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Published: January 4th 2010
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Starting the trip off on the right foot
Early morning finger-sized baguette smeared with Pate. Yes, I KNOW that we've been gone for over two months now and that all of you kind blog-followers have been waiting to hear some news from us.
Would you forigve us if we told you that we've been having the BEST TIME EVER!?!
Im pretty sure that you would.
We've even got some HARD evidence to back ourselves up.
Vietnam has truly swept us off of our feet, in every sense.
Of all the countries that we have previously visited, Vietnam seems to have everything we could hope for (as travellers and lovers of South-East Asia) all wrapped up like a deep-fried Nem ready to go.
The time we spent in Vietnam was nothing but PURE enjoyment of life. Truly. Nearly truly.
The experiences we shared and the places we saw were all filled with excitement, mystery and love too.
We had the chance to meet some incredible people who felt the same as we did for the country, people who have dedicated their lives to being in Vietnam, exploring lands (so far off the beaten path that we didn't know what planet we were on sometimes) and also to sharing all of this wonder with whichever lucky people
Ho Hoan Kiem
One of the peaceful lakes in the city. happen to cross their paths(hence:us).
Hanoi was fantastic. We spent waaaaaaaay too much time there, for reasons out of our control, but enjoyed it throughly. The food scene is ridiculous and way too exciting for two lil' foodies like us. Our heads were near to exploding on some days. And imagine, we didn't even make it out of the city center area to explore anything else!
Its a whirlwind of a city. With motorbikes whizzing by, roaming fruit sellers popping out from around every corner and the sound of the gigantic St. Joseph Church bells ringing at every quarter of an hour.
We loved it.
Though we just HAD to see other things...right?
Thats sort of the impression we were under, that if we only stayed in Hanoi to eat and didn't see anything else...well, that would be BAD of us, right?
BAD travellers?
Ok, so we moved on. We were desperate to check out the lunar landscapes of the Northern mountains that cling to the Chinese border. We ended up striking gold when Guillaume asked for help and information to the only Westerner we saw in the streets of Ha Giang. It just so happened that
Veggie Meal
One of the fast-fading vegetarian meals we shared in Hanoi. we asked somebody who had not only motorbiked the same route that we were planning to tackle multiple times, he was travelling with a partner who conducted guided tours in the area.
Perfect.
They ended up being extremely generous and warm people and throughout the following three days we were shown some very magical (and dare I say 'secret') places. Unfortunately we also had to hire a local Vietnamese guide to take us into the actual province since we were still required to have a permit issued to us ONLY with the help of this ....guide. He ended up being quite redundant quite quickly. But all was good, Guillaume and I were giddy with the eye candy that was being thrown in our faces for four days straight and we didnt even seem to care after a whie that we were paying him $20 per day to hang around. No problems.
After our fabulous trip in Ha Giang we went back to Hanoi, for a brief few days, just before we were going to head out of town again with our new friends.
And well, it JUST so happened that my birthday was one of those days that were
Eggs on Toast...sort of
Oven warmed baguette with a fresh, made-to-order omlette. Great breakfast. spent in Hanoi.
Okay, I don't really know how to explain this without going into too much detail or explanation but on my 27th birthday I woke up and pronounced myself an EX-Vegetarian.
Thats right, folks, after 7 long years spent rejecting, denying and booing all things meat on my plate....I woke up and decided to give myself the best birthday gift ever; the gift of meat.
And I havent looked back since. Everyday since then has been filled with meaty joy and BBQ bliss. I almost shed a tear for all the meals that I've missed out on but I shant say that I regret anything. Everyday is a new day and everyday there is a place for meat on my plate now.
Life was getting better and better, didn't I tell you that?: 'Best time ever'.
So after a few days spent in Hanoi, eating as much as I could, we rented motorbikes again and headed out the the countryside where we saw some great scenary and got intouch with rural Vietnamese life.
We stopped for the night in a small village, I couldnt even try to tell you where we were or the name of the
Digging in
I still cannot get over how fantastic the sandwiches in Vietnam can be. village, I have no idea and I like it that way.
The village was brilliant. We stayed in a traditional house on stilts, slept on the floor, and woke up at 4am to the sounds of the farm life waking up.
Ducks, pigs, cows, chickens, dogs, cats and who else? Im sure that I am forgetting someone. It was a really nice glance into how many people are living in Vietnam.
Next stop was the country home of our two friends. Again, secret location, and rightly so. I could say that they are living well in a traditional home on stilts, with two waterfalls (one on each side of the house), in the mountains but that would be an understatement. Our hosts graciously put us up for two nights, and it was a perfect place for Guillaume to fight off the flu that had been pestering him for a few days.
Again, back to Hanoi two spend a mere two days before heading off again with our friend Axel to the famous Halong bay on a private boat.
The night before we left I was starting to feel a little feverish and assumed that I had finally caught the
Tail soup
well, we could only imagine what sort of things they were serving there. flu that Guillaume and Axel had just gotten over.
We could not have asked for more when we arrived on the boat. Perfect weather, great company, fantastic food, a gorgeous boat all to ourselves and cruising the waters of beautiful Halong Bay.
Only problem, I was starting to feel worse and worse. It did not take long before I was almost completely defeated, unable to sit upright and drifting in and out of fitful sleep. I spent the whole two days sleeping, barely able to open my eyes long enough to realize where we were.
When we returned to Hanoi (again!) I remained in the same state for another 3 days. Unable to eat, drink, stand up or stay awake. Guillaume became quite concerned and finally dragged my stubborn butt to the hospital only to find out that I was dealing with a bout of Dengue Fever. All that pain and trouble caused by a lousy little mosquito bite. It's really hard to believe.
It didn't take long for me to get over it, gain some strength back, stand up straight and get out there on the streets again downing bowls of BBQ pork noodles.
But the Northern
BUN CHA!
One of our favorite dishes in Hanoi. BBQ pork with noodles, broth and many condiments! dream couldnt last forever, we had to make a move, south.
It was sure that if we were in love with the North that there could only be great things waiting for us elsewhere.
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Steve Jackson
non-member comment
Thank You
I am lucky enough to live in Hanoi and I read a lot of blogs by idiots who end up hating the place simply because they don't know how to behave. I loved reading your post and finding out just how much you enjoyed this wonderful city. I have decided that I want to live here forever. (I had worked here for two years previously and have now returned for an open ended stay). Keep on having great adventures. I loved you blogs post. Steve www.ourmaninhanoi.com