Hue, Hoa's Place, and Hoi An, Vietnam

Hue - After arriving in Hue by sleeper bus, we walked to the Citadel. Although it was heavily bombed by American forces, we enjoyed visiting the former Imperial city, especially the Forbidden Purple City.

We, also, visited the Royal Tomb of Tu Doc set amongst pine trees and a small lake. We enjoyed the pavilion, where the Emperor composed poetry and enjoyed the company of his concubines. We traveled to the Tomb by bicycle taxis. I felt a bit as if I was transported back to colonial times; but neglected to feel too guilty since we had to walk up each hill, while the cyclists bicycled up behind us. At least we got some exercise in!  That evening, after an Indian dinner and a few beers, we bid farewell to Win and Rachel.

Hoa's Place - The next day, after a 2 hour bus ride to Danang, we reached Hoa’s place. Hoa’s Place, a chill beach-side oasis, is located on an unpopulated beach. We spent 2 full days lounging seaside. Each evening at 7, we participated in the family dinner with the other guests, which was a great way to get to know fellow travelers and share travel tips and stories. A friendly older French Woman, traveling with her male childhood friend from England, proclaimed that my face resembles that of the smiling Buddha because I’m always smiling and radiating happiness. She was also entranced by Randi’s “beautifully tanned skin”.

  

Hoi An - When we visited Hoi An, we enjoyed walking around the touristy Old Quarter, near the river. Hoi An was a former trading port and the architecture has Chinese, Japanese, and European influences dating back to the 17th century. Hoi An is also know for being the best place in Vietnam to get custom-made clothing. Randi and I took advantage of this. Randi had a skirt and shorts made, while I had has 2 pairs of shorts made.

~ Stacy

Halong Bay and Ninh Binh, Vietnam

Halong Bay - After taking the night bus from Sapa to Hanoi we  met up with our friends, Win and Rachel, and hopped on another bus to Halong Bay.  Popular for its gigantic limestone rock formations emerging from the Gulf of Tolkin, it is a Unesco World Heritage site.  We booked a popular excursion, a two day, one night stay on the Inception; one of the numerous boats that shuttle tourists around the 300 some islands.  We were joined on our lovely boat by 10 other adventures and a small staff of three Vietnamese.  After boarding our boat we enjoyed the beauty of Halong Bay on a gentle cruise towards our first destination, a local cave.  Obviously doctored for tourists with a stone laid path and florescent purple, blue and green lighting, the cave was still pretty cool and held a smidgen of awe.  We then re-boarded our boat and continued cruising around the bay.  It was a relaxing ride with books, beer and great company.  We were then assigned our rooms and made our way to the cabins located on the first floor of the boat.  Stacy and I were somewhat impressed with our one night accommodations; the beds were extremely comfy!   Dinner was pretty good and though the weather was a little cold we all made our way to the top deck for some drinks and to check out the other boats in the bay.  At 11:30, we were promptly told by our tour guide that ‘we should go to bed because it is good for the health’ though a little less enthused there was also the motivation of having to get up at 7am for breakfast and kayaking so we all made our way downstairs for a great night’s sleep.

The next morning we were awoken by a buzzer to alert us breakfast was ready.  We then docked at a platform where we were issued kayaks and told we had 45 min to explore.  After taking many breaks, I finally instructed Stacy on how to hold her paddle; also that by simply skimming the surface of the water, as opposed to digging down into the water as far as possible, she would exert less energy.  The water was surprisingly warm and it was fun to drift around the limestone rocks.  We all then boarded the boat to make our way back to port.  Though we thought there was still one stop left on our itinerary, we happily grabbed books and enjoyed our slow journey back to the city.  When we arrived we were then told by our tour guide that we would have to wait (on the side of the road) for 45 minutes for our bus, while he “went to have a drink with his friend”.  We were all a little less than thrilled with this and made our distaste known.  We also realized we had paid for a superior cruise, when in fact we had just experienced a standard cruise.  We weren't too pleased and when we tried to explain to our guide our displeasure, he immediately took the defense.  After trying to reason for some time, we gave up and proceeded to wait for our bus.  When it arrived over an hour later we were happy to just have lunch and head home.  This turned out to be very difficult; we drove a total of 5 minutes to “lunch” and then had to wait again for our bus to return.  When we re-boarded the bus there was already another group of tourists who were returning to Hanoi.  This resulted in two separate groups scheduled to take the same bus back. When the second group tried to get on our bus they were promptly told by our guide that they were not allowed on the bus.  Though first they were told that if they paid to get back to Hanoi they would be reimbursed once we arrived, though no one took this offer.   In short a very vocal fight ensued with our tour group telling this other group to just get on the bus and our guide trying to stop them.  Unfortunately, it got very intense; with our guide getting to the point of being physical and threatening to call the police.  After making a few phone calls, he then told us “sorry I made a mistake, everyone get on the bus and lets go”.  The day ended with Win, Rachel, Stacy and I trying to get reimbursed for the difference between the trip we had paid for and the one we went on.  We lucked out and received a little over half our money back, which was about as lucky as we could get!

