Halong Bay and Hue

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After a grueling 10 hour train ride from Sapa to Hanoi, we arrived at our glorious Metropole Hotel and our French rooms. While horribly long a ride, the country side of Vietnam was fascinating: neat and clean rural gardens, rice paddies, waterbuffalo pulling carts, everyone works, even the children! School is only in the morning so afternoons are for working on the farm or at the market. We had a cabin on the train which was lovely but claustrophobic and so naps and reading were our alternatives to watching the countryside go by.

The next day we were off to Halong Bay, by car but only a few hours on a good road, through villages and more countryside. Amazing sights on the back of motorbikes: a live water buffalo strapped on, pigs in cages, and dogs in cages on the way to the market. I know many of you will be upset as I was to learn that dog is eaten here. There are a lot of dogs around, and they are pets and watch dogs for about 5 years, and then they go to the market for meat, and are more expensive meat than pig or beef!

Halong Bay is like Phang Nga Bay off Phuket: lots of limestone karsts, ethereal in their water setting. We were on a junk, sleeping space for 14. We stayed overnight under a full moon, ate some incredible fresh seafood (crab, shrimp, squid, etc) with wine and cloth napkins. We kayacked each day around and into the karsts, through cave openings. One day we walked through a huge cave with enormous caverns, with walks and lighting built by a Chinese company. Astounding, as caves tend to be.

We loved our northern Vietnam guide, Huang. She shared so much of her life growing up in a poor family and her struggle to go to university, the first one in her village! We had to say good by to her at the Hanoi airport. A short flight to Hue and here we are after a day of sightseeing. Hue was the home of the Nuygen Dynasty, in the 19th Century and first half of the 20th Century, 13 kings, the last ones puppets of the French colonials. So we saw palaces, mausaleums, ride on the Perfume River, observing river life with whole families living on sampans working together, digging sand from the river to sell, and looking for mussels and fishing. Saw some evidence of the Tet Offensive, mortar holes in buildings, destroyed palaces, etc. The Vietnamese we have met have been friendly and kind, bearing no residual feelings from the American War. Tomorrow, off by car to Hoi An, another beautiful City with French, Chinese, Japanese and other architecture and influences. More about that next time

Have a great Christmas week and Happy Hanukah!

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Comments

[Marcia Logan]

I am thrilled to finally have access to the blog...what a cool idea. Donna, this trip sounds unbelievable. Does it seem like a trip you'd do again sometime? I wasn't able to access the blog through your old email inserted address. I went to Travelblog.org, clicked on the Travelers, found your name and clicked in. I gave these directions to Mary Nalick as she's interested in you and your trip. MaryLou is now in New Zealand. Are you keeping a list of your foods for "shau-hair?"