Hanoi and Ha Long Bay

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Nov 17

Last time I left you I was having a terrible experience in Saigon. That evening my husband, Daniel, booked a room at lavish Equatorial Hotel and arranged limo airport pickup for Cheri. She arrived at 11:30 pm and we enjoyed catching up since it had been several years since seeing each other at my wedding.

Nov 18

Woke up early, had a fantastic breakfast at the hotel and set out to do some sightseeing in HCMC. Taxi dropped us off at a park and made our way to a market. Bike drivers hounded us and we finally agreed for them to take us to the Reunification Palace for 15,000 dong ($1). We arrived a few minutes later. When I took out money to pay my driver snatched a 500,000 bill ($30) and refused to give it back. I even attempted to reach into his pocket but both he and the other driver started shouting at me in Vietnamese, pointing and flailing their arms, then walked away. I was stunned. I should have been smarter and carried small bills, having heard about such scams.

The palace was interesting, having been restored to the way it was when Saigon fell in 1975. You may have seen pictures of tanks knocking down the gate in front. It has since been resurrected.

From there we caught a taxi to the Jade Pagoda then to the War Remnants Museum. It was incredibly disturbing. Of course it was clearly pro-Vietnamese, but it wasn't so overtly anti-American to be insulting. But the images of deformed children from agent orange, people burned alive from the napalm and beheaded Vietnamese held in the hands of American soldiers will be burned in my mind forever. It's very possible that many of the piles of bodies were the result of VietCong, but it's hard to know that now. I didn't take any pictures inside, because it just didn't feel right. I did take one pic of an Air Force helicopter outside.

At this point we were hot and tired and had been ripped off twice by taxi drivers (not including the bike driver that stole from me) so we went back to the hotel lobby, had a smoothie and fell asleep on the couch. At 4 we took a cab to the airport and anxiously awaited our flight to Hanoi.

Hanoi was great! Even though we landed at night and most of the city seemed closed up it was clean, quiet and everything HCMC wasn't. Our hostel (The Hanoi Atlantic hotel) was clean, French-styled, and the staff was amazing. We booked a two-day tour to Ha Long Bay for the following day. Starved, we asked where to find food. The manager's little brother took us to a pho "restaurant" around the corner. It was a one car garage style space with plastic tables and chairs. There's only one thing on the menu but he ordered for us (I wanted no chicken, although avoiding the chicken broth would be impossible). It was great! Towards the end of our meal a truck pulled up and a young boy jumped out and pulled down the garage door. We were confused but no one else seemed fazed. Moments later it was pulled back up and we realized the boy was a look-out. There is a 12am curfew and there must have been police patrolling the area. We had already been stopped once on the way home, and our driver told us the police were looking for money to drive down a certain road (apparently it is common for police to stop people and assess a "fine" for something they did wrong).

We fell asleep excited for the following day.

Nov 19

Up at 7am, ate breakfast and jumped on the tour bus that took us 3 hours to the ocean. Hello, Ha Long Bay! One-thousand-nine-hundred-sixty limestone islands of varying sized and shapes, some with caves, all beautiful. We took a junk boat cruise with 13 other people and had lunch. Our first stop was an island with a cave which was used as a hospital during the Vietnam War. It was HUGE! And the ceiling so high. We then went kayaking and watched a gorgeous sunset, then had dinner and spent the rest of the evening with three American boys who had just graduated (and who also happen to be staying at the same hostel as us) and two Brits in the midst of a 6-month backpacking trip. We played drinking card games and laughed (obnoxiously, I'm sure) until midnight when we retired and I had my first solid sleep in a week.

Nov 20

Cheri was up and on the top deck writing in her journal at 7am but I lay around until nearly 8. When I joined her she was chatting with Steve, one of the Americans, but it was far too cold for me. I went down just in time for breakfast to begin. We took a couple hours to cruise back to shore, played some cards and said goodbye to Ha Long. We agreed it's a place we must return to, but next time during the warmer months. We lunched in a small town on the way back and arrived in Hanoi around 6pm. We went with the boys to dinner at Thai Express (so good! and we all ate for $30!) then walked through a market. Cheri and I bought matching Lacoste jackets (yes, we are dorks) and I got Daniel a polo.

Nov 21

My last day in Vietnam! And we put it to good use. Up at 7am, ate breakfast, then on the tour bus. Two hour ride into the country. Visited a palace, then hopped on some bikes that needed some serious TLC. First a German man's front tire fell off and he went head first into the street. Miraculously he was unscathed, and switched bikes with the tour guide. Next a girl's chain fell off (mine had already eaten the bottom of my black pants and thus I kept them rolled up to my knee for the remainder; good thing I could care less what I look like) and then the same German man's front tire became disconnected again! Next, a pedal fell off and my seat sunk nearly to the frame. But it was all worth it! Gorgeous scenery! After the hour bike ride we had an (awful) buffet lunch then took a boat ride on a river. The boat ride was incredibly long and felt longer due to my bruised rear end (did I mention the bike seats were like concrete?) and the bitter wind, but it was all worth the pictures I took. During the boat ride the paddlers will try to sell t-shirts or hand embroidered bags, but we declined and instead gave her a tip (how could we forget; she was sure to mention several times to give her one).

We arrived back in Hanoi around 7pm and jumped off the bus early to visit our favorite restaurant, Thai Express (I feel ashamed that we went to a chain, but it was so good- I even memorized my dish: #3119), then rushed back to the hostel so I could pack and catch a taxi to the airport. Cheri is staying the night then going to Phenom Penh, Cambodia in the morning. I was jealous that she would continue her trip, but also excited to see Daniel and my puppies and to sleep in my own bed.

I'm so glad I took this trip. It felt like my final Asian adventure because Dan and I are moving back to the States in a few weeks. But I know I'll be back someday. There are far too many places I have yet to see, and places I'd love to experience again. Laos, Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan are all on my list (any takers?) as I heard from so many other travelers that these are some of their favorites.

This will probably be my last blog for awhile since I may have to put backpacking on hold while we get our lives situated in Texas, but I'm already dreaming up my next adventure.

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Comments

[Diane Caryl]

Glad to know you'll be home
Oh, Erin, I so admire your adventurous life. You bring the world and history alive for me. I'll miss all of these vicarious trips I've been taking with you. Still, like your Mom, I'll be happy when you're on USA soil again safely and soundly. (hmmmm....not that Fort Hood has been the safest of spots to be lately) Safe journeying, dear girl. Hope to see you when you're here. xo

[Cheri Ward]

So much fun
You forgot to mention the DV couple at the hostel - lol!! SO much fun, can't wait to travel with you again!!