First and foremost, I just had to. ;)
Secondly- Vietnam!!! When I originally planned my route Vietnam was not in the cards- I didn't think I would have enough time. But lo and behold, in my usual fashion I move at an exponentially fast pace! That combined with the rave reviews I received from my fellow travelers about Vietnam and the insistence that it was well worth the visit- my plans changed. I wasn't about to do a "24 hour" (give or take 24 hours) bus ride from Hell from Laos into Vietnam. Nope. You couldn't pay me to do that- I've heard too many horror stories of broken down buses, an obscenely overpacked bus spilling people into the aisles, and getting caught up at the border due to people trying to smuggle stuff over into Vietnam. Yeah, there are just some instances where the cost of a flight well outweighs the alternative. And this was definitely one of those times.
I arrived in Hanoi late at night and took the 45 minute taxi ride into the city center. Immediately upon entering Hanoi's Old Quarter I was overwhelmed: the noise, the smog, the traffic, it was all a bit too over stimulating at first. But thankfully I was able to head into the shelter of my hostel and envelop myself in the cold, quiet peace of a rarely experienced dorm room.
My first day in Hanoi was dizzying to say the least. Even just crossing the street can easily take you ten minutes or more with the amount of cars, motorbikes, people, vendors, bicycles, you name it. It is hectic. But there's kind of a strange ebb and flow, a synchronized dance that makes sense in its own weird little way. Once you learn to just brave the traffic and not be afraid of walking in the street you'll be fine.
I walked quite a ways over to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, which is a super secretive vault containing the embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh himself. Pictures aren't permitted and the hours are very rigid and the day I tried to go there seemed to be some sort of procession and I wasn't allowed to enter.
I instead walked over to the Presidential Palace which was gorgeous and wound my way around the city amidst a cacophony of noise that I can only describe as sheer and utter chaos.
Secondly- Vietnam!!! When I originally planned my route Vietnam was not in the cards- I didn't think I would have enough time. But lo and behold, in my usual fashion I move at an exponentially fast pace! That combined with the rave reviews I received from my fellow travelers about Vietnam and the insistence that it was well worth the visit- my plans changed. I wasn't about to do a "24 hour" (give or take 24 hours) bus ride from Hell from Laos into Vietnam. Nope. You couldn't pay me to do that- I've heard too many horror stories of broken down buses, an obscenely overpacked bus spilling people into the aisles, and getting caught up at the border due to people trying to smuggle stuff over into Vietnam. Yeah, there are just some instances where the cost of a flight well outweighs the alternative. And this was definitely one of those times.
I arrived in Hanoi late at night and took the 45 minute taxi ride into the city center. Immediately upon entering Hanoi's Old Quarter I was overwhelmed: the noise, the smog, the traffic, it was all a bit too over stimulating at first. But thankfully I was able to head into the shelter of my hostel and envelop myself in the cold, quiet peace of a rarely experienced dorm room.
My first day in Hanoi was dizzying to say the least. Even just crossing the street can easily take you ten minutes or more with the amount of cars, motorbikes, people, vendors, bicycles, you name it. It is hectic. But there's kind of a strange ebb and flow, a synchronized dance that makes sense in its own weird little way. Once you learn to just brave the traffic and not be afraid of walking in the street you'll be fine.
I walked quite a ways over to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, which is a super secretive vault containing the embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh himself. Pictures aren't permitted and the hours are very rigid and the day I tried to go there seemed to be some sort of procession and I wasn't allowed to enter.
I instead walked over to the Presidential Palace which was gorgeous and wound my way around the city amidst a cacophony of noise that I can only describe as sheer and utter chaos.
I walked and walked and walked, getting more and more lost and completely exhausted from the heat. I tried to make my way over to the Women's Museum but found that no one really knew what that was. I eventually did find it and spent a good 20 minutes recuperating before exploring the extensive museum.
Finding my way back to my hostel proved similarly difficult but I ended up getting a great (if not steamy) overview of Hanoi, including the gorgeous Hoan Kiem Lake:
Finding my way back to my hostel proved similarly difficult but I ended up getting a great (if not steamy) overview of Hanoi, including the gorgeous Hoan Kiem Lake:
Once safely back in my beloved air conditioning I showered and decompressed before searching for dinner and having an early night in, packing up my things once again to head out to Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba Island the following morning.
My bus was set to leave at 8:00am and at the suggestion of one of the hostel workers I took a bus that would take me all the way to Ha Long City and then board a boat with a bunch of people that had paid for a day trip to Ha Long Bay, sort of bum off their tour but not be able to eat the boat lunch or swim in the water (just fine with me!) and then arrive on Cat Ba Island in the evening. This sounded like a decent plan to me- I would get to see the infamous beauty of Ha Long Bay without paying an arm and a leg. Sounded pretty good to me.
The day turned out to be incredibly long- bus to boat to bus again- and lasted all day. We spent a few good hours on a junk boat exploring the vast Ha Long Bay. And the views were just incredible- to the point that I could NOT stop taking picture after picture!
