Blogs from Halong Bay, Quang Ninh, Northeast, Vietnam, Asia - page 65

We are in Halong town at the moment after a great day cruising around Halong Bay. We arrived in Hanoi at 5am this morning after getting the overnight sleeper train from Hue. The train ride was actually quite good fun despite it being 13hrs long. We were in cabins that slept 4 which was fine although it probably would not be quite so good if you did not know the rest of the people you were sharing with. The food they served on the train left a bit to be desired. Think airline food but worse! We got the bus from Hanoi to Halong Bay this morning which took a few hours then we boarded our boat. We had a boat between the 12 of us and our guide so that was really nice. Getting on ... read more

We arrived in Hanoi, which is the second biggest city in Vietnam. This was a stop on the major bus route so that we could get to Halong Bay. Hanoi was just another big city... but it had something special about it which I can't describe. It showed true Vietnemese culture; Vendors carrying long poles over their shoulders with baskets on either side; cone shaped hats; crowds of Vietnemese guys around 10 cent beer stands; menus at restaurants serving fried pig ovaries or marinated dog steak; a billion motorcycles zooming and weaving around animals, vendors, pedestrians, and cyclos (bicycle taxis with carriage on front), thousands of counterfit products, and of course motorcycle drivers strategicaly placed on every corner to harrass you. Speaking of counterfit products, we all ran into a dvd store. Between the 3 of ... read more

We have just spent three relaxing days cruising and biking around the beautiful Ha Long Bay. Will let the photos do the talking...... read more

after our HORRIBLE night train from Sapa (broken ac, dirty sheets, stinky cabin mates, and the FOULEST bathroom holes ever...shout out to liz warren for the tp roll!) we made it back to Hanoi at the butt crack of dawn. we took advantage of the light morning traffic, and we did the unthinkable in this crazy city... dun dun dun... we got a "taxi" ride on the back of motobikes! we are hooked and want one in the states. ah ha ha ha. sorry. have to side note for a sec. a cricket just landed on jessie's arm and she freaked out. then stacy was like "haha, why are we scared? we like to eat you. come back!" ok. anyways, back to the adventure. well, the picture does not really capture the moment, but imagin this ... read more

We opted to take a three day and two night trip into the World Heritage Site of Halong Bay. Boarded our junk in Halong City in the chaotic port and eventually negotiated our way out of the harbour. We stopped at the largest cave in the bay and some time wandering around the caverns listening to the echoes and being told some of the legends of this area. That afternoon, Juliet and I opted for a refreshing swim in the open water of the South China Sea -Sara chose to be the photographer. A jump from the top deck of the boat (after some persuasion from Juliet) resulted in a fantastic bruise on my arm from the impact with the water - I need to perfect my water entries!! We changed boats in order to sail ... read more