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Published: November 16th 2010
I landed in Hanoi feeling exhausted; I had been awake for almost 40 hours but for a few snatches of sleep on the plane. I jumped into a taxi and instantly knew I was no longer in Australia. We were driving the Vietnamese way - using the horn, swerving lanes, narrowly missing motorbikes laden with people carrying everything from chickens to TV’s. I spent the first half of the ride to the hotel with the biggest smile on my face and the last half concentrating on not being sick!
I loved Hanoi, it has a fantastic atmosphere even if your life flashes before your eyes every time you try and cross the street. The old quarter is a labyrinth, the first day I spent an hour circling my hotel but never finding it! The temple of literature is fascinating and the lake is gorgeous, day and night.
From Hanoi we headed north to one of the highlights of the trip - Halong Bay. We were travelling on a private boat that was fantastic - totally not what the name junk leads you to believe. The bay is stunning, the photos I’ve taken do no justice at all. The water
was lovely for a swim and couldn’t feel more relaxed finishing the day with margaritas with Priya!
From Halong Bay we had to head back to Hanoi and fly south to Hue. We were supposed to be catching an overnight train but there had been some severe flooding between Hanoi and Hue which washed away the tracks.
Hue was the capital city and as a result has a stunning Citadel. The other highlight of the tour was the motorbike tour around Hue and some of the countryside. The best way ever to get rid of a bit of a hangover! The countryside was gorgeous and we stopped at the tomb of Tu Duc. We had lunch on the boat and went up to Thein Mu Pagoda before cruising back along the river.
From Hue we took a bus over the winding pass to Hoi An. Hoi An is shopping capital of Vietnam, with more tailors than you can shake a stick at. It is also a world heritage site and has a gorgeous old town. We had a couple of free days here so I felt that when in Rome so got myself a dress and handbag
made. I enjoyed having a bit of a break and walking round the old town. Hoi An also was where we managed to find the cheapest beer on the trip at 15 cents - you can almost ignore the fact it was probably brewed in a bath tub……
We headed south again, this time by train to Nha Trang. We went on a boat tour of some of the surrounding islands, walked around a fishing village, paddled in a traditional circular boat, swimming off the back of the boat and spent the afternoon chilling on the beach - if chilling involves banana boats rides! Nha Trang is also where I learnt that cheap jam jar cocktails are a much better idea in the evening than in the morning!
We finished our trip after an overnight train to Siagon (Ho Chi Minh City). We did a cyclo ride round the city and stopped at the Was Remnants Museum which was shocking. We did a trip to the Mekong Delta which included a boat trip and a motorbike cart tour. I also went on a day trip to the Great Cao Dai Holy See where we caught the noon service
and the CuChi tunnels which where used by fighters during the war. I also had time for a little shopping at the Ben Thanh markets before I had to fly back to reality.
I really enjoyed my couple of weeks in Vietnam which is definitely somewhere I would like to go back and see more of. I was lucky that the group I was travelling with where really nice and made the trip even more fun.
I'm now back to reality, I have another year to finish at Dookie before I have met the requirements of my residency in Australia. Then it'll be on to the next adventure!
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