Eastern to Northern Vietnam.

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Not long since the last blog. Here's the rest of Vietnam. More pictures than words really but still - you'll get the idea! Read on...........

Monday 16th February
We are due to arrive in Hoi An at 0600. I woke at 0530 and decided to look out the window to try and get our bearings. We actually arrive at 0730 and get dropped off next to a Hostel. A usual tactic employed to get you to stay there and thus earn the bus company commission. Thanks, but no thanks! We walk into town and do a Hostel hunt. Whilst hunting we bumped into Shelpy and Ilan, the Canadians we met in the Mekong. They're leaving for Hue later but they told us where they were staying and pointed us in the direction of a street full of hostels. We finally settled for one at $12 per night (8.50 quid) which is more expensive than we usually pay but there was little else on offer! Had a shower and a sleep till about 1200 then went for a look around the "Old Town." The old town was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO as a well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port of the 15th to 19th centuries, with buildings that display a unique blend of local and foreign influences. We saw the Japanese covered bridge, built in 1593 to appease an underground dragon that causes earthquakes, then had lunch at a Thu Bon Riverside restaurant. I had Cao Lau which is a Hoi An speciality. It is doughy, flat noodles mixed with croutons, bean-sprouts and greens, topped with sliced pork, served in a savoury broth. You can only have the real thing here in Hoi An because the water for the broth needs to come from nearby Ba Le well. We checked out the market and looked around at the buildings. Booked and paid for the bus tickets for tomorrow. 250,000d (10.20 quid) each for a bus to Hue and a connecting sleeper bus to Ninh Binh.

Tuesday 17th February
Had a bit of a lie in, got some lunch then picked up the bus at 1400. Firstly a minibus took us to a central meeting point around the corner where we boarded a normal bus for the three hour journey to Hue. In Hue we're supposed to transfer to a sleeper bus but it turns out that the back few seats on this bus are sleeper seats so we're moved to them. We then make another pick-up in Hue and who gets on? Shelby and Ilan! We chat for a while and have tea with them when we stopped for food. Back on the bus we read for a short while but by 2130 Aimee is tired. Being the gentleman that I am I turn off my overhead light and bed down as well. Three hours later and I'm still laid there wide awake. Aimee slept for an hour or so but for the last two hours she has also been wide awake. We make a pee stop at about midnight before trying to sleep again. I nodded off at about 0030..................

Wednesday 18th February
......and slept on and off till about 0530 when we were kicked off the bus in Ninh Binh. We are the only two people to get off - everybody else is going to Hanoi and have never even heard of Ninh Binh! It is dark and there is no Ninh Binh map in Lonely Planet so we're a bit stuck! I hope we've done the right thing! Within about twenty seconds a tout for a nearby hostel turns up. He does his best and we take a business card and leave him with the standard-issue, "We'll have a look around and might come back later." Unbeknown to him we just wanted his card for the small map of Ninh Binh on the back! We get our bearings then find a hostel for $5 (3.60 quid) a night before sleeping for a few hours. Investigate later for information about Tam Coc for tomorrow and get a few prices for buses to various destinations. We're going to Halong Bay next but don't know how to get there. There are various options.

Thursday 19th February
Rented bicycles for 20,000d (82p) each then cycled the 9km to Tam Coc, known as "Halong Bay on the Rice Paddies." It's 60,000d per boat, plus 30,000d per person, so 120,000d (4.90 quid) for the two of us. We got into our little rowing boat and took things easy as our female rower gently guided us down the river. We're sailing alongside rice paddies and there are huge limestone rock formations towering out of the water around us. It's not too long before we get to our first cave. It's 127m long and 20m wide. As we sail through it we could touch the ceiling, though we don't as it damages the stalactites (which have more or less been snapped off anyway). We are joined by our rowers' friend who popped in for a natter. She had a spare oar with her so Aimee pitched in and helped out. We went through a second, small cave and finally a third, this one 45m long and 18m wide. This tunnel had boats in it trying to sell stuff. We then turned around and headed back. I took over the spare oar from here. We briefly stopped at the oar lady's house before continuing up the river. All in all it was everything we hoped it would be. Awesome scenery and a very peaceful way to see it. We've decided to catch a bus to Haiphong then ferry to Cat Ba. We can see Halong Bay from there then catch another ferry from Cat Ba to Halong City before continuing by bus to Hanoi. Bought tickets for tomorrow's bus journey and went to the ATM for cash - apparently Cat Ba doesn't have any!

