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Published: November 20th 2010
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So onto Vietnam! We got the bus from Nanning across the friendship pass to Hanoi, it took about 8 hours and was pretty uneventful, we did get a free lunch though which was a plus!!
We had 3 days to spend in Vietnams capitol. The first day we set out to explore our latest surroundings, we start by walking around Hoan Kiem lake. Its pretty small with an island and pagoda in the middle. We then ventured into the old quater and its maze of narrow streets. Each street specialises in something different everything from shoes to clothes, materials and buttons to electric fans and DIY supplies!! We wandered around turning down which ever street took our fancy next, its crazy busy with everything spilling out onto the pavements.
The 2nd day was pretty similar, we carried on exploring the streets of Hanoi. We visited the Temple of Literature which is one of the cities oldest buildings having survived the war untouched. It was a confucious school, there are 5 courtyards, a bell tower and drum tower. Very similar in style to the temples we've seen in China. In the afternoon we headed to the area surrounding Ho Chi Minhs
mausoleum (although we couldn't actually see him, its closed in November for 'maintanence'!!)
Our final day was spent on the museum trail, much to Sadies delight! First on the list was the Hoa Lo Prison, or The Hilton as it now is!! Only part of the prison still remains but we were able to walk around all the old cells, they were dark and a little bit creepy! Next we went to the B-52 museum....basically just a field with the empty rusting shells of American B-52 planes that were shot down in the war. There were also some nicely restored Vietnamese gunners! When we arrived there were kids running around, playing and climbing on the planes. It wasn't long before Sadie was climbing on them too!! The 3rd and final museum of the day was the Ethnology Museum. It was a bit of a trek out of the city centre but definately worth it. The museum had exhibitions of clothes, musical instruments, games, tools and much more from lots of different ethnic groups within Vietnam. Outside and surrounding the museum were reconstructions of different traditional houses. They were all so different, one was 50m long and another 50m tall!!
For the next 3 days we booked a tour through our hostel for a cruise around Ha Long Bay.
We had a 3 1/2 hour bus journey from Hanoi to Ha Long City where we then boarded our boat. We enjoyed a welcome drink and a great lunch, lots of fresh seafood, before setting sail and cruising through Ha Long Bay. Thankfully the sea was calm as we were on the boat cruising in between huge limestone peaks for about 2 hours. The first stop on our tour was a cave, it was huge, definately the biggest cave i've ever seen!! There were lots of stalagmites and stalagtites of various shapes and sizes! Once out the other side of the cave we were taken to a group of nearby floating houses from where we could go kayaking. We paddled around peaks and over to a floating village. Its crazy to think that people actually live there!!
We got back onto our boat and had some free time for swimming. We jumped in from the bow of the boat, the water was warm and very salty! Some of the more adventurous in the group (mainly the boys) jumped in off
the top sundeck! The sun was just starting to set and we had some beautiful views across the bay.
That evening after another great meal, again mainly consisting of seafood, we were left to our own devices and so got to know the rest of our group. We had already met some of the girls in the hostel before we left. There was a group of about 12 of us, mainly from the Uk but New Zealand and America were also represented. We had a pack of cards and a fridge full of beer, what more do you need to make some new friends?! After a few drinking games the fridge was looking a lot emptier, a decision was made to purchase some Vietnamese rice vodka and the ring of fire was underway!! A good few hours later realisation of the time (2:30am) and the fact that breakfast was at 7:30 meant that everyone was soon heading to bed.
The next morning we were feeling suprisingly good, maybe it was the sea air?! After breakfast, and a much needed coffee, we were off and cruising again this time to Cat Ba Island. We visited the national park and hiked (very
slowly) to the top of a mountain! We could see for miles! In the afternoon, after checking into our hotel, we salied to a nearby island called Monkey Island. After our monkey experience in Guilin Sadie was a bit apprehensive about the Island! There was a bright white beach, covered in shells and coral. The island did have monkeys but they stayed away and in the trees, while we stayed on the beach!!
The 3rd and final day of our tour, we boarded the boat for the final time and cruised back to Ha Long. The views were much better as it was a clearer, sunnier day than on the way out. Once back on the mainland the afternoon was spent on a bus back to Hanoi!!
We had a great 3 days and met some new friends, who i know we'll keep in touch with and probably see as we travel south.
In fact 3 hours after we arrived back at the hostel we were on a sleeper bus to Hoi An with Hayley, Danielle and Charlotte! (our new stalkers)
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