My bus was set to leave at 8:00am and at the suggestion of one of the hostel workers I took a bus that would take me all the way to Ha Long City and then board a boat with a bunch of people that had paid for a day trip to Ha Long Bay, sort of bum off their tour but not be able to eat the boat lunch or swim in the water (just fine with me!) and then arrive on Cat Ba Island in the evening. This sounded like a decent plan to me- I would get to see the infamous beauty of Ha Long Bay without paying an arm and a leg. Sounded pretty good to me.
The day turned out to be incredibly long- bus to boat to bus again- and lasted all day. We spent a few good hours on a junk boat exploring the vast Ha Long Bay. And the views were just incredible- to the point that I could NOT stop taking picture after picture!
I could go on and on but I'll stop here. ;) Despite it being an extremely long day it was very relaxing to be able to just kick back, chat with cool people, and read my book. A forced day of relaxation.
We eventually made it to Cat Ba Island (and then had to take yet another bus to the other side of the island!) and my new-found friend and I found a hostel to stay in for the evening. After dropping off our bags we ventured out in search of food. We were both set on going to this vegan place called Buddha Belly that another friend of mine highly recommended and proceeded to spend over 45 minutes searching for this truly hidden gem. No one seemed to know what the Hell we were talking about!
After begging a gaming center to use one of their computers we successfully located Buddha Belly and enjoyed delicious vegan food for a bargain of a price- around $1 for a HUGE plate of delicious food! Unreal.
The next day my friend and I set out for a half-day hike through Cat Ba National Park. Our guide transported us via motorbike to the entrance of the park which was PACKED with people! Everyone seems to be on holiday here and Cat Ba in general was mobbed with people.
We hiked through the park for about an hour before reaching the first of two lookout towers over the entire island. Sweaty as all else it was majorly rewarding to see such a beautiful view- hiking in humidity is no easy feat!
We eventually made it to Cat Ba Island (and then had to take yet another bus to the other side of the island!) and my new-found friend and I found a hostel to stay in for the evening. After dropping off our bags we ventured out in search of food. We were both set on going to this vegan place called Buddha Belly that another friend of mine highly recommended and proceeded to spend over 45 minutes searching for this truly hidden gem. No one seemed to know what the Hell we were talking about!
After begging a gaming center to use one of their computers we successfully located Buddha Belly and enjoyed delicious vegan food for a bargain of a price- around $1 for a HUGE plate of delicious food! Unreal.
The next day my friend and I set out for a half-day hike through Cat Ba National Park. Our guide transported us via motorbike to the entrance of the park which was PACKED with people! Everyone seems to be on holiday here and Cat Ba in general was mobbed with people.
We hiked through the park for about an hour before reaching the first of two lookout towers over the entire island. Sweaty as all else it was majorly rewarding to see such a beautiful view- hiking in humidity is no easy feat!
So so breathtaking!
After our hike we went to the Hospital Cave which is exactly what it sounds like- a dense network of hallways and floors that served as a hideout during the war. It was really interesting and even had a swimming pool and "cinema".
The rest of our time on Cat Ba was spent relaxing, enjoying dinner with friends at Buddha Belly once again and relishing this stunning sunset:
After our hike we went to the Hospital Cave which is exactly what it sounds like- a dense network of hallways and floors that served as a hideout during the war. It was really interesting and even had a swimming pool and "cinema".
The rest of our time on Cat Ba was spent relaxing, enjoying dinner with friends at Buddha Belly once again and relishing this stunning sunset:
Perfect end to a lovely day.
We left very early the following day and returned to Hanoi in time to check in to the hostel, do a bit of shopping, and attempt to get dinner at a lovely vegan restaurant before a NASTY storm knocked down loads of trees throughout the city and took out the power in the process. Not fun. We did find food to satiate us in the form of cheap but delicious veggie spring rolls but we were pretty bummed.
Despite the complete craziness that is Hanoi I really enjoyed my time in Vietnam. One of the biggest things I learned while here was how diverse and absolutely gorgeous this country is. I just got a little taste of a place known for its rich beauty, food, and culture and it is definitely an area that I want to come back to to explore more thoroughly. For the time being though I am content with my all-too brief stay in Vietnam and look forward to the day I can bring the man here to see all that it has to offer.
Thanks for reading and until next time-
Happy Travels!
-Freckles
We left very early the following day and returned to Hanoi in time to check in to the hostel, do a bit of shopping, and attempt to get dinner at a lovely vegan restaurant before a NASTY storm knocked down loads of trees throughout the city and took out the power in the process. Not fun. We did find food to satiate us in the form of cheap but delicious veggie spring rolls but we were pretty bummed.
Despite the complete craziness that is Hanoi I really enjoyed my time in Vietnam. One of the biggest things I learned while here was how diverse and absolutely gorgeous this country is. I just got a little taste of a place known for its rich beauty, food, and culture and it is definitely an area that I want to come back to to explore more thoroughly. For the time being though I am content with my all-too brief stay in Vietnam and look forward to the day I can bring the man here to see all that it has to offer.
Thanks for reading and until next time-
Happy Travels!
-Freckles