Today, we signed up for a one-day tour of Ha Long Bay because the congestion of Hanoi was a bit overwhelming. We opted for the "luxury" package for $20 vs. the normal package, which costs $14. The luxury package is supposed to have better food, better transportation and a smaller group. When our van came to pick us up, we thought we got ripped off. It was an old van and not what we expected from past tours. We thought the ride to Ha Long Bay would be 2-3 hours. It ended up being over 5 hours, however it was quite amusing, for reasons we will discuss below.
When we reached our destination, there were mass crowds of tourists being shuttled everywhere. For reasons unbeknownst to us, the group we arrived with was quickly separated with people being told to go with other tourguides and other people joining our group. It was very confusing. There were some who were planning to spend 1, 2, or 3 nights on the junk boats in Ha Long Bay. Our Junk Boat had 13 people, mainly European and Americans. The cost was pretty cheap for the huge boat, only 40,000 VND per person (a little over $2).
Our first stop was the floating village. We docked at a market that sold all types of live seafood - eels, fish, clams, shark-like creatures, big prawns, and crabs. The tourguide didn't really explain to us whether we needed to pick and choose what we wanted to eat (the food was to be prepared on the boat). Theresa asked whether we needed to get additional food with the "luxury" package (she was still skeptical whether there really was a difference between the luxury package and the normal package). We were told that we would have 4 types of seafood with the luxury package, so we opted to not purchase any additional seafood. We shared our lunch with a Japanese guy and a Swiss girl who were attending a month-long workshop on HIV/AIDS awareness and protection. To Theresa's satisfaction, the boat definitely fed us well. We had fish, shrimp, clams, squid, ong choy, tofu, eggs, and pork spring rolls. We found out that we got a greater variety of food than others on our tour. One benefit of the luxury package. It was worth the extra $6 that we paid to upgrade.
The second benefit; kayaks to the cave.
Others had to pay $5 per person to take a kayak trip. The trip was actually through a cave to an area enclosed by high rocks. It was pretty nice. The high rocks and the still water. Can't say the water was all that clear though. We commented how we wouldn't want to swim in it. The next area we rowed to was through another cave. This one had two ways to exit, back through the cave or another opening where we could see the floating village. We decided on the later. It was the wrong choice. Never EVER kayak downwind from a floating village. If you ever wondered where the sewage goes when one lives on a floating village, you learn quickly when you are downwind. Needless to say, we paddled quickly but carefully for fear of getting splashed. I kept pleading to Theresa not to splash me.Our last stop was the Cave with stalagmites and stalactites. We got off the Junk Boat and our tour guide took us up some stairs to a large cave. She pointed out to us some rock formations that resembled animals and humans.
W
e then got back for the dreaded car ride back to Hanoi. Our driver was quite amusing. Of course, he was a big time honker. He was very chatty with our tour guide, at times making a movement towards her like he was going to hit her and she would really flinch. And his laugh was a very sinister "hee hee hee". His goal in life appeared to be to pass every car in front of him (on a two way highway, mind you). The all time best was when an attractive girl crosses the street, he would honk and flash the high beams, go "hee hee hee" and start dancing with BOTH hands in the air. We were dropped off near the Hoan Kiem Lake and walked to Hanoi Garden for dinner. The street to get back to our hotel was having a Friday night local market, which must have been at least ten blocks. The nice part about it was that we didn't have to think about crossing traffic for once.
Day 40 - "Stroll around the Lake" - Hanoi, Vietnam
This was our lazy, take a stroll, eat, check out some shops type of day. Our first stop was to go to the south part of Hoan Kiem Lake, where the nicer hotels are. We had decided to come to Hanoi because our friend Jenny mentioned that it was a very laid back, serene, cultured type of city where you can walk around, soak in the culture and eat some fantastic french pastries and bread. Having spent the last two days here, we thought she may have been crazy. The chaotic scene we found was nothing of what she described - until we came to the south part of the lake, where she had stayed. Man, it was night and day compared to our area. The southern part had wide clean sidewalks, nice shops, less traffic. There was no constant "beep beep beeeeep beeeep".