Friday 20th February
Up at 0600 for a 0700 bus. It's a 25 seater micro-bus with uncomfortable plastic seats - oh the joys of travelling! It cost 55,000d (2.25 quid) each and took 3 and a half hours. We arrived in Haiphong at 1030 but we couldn't see the harbour/port and there is no map in Lonely Planet. There is no information desk so we are at the mercy of the locals! Obvioulsy they want to make a buck or two so they tout their taxis and motorbikes. We ended up getting a taxi for 50,000d (2 quid) but it was hard haggling! Aimee thinks she saw a free bus but I was too busy arguing with the taxi/motorbike brigade. The port was about a ten minute drive away. We have two options here: 1) The slow boat at 1210 costs 80,000d (3.25 quid) each and takes four hours; 2) The fast boat at 1230 costs 120,000d (4.90 quid) each and takes one hour. We decide to splash out and go for the fast boat. As we get on the boat, the ticket lady changes her mind and tells us the boat will take 1 and a half hours - it's only 1 hour in summer! We leave on time at 1230 and sail down a river for about 1hr 15 mins before getting to the sea. Quarter of an hour later we pull in to port. I gather our bags and start to leave but it seems that everybody (including Aimee) knows that this isn't our stop. Finally, we pull in at Cat Ba after 2 and a half hours. We find a hostel for $6 (4.25 quid) a night. It's a 6th floor room with a fab sea-view, private bath and cable TV. We pop out for a snack and some water and quickly realise that everything is double the price of the mainland. We do a bit of haggling and end up doing reasonably OK.

Saturday 21st February
Had a look for boat tickets to Halong City for when we leave and checked out prices for the Halong Bay trips. Halong Bay has more than 3,000 islands rising out from the Gulf of Tonkin. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and is one of Vietnam's natural marvels. It appears that Cat Ba is a great big tourist trap. It's WELL expensive! Everything is at least double price, quite often worse. For example, one hour internet usually costs 3000d - here it is 20,000d. A large bottle of water is 5000d - here it is 12,000d. You get the picture! Halong Bay trips consist of a sail around the rocks, a stop at a cave, snorkelling and a go in a canoe. They cost 630,500d (25.70 quid) each. The trip the other day at Tam Coc only cost us 160,000d, the mineral baths at Nha Trang were just 280,000d and even the two day trip into the Mekong Delta was 665,000d and that included meals and an overnight stay! The weather is cold and cloudy - too cold to snorkel so we'll be just sat on the boat all afternoon. Granted, we'd see the bay up close but we saw it when we sailed in from Haiphong and will see more when we sail out to Halong City. We decide not to bother with the trip and travel to Hanoi tomorrow. We booked a "Tourist Boat" to Halong City which should show us the bay on the way.

Sunday 22nd February
Up at 0700 for a 0800 pick-up. It's a very gray, cloudy, misty day so we're really glad we decided not to do the trip. We're picked up by a minibus and driven for about 45 minutes to the boat. It's a cracking drive through what looks like jungle. It's like being in the middle of a wildlife show on TV. It's very green and tropical looking with lakes, waterfalls, grottos and huge limestone rocks towering out of the ground. Half the island is a National park to protect the diverse eco-systems and wildlife. We pull up at a headland and board a small wooden boat that takes us out to sea to our two storey, traditional Vietnamese, wooden schooner. It's drizzling now as well as being extremely misty. We briefly chat to a girl we meet on the boat who is on the second day of a two day trip from Hanoi. Day One was what we would have done if we'd booked a trip from Cat Ba. Day Two is travelling back to Hanoi with us. She said that yesterday all they did was sat on the boat and saw a couple of caves. She is not a happy bunny (though we are 'cos this confirms that we did indeed make the right choice). Despite the weather it's a scenic journey through the rocks - though we set off one and a half hours late because the boat's engines weren't working! We arrived Halong City at about 1200. Similar to Haiphong there is no information desk and no map in Lonely Planet. We flag a cab which is a metered one so hopefully wont rip us off. We know it's about 3km to the bus station and should cost between 30,000d and 40,000d. Turns out it's 3.6km and costs 36,000d (1.50 quid). We caught a bus from there to Hanoi which cost 60,000d (2.45 quid) and took four and a half hours (we passed a knocked-down motorbike with two dead bodies laid next to it). Overall the journey cost the both of us 356,000d (14.50 quid). We could have risked a combi-ticket from Cat Ba to Hanoi with connecting buses and boats for 400,000d (16.30 quid) so we haven't saved much - though we didn't have the worry of a connecting bus not turning up, or the ticket becoming "invalid" as soon as you get too far away from where you bought it to go back and complain. We then walked across the Long Bien Bridge, over the Red River into Hanoi's Old Quarter for a hostel. We settled on one for $8 a night with private bathroom and cable TV. Went out and had a Chinese, three-course set-meal.