Ninh Binh - Out next stop was Ninh Binh, about 2.5 hours south of Hanoi.  Though a pretty dull city it does have one amazing Charm – Tam Coc.  It is known as "Halong Bay of the rice paddies" and that is exactly what it is.  We took a small paddle boat powered by a Vietnamese women though the rice paddies and visited the beautiful rock formations.  We all really liked it more than Halong Bay because it was so unique.  Seeing these huge rocks just spring up from the middle of all these rice paddies was really cool to behold.  Though the city was not much we were really glad we made the stop over to visit these amazing natural wonders.

~ Randi

Sapa, Vietnam

Although our journey to Sapa was full of surprises: we started with a 10 hour train ride, a one hour minivan ride with the locals, and a stop over to grab dinner (a live chicken that was put into a plastic grocery bag with its head sticking out and the bag was tied to one of the seats, so the chicken was suspended in the air), it was well worth the journey!!! Out of the mist and foggy sky appeared Sapa. A city located in the north of Vietnam about 30Km from the border of China. Sapa was by far one of the most beautiful cities we have encountered. It is an old hill station that was settled by the French, but the majority of the hill tribes are from China. The city’s buildings are mostly of French architecture and are very skinny and usually four to five stories tall. There were numerous little bistros and cafes though-out the village, along with traditional Vietnamese cuisine. Surrounded by mountains, it is a little oasis in the middle of nowhere, with a cute little lake in the center. Our only distaste with Sapa was the freezing weather. After living is SE Asia for over a year now we were in no way prepared clothing-wise for such cold weather; we could see our breath.  In Asia there is a lack of heating, so even the restaurants and hotel rooms were not much warmer than outside.  Stacy broke down and bought two coats, discarding one to me.  For the rest of our stay she walked around in a fleece and I wore two coats. We also wore our matching shoes from Thailand with socks.  We were, to say the least, quite the fashionable sight. One other cure for the cold weather was the amazing tea (Friendly Tea), we found in Sapa.  We had 3 to 4 cups a day in our attempts to try and stay toasty warm. Our first full day was spent exploring the city and just enjoying the general splendor. We also did a little shopping at one of the night markets, where the hill people trek a good 6km up from their homes in the gorges to the village, to sell handmade jewelry, clothes, purses, etc. The hill people are also constantly walking around the village in traditional clothing (Black Skirts, Long Sleeve Tunics, Lag warmers, and black or red hats) each piece of clothing is edged in that specific tribes embroidery (using red, green, yellow, and blue thread). Most also wear only beige sandals, while those who can afford warmer items do wear boots; some are even lucky enough to have winter jackets. These women are very persistent in tracking down customers and so four to five would huddle outside many of the restaurants just waiting for potential customers. The windows don’t even stop them from trying to sell you things through the glass! They also follow you down the street uttering the same phrase “Buy from me?” over and over.

