain to a large cave with shrines in it. Some people opted to take the cable car up. We were glad we walked the reletively easy climb. As always, our english speaking Vietnamese guide was wonderful

Near top
and close to entrance of natural cave temple that is the "perfumed pagoda". If you walk the steps up and back down you will ofcourse, encounter many vendors.

Stairs leading into the cave temple
The huge rock cave temple here is the place of Quan Yin our guide told us

Back In Hanoi
We spent about a week in Hanoi waiting for our Visa extension to be done. A week was quite enough.