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Published: November 15th 2007
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Xin Chao everyone!
Well the sun finally shone in Hanoi after our 14 hour night train from rainy Hue. We started to joke on our tour that if someone ever asked if it was a good idea to visit Hue, we would all say No HUE! We did however have a great time at the Citadel in the Imperial City dressing up in period costume and getting our make up done and getting our photos taken. We were having so much fun and laughing about that th other tourists started takign photos of us!
Our last night in Hue was fun despite the rainy weather as we waded through the puddles to the restaurant and pool table across the street from our hotel. I played not too badly despite my inexperience.
Our way out of Hue was via a 3rd class night train north to Hanoi. Linds, Freya, Emma and I shared a very small berth with two bunk beds that were set up and doubled as our seats for the train. We ate Mr. Noodles and Pringle's chips and tried to pass the time listening to music and playing cards. the train was quite a bumpy ride but
to the laughter of the other tourists
Ed, Phil, Freya, Lindsey, Emma and Katy in dress at the Imperial Palace indeed part of the experience. In the hallways of the train they played traditional Vietnamese folk music very loudly!
After a long and somewhat restless sleep we arrived in Hanoi at 530a.m. I wish you could have seen how busy the streets in Hanoi were at that hour. People up exercising in parks doing tai chi and other calisthetics, shopping at markets, getting ready to head to work on their motorcycles. There are more motos on the road then any other types of vehicles and it is a constant struggle to get across the street when the motos and cars refuse to obey the traffic signals and essentially just drive around you like you're a pylon! It's a whole new world!
With the sun shining and no sign of rain we boarded our bus to Halong Bay. Known as the 8th Wonder, Halong Bay or Bay of Descending Dragon is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been! We boarded a junk boat for an overnight cruise from the Haiphong Harbour. There were three levels to the boat-beautiful rooms with wooden furniture and silk linens on the beds on the first level and a deck, a
beautiful dining room and porch on the second level and an open air deck with beautiful deck chairs to lounge on on the upper deck. We thought we had landed in paradise! Designated as a World Heritage Site, Ha Long Bay is world renowned and has 1,969 islands.
Much to our surprise, we were in for an incredible seafood treat for all of our meals on board including-crab, clams, prawns, fish, rice and so much more. It was so delicious I am salivating just thinking about it all. This was indeed a highlight. It was almost hard to choose however between sitting down to eat and trying to capture the beauty of the scenery in a photograph as we sailed past the incredible islands of Halong.
After a few hours at sea we stopped for a swim in the China Sea and some of the group hiked up to the look out point to see all the islands. I unfortunately was fighting a bit of a cold and was too tired to do the climb... instead I took a nice pause at the beach. People were parasailing and others were taking in the beauty of the orange sailed
junk boats that floated about the harbour. Back on board we shifted to kayaks to go and explore one of the lagoons. Steven and I had a great time paddling around and our friends took photos of us since we didn't want to get our cameras wet! After all this exercise we dined again-yummy seafood... I think I am loving it more each time (Emma and Mom and Dad... I think I have been converted... I know... it took years!)
Ha Long Bay is a must-see in Northern Vietnam. We wished we could have stayed there about 3 or 4 more days.
Back to the hustle and bustle of Hanoi, we had our final group dinner at the Cyclo Cafe. It was nice to be together one last time as some of the group ate sitting in carriages at the table. Lots of happy memories shared and stories to. Lindsey, on the trip, said a few times, and I agree that some of the best stories ever happen in Vietnam!
With our tour officially over on Wednesday morning, myself, my 3 Aussie girls, Ed, Brian, Kate and Phil decided to hang out about town as we did
our final shopping and drank some good coffee. We had an interesting lunch in the downtown which was more memorable than it was good. Sad farewells to Kate and the boys were shared around dinner and myself and the Aussies went to stay at a hotel near the airport so we could catch our flights to our different destinations this morning and avoid a long taxi ride.
This morning I flew back to Bangkok to see my cousin Jenny again. I feel fulfilled after 3 weeks of incredible travel through Cambodia and Vietnam. I know I have much to process from the journey but I am content about the time spent with amazing people who are now close friends who have inspired me to keep on travelling with an open mind. We have all taught each other many things and I know we will stay in touch. As each farewell is sad, my tear-filled eyes show how much I have valued my time and travels with these great new friends from Australia, UK, Ireland, Denmark, Canada and the USA.
Now for a bit of a change of pace, I fly back to Hong Kong tomorrow for 2 days
and a night with my friend Rachel who has graciously invited me back to stay with her and then I fly to New Zealand on Saturday night to meet with my good friend La'au, my family The Pretty's in the south island, as well as Kirsten and the Hamptons too.
I hope all of you are doing well. To my teacher friends I hope the report cards are done. To my friends! All of you! I miss you and think of you often and wish you could see all of the beauty and have the experiences I am having.
Love you all,
Katy
P.S. Happy Birthdays to April, La'au and Anna coming up!
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Ryan
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GOOD TIMES!
Hey Katy! Glad to hear everything is going well! Looks like you're having a BLAST! WOW! By the way, I love the pics, they're absolutely hilarious! LOL! I guess you could call this Mr. Dressup, Vietnam Style! Ryan