The round-about was a cakewalk compared to the one near our hotel. This is where Jenny stayed, now we know better.We stopped in to check out the Sofitel Metropole and Hilton hotels. Both were very nice and elegant. We asked for suggestions on bakeries to visit. The first was in the Sofitel. Loads of fresh pastries, the aromas were so mouth-watering. We held off though, our waistlines needed a break. We then stopped at the Paris Deli near the Hilton for some Vietnamese coffee and a baguette. The coffee was uber-strong. I couldn't take it, I had the shakes for the next hour or so. The baguette was very fresh - nice and crispy on the outside and very soft on the inside. The whipped butter it was served with added to our enjoyment of the mini snack. The best part is that noone rubbed their feet before serving us the bread! hehehe. After we filled our bellies, we had pineapple and lime sorbets at Fanny. There was this cute older Vietnamese couple that came in with their 6 grandkids. The kids looked Eurasian - so cute! You could tell the grandparents were so happy to take the kids to the ice cream store. Everyone was staring and smiling at them because it was just so darn cute!
After the sorbets we now had the energy to walk around the lake. I might have had too much energy after that Vietnamese coffee!We now know that if we were to come back, we'd have to stay on the southside of the lake. It's more relaxing and quiet. You don't have to worry about dodging motorbikes and cars while walking around. There were a lot of couples getting wedding pictures taken in this area and near the temple that is located in the middle of the lake.
We later browsed through some art galleries nearby. We liked some paintings by this famous local artist named Nguyen Thanh Bich. His use of colors was fantastic. Our favorite paintings of his are the ones where he paints Vietnamese women in traditional Vietnamese clothing. I was tempted to buy one, but since we are now on a tight budget, I've decided to hold off until I have my next job. My first paycheck will go towards investing in a painting (Eric may disagree....). We'll see. It's a good piece for a nice house - which we don't have.
Before heading to the airport, We went back to Five Restaurant for our pre-flight meal, crab cakes and what they called Vietnamese "street food". I refreshed with another Zinger of pear and strawberries and ginger. It should hold us over until we get to Ho Chi Minh City.
We then headed back to the hotel where they ordered us a taxi to the airport. It was a nice toyota car, not really a taxi, and our driver was very friendly. The cost was supposed to be $15 (270,000 VND). Eric gave him 300,000 and asked for change. The driver didn't have any change so instead, Eric took back 100,000 and gave him 50,000 - and said "it's 250,000 right?" The poor guy looked confused, having expected to get the 300,000 and now only getting 250,000 which was 20,000 less than he was supposed to get. In any event, he took the 250,000. I was joking with Eric that instead of giving the guy a 30,000 tip ($1.65), he gipped the guy 20,000 ($1.25). It was almost like Eric was saying "Instead of me giving you a tip of $1.65, how about you give ME a tip of $1.25?". I guess it was payback for all the times we got gipped.
Our return flight on Jetstar back to Ho Chi Minh City was much better, cleaner, and no odors this time. BREAKING NEWS ...First flight that Theresa did not fall asleep!
Once we arrived back to Ho Chin Minh City, we hailed the only cab company that we trusted, Vinasun. We were heading back to the Asian Ruby Hotel for a couple nights. I was all set to jump in the shower at midnight when Eric says "you're taking a shower now"?. Um yeah, it's midnight. Turns out he wanted to check out the party scene on Halloween. Trying to prove that I'm not an old fogey yet, I agreed to go for a walk to check out the Halloween scene. Not much going on except for this one bar/club called "Q". For the most part, only Europeans and Americans dressed up in costumes, not the locals. There was the typical slutty cops, angels, devils, and then there were some interesting ones. Flying nuns, those huge tranny outfits with big gowns and big wigs, and this western male wearing a tutu and fairy wings. There was an outdoor area where people just chilled and the indoor area played some hip hop songs and techno. Eric dressed up as a "tourist" - i.e., flip flops, shorts, and a button down short sleeved shirt. Not the ultimate party gear, but in such a packed club, it didn't matter. Noone could see anyone else. I had a blast dancing, it was a fun night! We finally made it home around 2 a.m. Guess we're not that old after all.
For pictures of days 39 and 40, go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=theresang1977&target=ALBUM&id=5399760243546172401&authkey=Gv1sRgCJPYsOD11YSziwE&feat=email
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