Blogs from Hanoi, Red River Delta, Vietnam, Asia - page 12

It’s Wednesday, 12/16/2016 4:10 a.m. . . . know I should be sleeping, but sleeping and trying to sleep are two completely different animals. The words swirling and the phrases forming in my head finally force me from the pristine, soft, white sheets and cozy pillow to pen my thoughts of the last 30 (or is it 45 hours) of travel. Departure at LAX, uneventful; Business Class is as promised, “a lie flat bed” (ever sleep on a fold out couch?) individual seating (access to toilets does not require inconveniencing another traveler) and an attentive cabin crew. The stewardesses (I count six to our cabin) and very handsome steward all are about 25, clear complexed, perfectly groomed and eager to serve. The young man had the most handsome dimples, (think Mario Lopez from EXTRA). I reflect ... read more

Hallo meine lieben, Jetzt muss ich mich dann bald von diesem wunderschönen Land verabschieden. Aber zuvor noch ein paar stories aus der Vergangenheit! Die Busfahrt war überraschend angenehm, und als ich in Hanoi ankam, habe ich mir überlegt, dass es nicht viel Sinn macht eine Nacht in Hanoi zu bleiben und dann erst in die Ha Long Bucht zu fahren! Also habe ich mir gleich das nächstgelegene Reisebüro gesucht und bin ca eine Stunde später schon wieder in Richtung Schiffsanlegestelle, 3h östlich von Hanoi, abgehauen ?. Auf dem Schiff angekommen, wurden wir 3 allein reisende gleich separiert! Was wir uns natürlich nicht gefallen ließen! Die Ha Long Bucht erkundeten wir per Beiboot, mit dem wir am ersten Abend gleich, eine der größten Tropfsteinhöhlen in Vietnam, besichtigten! Nach der Rückkehr zum Boot fing alles an. Happy hour ... read more

Monday 9th November The flight from Hong Kong to Vietnam was super short at 1hr 20mins, but they still managed to squeeze in a full meal. We weren't complaining! Arriving at Hanoi airport at about 4.30, the journey to our hotel in the Old Quarter, the 3B Homestay, only took about 45min. After a quick check-in, we were raring to get out & about...and eat! Chris has been to Vietnam before and had pre-wanted me about the number of mopeds in the narrow streets, but it was so much more hectic than i'd imagined. There seems to be real knack to crossing the road without getting hit. Something to do with taking it slow & steady, when every part of your being is telling you to run for your life. Having survived my first road crossing, ... read more

It was a long series of flights - Calgary to Vancouver, Vancouver to Guanzhou, Guanzhou to Hanoi - all in I think it took about 27 hours door to door from Calgary to my hostel in Hanoi. I wasn't totally sure what day it was that I arrived, I do know that because I crossed the date line I totally missed Halloween! Which is a bummer because it's really my favourite holiday of the year. I crashed hard once I got to the hostel. Didn't have a crazy good sleep so was up earlyish and went exploring. Hanoi is such an awesome city! So much going on, crossing the street is a life risking thing and you have to do it like 100 times a day. Like a twisted game of frogger, dodging motorbikes, bicycles, pedi ... read more

Day 5 - Leavibg Cat Ba Island We were up at seven in order to be ready for eight.... And we did it. Helen has improved every day with organising her stuff. She was well chuffed with herself this morning... Lol We went down for breakfast, perfect timing. Today we were served a bread roll with butter and jam. I was hungry when I woke up, so was pleased to have anything! Again, I am enjoying the black Liptons tea in the morning. We had breakfast with Annie and Jeremy today, all four of us get on really well; the conversations flow freely all ways. We had a bit of wait before being hoarded into a bus to be driven down to the pier to get on the Junk boat for our return crossing from Cat ... read more