Sorry about the long gap in updates . . . functioning interenet has been pretty much nonexistent since we left Hanoi.
My final verdict on Hanoi . . . .
Much to my disappointment, Megan and I were unable to double-handedly convert the citizens of Hanoi into friendly, fun loving people over the course of the 5 days we spent there. We took runs around Hoem Kiem Lake, smiling and waving at the locals as they ambled by. Elsewhere, I would expect a smile and wave in return or even a puzzled "what's wrong with those two" look. Instead, we were greeted (with only a couple exceptions) with the standard Hanoi face, which I best describe as follows: It's as if someone placed a small turd on their tongues when they were children and forbid them to remove it the rest of their life, forcing them to walk this earth with a sour, dejected look on their face. Quite sad really.
In the end, our favorite thing about the city was a dead guy . . . we visited Ho Chi Minh's masoleum, which turned out to be quite a spectacle. We arrived to find a quarter mile line to entry . . . pretty impressive turnout for a guy who's been dead since the late 60's. We also caught a water puppetry show one evening, which was interesting as well. I know . . . I'm definetly losing a few manpoints for admitting I didn't mind the water puppetry.
On to bigger, better places . . .
In Hanoi, we arranged an overnight boat trip on Halong Bay, which I consider to be the world's finest swimming pool. We lucked out and had a terrific bunch of folks on the boat (the two of us and six others) along with a great crew and guide. The islands were amazing, towering up from the turquoise sea in every direction. It was an unforgettable trip. After the boat trip concluded in Halong City, we passed on the bus ride back to Hanoi. Instead, we opted to hitch a ride with another boat out to Cat Ba Island, the only inhabited island in Halong Bay. We arrived on the island around 5:00 pm to find absolutely nothing. We had been dropped off at the ferry dock on the north end of the island, 25 kilometers from all signs off life, which happened to be on the south end of the island. One of the four British guys whom we met on the boat best described the island as "a proper Jurassic Park", minus the dinos off course.
A mini-bus sped off with the few folks on the boat that were part of a package tour leaving us to the wolves (moto drivers). We were pleasantly surprised to find out that the wolves were friendly wolves, only asking 60,000 dong (just under $4) for the long ride to Cat Ba Town. It didn't take long to figure out what an amazing place the island was . . . unbelievably beautiful landscapes around every corner, phenominal roads, and no people. We spent the next 11 days and nights exploring the island, like little kids who stumbled on a new patch of woods near their house. A main north-south road bisected the island, with smaller roads leading to the west side of the island. Cat Ba National Park swallowed up the east side of the island, only accessible by foot. We rented a motorbike 4 of the 11 days, travelling every inch of pavement on the island. One of the nights, we stayed in a small village, Phu Long, which we found on the west side of the island. We became the main tourist attraction for the evening. We sea kayaked in the islands in the national park. We did an 18 kilometer trek across the park, topping 6 mountains, breaking for lunch in Viet Hai Village, concluding with a relaxing boat cruise back to Cat Ba Town, which included a divine swim break. Around Cat Ba Town, we spent most of our time on Cat Co 3, the southernmost beach on the island. A resort above the beach operated the facilities, which included a fabulous beach bar. Other than friends (Justin, Kate, and Tom), we shared the entire beach with anywhere from zero to a hanful of people. The 11 days on Cat Ba were island life at its finest . . . like living inside "Tin Cup Chalice" by Jimmy Buffet.
Boat Trip No. 2
Well, after a week and a half, we finally bid farewell to Cat Ba Island. It was tough saying goodbye, but the fact that we chartered a private overnight boat trip back through Halong Bay with our friends Kate and Justin made it a little easier. We left the hotel at 9:30, caught motos to the harbor, and boarded the boat around 9:45. Tae and Tang, a father and son team, made up the crew on the small sailing junk. We explained to Tae that we didn't have too many requests, just keep us away from other tourists and we'll be happy. Over the course of the next 30 hours, Tae and his father did just that. We cruised throughout the islands, avoiding all but a few other tourist boats. That evening, we dropped anchor in the back of a secluded bay. Tae explained that we could swim around the point situated 100 meters off the bow of the boat, where we would find a cave that we could swim in . . . sounds like fun. Megan, Justin, and I took off. We were a little disappointed to find that the cave entrance was another 200 meters away after rounding the point, but we'd come too far to turn back. As we approached the entrance of the cave, we could smell that familiar cave funk and hear the familiar screech of bats. We could see light at the end of the cave, which resembled a long tunnel, extending approximately another 100 meters. Megan decided that she didn't really need to see what was on the other side of the cave. Justin and I continued along, making the aquatic trip through the cave with relative ease. Eventually, the cave opened back up into an enormous enclosed bay, towering cliffs for 360 degrees. We took in the view for a bit, while Megan patiently treaded water on the other side of the cave. After a few minutes, we swam back into the cave, heading for Megan. At this point, we figured out why we had made it through the cave the first time so easilly. The tide was rising, which meant that water was flowing through the cave into the enclosed bay. It wasn't noticeable going through the cave, into the bay. But it was damn evident coming out. It was a bit of a struggle, but we eventually broke on through to the other side. We managed the remaining 300 meters back to the boat with ease, where we cracked open some cold beers and sat down to dinner. It was a great night, capped off by some good old fashioned skinny dipping. The phosphorescence (when the plankton give off light when disturbed) was spectacular. It was one of those "Does it get any better than this?" moments. We slept on the top deck that night, under the stars.
The next day, we got into Halong City around 3:00 pm. We eventually made our way back to my favorite place (Hanoi) where we crashed for the night. The next night, we caught an overnight train to Sapa, the homebase for exploration of the northern highlands, where we're currently located.
Happy Anniversary
We celebrated our first anniversary (5/27) in style, staying the night in the Victoria Sapa Resort, the only luxury hotel in northwest Vietnam. After 3 months of budget hotels and guesthouses, checking into the Victoria was like checking into heaven . . . . . the bed, the bathroom, the grounds, the dinner, etc. were spectacular. We spent a majority of the next 24 hours in our plush bathrobes. It was great.
Well, we're back to slumming it, staying at the Cat Cat Hotel for 8$/night. However, it's not all bad . . . we've got a fireplace and million dollar views from the room and balcony.
What next? Well, we've been in Vietnam for almost 2 months (hard to believe). Our final mission is to climb Mt. Fansipan, the tallest peak in Indochina, before heading into Laos.
All is well with us.
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