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Published: February 2nd 2010
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So here it is!
First I traveled with a group of five total. Din from SIngapore, Pauline from France, Chrystal from Canada, Tatjana from Italy, Serbia and Germany and yours truly ecuadorian gringo, ME.
I went to vietnam for 10 days and had a great time, again a culture shock, not knowing the language, and crossing the street are just complicated but fun to learn about. the way you cross the street is CRAZY, just imagine 100 motorcycles coming straight at you and all you are suppose to do is just walk right infront of them and make sure you don't stop or else you will get hit! they actually are used to avoiding pedestrians and the only exception to the rule is if a bus is coming!
First thing I went on was a tour of the mekong delta and well although it was sort of a tourist traop it was great! I mean I learned how to make coconut candy, drank rice wine, got some amazing fresh honey and saw the process of making rice paper for spring rolls,mmmmm so good!! pplus they have a floating market and then I got to go back on a
little raft along a shallow river, it was great and I met some cool people along the way. the girl that came with me got sick so i did this tour on my own.
Next we flew to a small town called danang and the real adventures began we got in a cab and they tried to rip us off so we decided to walk and we then got into this new hotel where we would have of been the first guests to stay it was still under construction. We then walked along the beach and got back on to the main road and waved down motorbikes got on the back of them and they took us all the way to Hoi An for really cheap. now this town is magical as you will see in the pics they basically make a lot of handicrafts here a town of artisans with a really laid back vibe and really great food. it was Dins bday and we celebrated by having a feast at this really nice restaurant. but the highlight of the trip was being invited in to a traditional vietnamese wedding!! we were biking by this pink tent and
decided as all tourists to check it out we walked outside of it and there was a pic of the couple getting married so we took some pics and were ready to leave when they said " hello" and waived there hand to make us come in to the wedding. DIn, a singaporian guy, and I walked in and we were invited to drink some beers and just chill with the guests! it was for sure a great experience the beer was good and the vibe was great they had some good food, and although we didnt eat, we both felt privileged and so happy about how we were accepted in there celebration! kind of reminded me of Ecuadorian and Mexican weddings😊
we left here and went to the jungle on a sleeper bus! it was horrible, number one the seats were small and they had a little box for you knees and since I ave long legs it hurt to try and fit in to the bed, so lets just say i didnt sleep that well. We got to the park and I guess I am used to the jungle in Ecuador with lucious green all around
and well when you walk around your feet sink in the mud all the way up to your knees. this wasnt the case, it was just a paved trail around for us to walk and no animals in sight nothing really great and there thousand old year tree looked like it was only three years old... ohh well we left here straight to hanoi and got on an overnight train to Sapa.
Sapa is the place that you get on all the postcards from vietnam it is the stair like rice fields that are full of water and that just look magical there. we got into town it was foggie and kind of chillie. we booked our tour with a homestay and strted to walk. well down the road we decided to go through the more dificult trail and well it was great. ALthough we had the muddiest place around it was just funny cause we all ate shit on the mountain, and yours truly was the first to go!!! i kind of hurt my right knee but I am all good now and well. we walked 12 kilometers and just loved every second of it because not only
where we having fun, but the weather was getting so much better and the sun started to come out, and then it all became magical! You could see the rice fields for miles without end and the different colors, shadows, and reflections you could see just made the experience so worth it!! we got to our home stay and had a fun time we all had a really great dinner everything cooked in only one wok on a wood burning stove and all was delicious! we got served some amazing food and on top of that the rice wine started flowing and it was just very strong. lets just say that after a while it just started to hit we bought some beers and well went to bed kind of tipsy... woke up the next morning to a good breakfast and went off for our last hike for about 6 miles. got onto a bus and back to town took a shower with a hose that is supposed to be to clean your booty and well it was fine but i needed to be clean!!! hahaha. i walked around and found pin the lady that walked with us down the
trail and helped us out and she was making this amazing typical belt for the celebration of the new year. I have pics and you will love them.
next trip was for sure a great one. we went to halong bay and well this place is magical! it is in the running for one of the 7 wonders of the world. we got on this old chinese junk and cruised through the bay! it was great, the limestone creations are amazing and although when we started it was foggy at the end it cleared up and well it was the perfect moment cause we started kayaking and everything just looked magical post card type. we got back to the boat and had an amazing seafood dinner and played some karaoke and had a good time. we woke up next day passed a floating village where they do sustainable fishing and took some pics and back to the pier.
basically that sums up the trip. I have 1400 pics so i have to pic 100 that are good for the blog!
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Greg K.
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treking
Hey there cowboy. Your treking sounds like so much fun, and the food is good? Bouncing around the world is fantastic treat to do. I want some bamboo close-up photos. cheers; Gr.