Blogs from Red River Delta, Vietnam, Asia - page 12

I woke at 6 and a few minutes later there was a power cut. Our air conditioner died and there was no light in our windowless room. We planned to leave for the train at 9 am so fortunately had plenty of time to pack and have breakfast in the candle and torchlight. Breakfast was already laid out in the restaurant as a simple buffet. The umbrellas we had been carrying for weeks were made use of for the first time on the way to the train station . It was only a 20 minute walk and that short distance made carrying them worth the weight. It felt so good for us to be self reliant. If we would have had to catch a taxi who knows how long we would have waited and the stress ... read more

Big apologies but it's our last day in Hanoi, taxi pick up at 6 pm. Few places to see and watching the Old Quarter go by before we head and a last dunk in the pool! Had a superb meal last night with super company overlooking the lake in the Old Quarter and soaking up the celebrations of Reunification Day! Ciao for now followers, it's been sweet & memorable xx... read more

Hey everyone! The new post is up: https://www.iesabroad.org/study-abroad/blogs/kmcgeepugetsoundedu/hong-kong-neither-china-nor-west As you all may or may not know, I spent last weekend in Hanoi, Vietnam, which was a blast. In fact, I enjoyed it much more than I had thought I would, which was definitely a pleasant surprise! The one qualm that I had about Hanoi was how it was crawling with foreigners. Before leaving, I was expecting to be in a city much less developed than Beijing or Shanghai, where we would be some of the only foreigners. Instead, I wouldn't be surprised if someone told me that I saw the same number of tourists as I did Vietnamese. It was absolutely crazy, especially having come from a city where foreigners, while not rare, are quite easy to pick out of a crowd. In Hanoi, it felt ... read more

I had a huge breakfast in anticipation of missed meals during the long day of travel. There were sad good-byes to our hosts at La Beauty de Hanoi. I gave maple syrup to the lady who oversees the breakfast kitchen and to the girl at the front desk who called me Santa Claus. I explained to her that it was Santa’s duty to give gifts to people who do a good job. Claudette also left a good tip in the box for that purpose. I guess it was acceptable and appreciated, judging from the wild-eyed smile from the staff present. Incredibly, we made it to the airport in virtual silence. The driver followed all the rules of the road. I wondered that they even existed, and he didn’t honk his horn once during the 45 minute ... read more

Our boat engines started at 6:08 this morning; we had been consulted and had voted to start early to make the most of the day. After soup plus scrambled eggs, I went out onto the front deck to enjoy the sight of the mountains drifting by, wanting to soak up every moment of the unforgettable rock formations. The wind was stronger and the boat was moving faster, plus the mountains were more numerous – dramatic end to our visit. Arriving at the embarkation harbour, we could see the incredible number of docking points – dozens, if not over a hundred. On shore again, Thuy told us that due to the weather forecast, sailing on Ha Long Bay was shut down for this day and over-night. We had a lucky visit, especially because yesterday's sun let us ... read more