Advertisement
Published: August 3rd 2010
Halong Bay
This picture doesn't do it justiceHi again,
Well, its our last night in Vietnam, and party animal that I am I'm spending it blogging. Not for long though, Bia Hoi awaits!
Bia Hoi is awesome, its basically microbrew type beers that are served in any liquid holding receptacle available to anyone who cares to sit down on one of the tiny plastic chairs that litter the pavements of Hanoi. These chairs are absolutely minute, although they are very strong. It's not surprising - our tour guide for Halong Bay described Vietnam as a one word country - SMALL! The people, the buses, the motobikes, the chairs... even the country is skinny!
But I digress.
Drinking Bia Hoi is another one of these 'must-do' experiences, and for good reason. Even if you don't get into conversation with the locals also drinking there, you can see the best sights Hanoi has to offer. My particular favourite was 2 old men who'd obviously been at the Bia Hoi for a few hours with their arms around each other giggling like loons - on the curb! Awesome.
Our time in Hanoi has really flown, but we think we've packed a lot in. Sadly we didn't
get to visit Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum as when we arrived (2 hours before it closed) the queue was longer than that for all the rides at Alton Towers put together. I'm not kidding either, David has videos to prove it. We quickly deduced that we would stand in the queue for an hour and then be turned away, so we had to give Ho our respects from a distance and leave. I wore my Star Wars t shirt for him and everything!
We've spent a long time wandering in the Old Quarter (for wandering read avoiding motorbikes). Hanoi doesn't have a big market in the centre like other cities, it has themed streets - shoe street, t shirt street, banner street, accessory street, bag street.... but despite this I couldn't find any clothes that fit me!
This is a big point of contention for me as a giant Westerner - in Vietnam nothing fits! I wouldn't mind, but the hotel in Hue shrunk half my clothes! I've ended up in a man's vest, and even then I got a dodgy look from the shop owner.
Anopther hilarious experience was a trip to the cinema. I know what
Eeew
David's disgusting Hanoi dirt you're thinking, and we were too - what a waste of being in another country to go to the pictures! And to see an American film as well! But watching Twilight Eclipse with a group of Vietnamese teens was soooo funny. Vampires and werewolves fighting to the death - they don't bat an eyelid. Two people kiss - they hide behind their popcorn!! We watched the audience more than the film. I'd love to see the translation of the subtitles too, as they were laughing at points that just weren't meant to be funny.
We've also been on a trip to Halong Bay. It was beautiful. We stayed on a 'Junk' (the type of boat) overnight in a really nice cabin with wood panelling and ensuite bathroom etc. We went kayaking, and visted some caves. We swam in the sea. And all the while we were surrounded by the most incredible islands, that look like they've just appeared in a prehistoric eruption (which they may well have!). At night we could see lightening crackling in the distance, illuminating the rocks in blue and orange flashes... this was the first place I did not want to leave.
But now
Market fish
This was alive seconds before this... we're back in Drift Backpackers - a hostel I have grown to love despite the rubbish bathroom. The food is amazing, the staff are extremely friendly, the rooms are lovely and the aircon is effective (again, not in the bathroom). Its in a quiet part of town too, which is much less stressful than the tourist area.
So now we leave Vietnam (or we do in 13 hours time) and start the second half of our holiday. Its crazy to think we have been away for 3 weeks already - it feels like both less and more than that. This is the half way point, so time to say Sawadee-ka! to Thailand!
Catch you later, Rachel x
Advertisement
Tot: 0.103s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 7; qc: 45; dbt: 0.0458s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Don
non-member comment
Awesome scenery
Aaaah....at last, my kind of holiday. Looks spectacular. Is that where "The Beach" was filmed? Looks like it if not. Have fun back in Thailand. Don