Monday 23rd February
Quite a lazy day. Walked around the Old Quarter and up to Dong Xuan market. Settled for a cheap, local restaurant for tea. 50000d (2 quid) for the two of us. Got a litre of vodka and coke for 25,000d (1 quid).

Tuesday 24th February
Had a lie in (after the vodka) then a wander around and came across a market. We took a quick look and came to a stall with a cooked DOG! It still had it's tail, though it had been beheaded - the head was next to it complete with teeth and everything! I asked the lady if I could take a photo of it but she said no! At least we know not to ask next time. Went to a couple of cafe's for info on travelling onward. We think it's too cold and cloudy to go to Sapa (a hilly village up north somewhere) so we're planning on going to Laos. We don't know whether to catch a direct bus (with all the scare stories of being dumped in the middle of nowhere) or to DIY (with all the stories of being overcharged for various sections as they know they have you by the nuts). Went out for an Indian set-meal. It was served on a prison-issue, stainless steel tray with seperate compartments! I quite enjoyed it but Aimee wasn't keen. Watched Arsenal beat Roma 1 - 0 in the first leg of the Champions League.

Wednesday 25th February
Up early to head down to the Laos embassy. Nice and easy, 1,260,000d (51 quid) for the two of us. We have to collect them tomorrow afternoon. We walked the long way back to see and soak up some of Hanoi. We saw a guy spit-roasting a dog! I took a sneaky photo which was a bit blurry but it's not bad (you can see it at the bottom of this blog). I'm really trying to get a good piccie for you! I actually want to try some dog meat but I think too many people would be upset if I did. It's a shame, but not worth losing friends over! I've probably already had it unknowingly in one of the street sold "meat" sandwiches and pasties. We went around Ho Hoan Kiem which means "Lake of the Restored Sword." Legend has it that sometime in the 1400's heaven sent a magical sword to the Emperor Ly Thai To who used the sword to drive the Chinese out of Vietnam. Later a giant turtle grabbed the sword and took it into the depths of the lake where it was given back to heaven. There are giant turtles still living in the lake but they haven't been seen since 2006. Aimee is feeling ill so she went to bed. I watched Champions League. Liverpool beat Real Madrid 1 - 0 in their own back yard. A valuabe away goal perhaps?

Thursday 26th February
Aimee still ill. It's raining so I just bummed about a bit. The benefit of Aimee being ill is that I can watch footy again tonight. UEFA Cup this time. Zenit St. Petersburg vs Aston Villa Reserves. Unsuprisingly Zenit won 2 - 0. Villa shouldn't even have bothered turning up. They'd rather finish fourth in the Premiership!

Friday 27th February
Aimee is still not great so she stayed in bed. I took a walk to the Laos embassy to collect our visas. She popped out later with me as we went to the supermarket. I booked the tickets to take us to Vientiane, Laos. We have decided to go for the direct bus. At just 243,500d (9.90 quid) each it doesn't matter if they kick us out part way!

Saturday 28th February
Easy morning then popped out for lunch. Aimee hasn't eaten for three days so we had a big one. I wasn't complaining!

Sunday 01st March
We're off to Laos today. That means another blog for another time!

Laos is going to be very relaxed. We have 30 days to do very little travelling so we'll be doing very lazy things I expect. Keep your eyes peeled and you can read all about it next time. Ciao for now kids!

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Photos

Thu Bon River, Hoi An
Cao Lau lunch

Sleeper Bus
Hue to Ninh Binh

Tam Coc
"Halong Bay on the Rice Paddies"

Our "rowers"
and Aimee

Aimee feeling sick
Haiphong to Cat Ba in Halong Bay

View from our balcony
for just $6 a night

Halong Bay
Cat Ba to Halong City

Climbing the Rigging
Cat Ba to Halong Cty

Long Bien Bridge
over the Red River, Hanoi

Rooftops
of Hanoi's Old Quarter

Ho Hoan Kiem
and Thap Rua (Tortoise Tower)

St. Jospeh's Cathedral
Hanoi

Before
Prison-issue tray full of delicious curry!

After
It was yummy!