On our second day, we booked a trek before our night bus back to Hanoi. We ended up in a group of five of us total with a couple from Belgium and a gentleman from South Korea. As we began walking out of the village to our first tribe the Black H’Mong, we were followed by a number of the tribes’ people. Our first thought was that they were going to try and sell us stuff, but it then became apparent that they were going on the trek with us to their village. This was a blessing considering we trekked further and further down the mountains into the rice paddies, there were many tricky spots where without the helpful hands of the lovely Black H’Mong women it would have been very difficult. The scenery was breathtaking!!!! We were surrounded by all these tiered rice paddies peaking out through thick mist and fog. Unfortunately, our cameras could not do the landscape justice. As we trekked on we learned that many of the women travel to Sapa every day to sell things to make money for their families. The men of the tribes go out and work in the rice paddies. This is crucial, unlike many places in Asia where farmers are able to harvest rice two to three times a year, the cold climate in northern Vietnam only allows farmers one chance a year. We also learned that the Black H’Mong make up about 50% of the Sapa population. After a 6km walk we arrived at our lunch destination, where we were pressured into buying something from our personal Black H’Mong assistants. Considering these women held our hands and made sure we didn’t fall off the sides of cliffs, Stacy and I both purchased a souvenir. After lunch, we made our way to the Y Liah Ho village, about 4Km away. Along the way we visited a typical house of the tribes people complete with TV and DVD player. We then made our way back to the main road where a van was waiting to pick us up. After semi-warm showers we proceeded to our sleeper bus for the journey back to Hanoi. We were less than thrilled with our “accommodations” for the 12 hour journey. The “beds” were not very comfortable and with Vietnamese music blaring the whole way it was not the most pleasant night’s sleep. There was also a small collision with our bus and a small car that ended up blocking traffic for a good hour. The curvy roads where not the ideal place to not abide traffic laws and go tearing about at top speed in a bus! Ironically, we made good time and arrived in Hanoi at the appropriate time!

~ Randi

Hanoi, Vietnam

After a pleasant 2 hour early morning flight, we arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam yesterday. It was an unusual experience for us to depart Koh San Rd. at 4 am. Usually we’re not even back to our guesthouse by that time! With no beer goggles on, the streets were less impressive with rats, trash, and drunken backpackers.

Once we arrived at our hotel, in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, we slept the afternoon away. To make up for spending the afternoon in bed, we walked around the Hoan Kiem Lake and saw a Vietnamese water puppetry show.

Today we walked around the Old Quarter, a charming and aesthetically pleasing neighborhood - minus the lack of pedestrian crossings! While crossing the street, one must proceed slowly as traffic swerves to maneuver around you. We visited the Ngoc Son Temple, located on an island in the lake. The temple is home to the embalmed remains of a giant tortoise. We toured the Memorial House, a restored Chinese-style merchant’s home, where we purchased souvenirs made out of ox bones. Lastly, we visited the Hoa Lo Prison museum, nicknamed the “Hanoi Hilton” by US POW’s (including Senator John McCain) during the Vietnam War.

Hanoi has an old school  charm. Old women sell baguettes at most street corners. There are coffee houses everywhere, where men of every age convene to drink. Women in straw, pointed hats sell flowers from their bicycles. Old men, wearing beret's or pageboy hats, sit in public parks and play a Vietnamese version of checkers

Southeast Asia seems to be in a cold spell at the moment, so I purchased a jacket; my first time wearing one in a year! The Vietnamese are more urban and stylish in black leather coats, skinny jeans, and trench coats. We don't miss the polkadots, bows, and mismatched clothing!

So far, Vietnam has not been as tranquil as Thailand, there's more aggression here (i.e. yelling taxi drivers). We’ve encountered the efficiency and fast maneuvering of the Vietnamese. For example, while paying our taxi driver in front of a hotel, our bags were carried inside the hotel before we even had a chance to exit the cab and before even agreeing to stay a night!  In the morning we’re taking an early train up to Sapa, a former French hill station, located only 38 km from China.

P.s. Now in beautiful Sapa, high in the mountains. And despite the freezing temperatures (I bought an even warmer jacket and socks, Randi's wearing 2 jackets), we love it up here. The French architecture is charming and the Vienamese hill tribes are in colorful, traditional clothing.  It's a bit like an otherworldly village from a fairytale :)

~ Stacy

Highlights from Chiang Rai, Thailand:

- At the city’s night market, while purchasing matching necklaces, the ground started shaking from underneath us! Initially, Bridge thought it was a train and I thought it was construction. However, as the shaking continued, and Randi led us onto the street, we realized we were all experiencing our first earthquake! When a large flock of disrupted birds flew overhead in a rush, it definitely got our hearts racing! We, also, experienced a few aftershocks; early the next morning Bridge and I even awoke to another one.

- A lovely 3 hour long-tail boat ride along the Mekong River

- Having to close and lock the door at our guesthouse with a bungee chord

- Goodbyes with Bridge... the worst thing about traveling and living abroad :(

~ Stacy

A Slice of Pai and Mae Hong Son, Thailand

Pai - After a great time in Chiang Mai we continued to head north, first stopping in Pai. Though it is only a short distance from Chiang Mai, it is nestled in the mountains, we experienced a total of 762 curves along the way. When we arrived we found a charming guesthouse, Breeze of Pai, and got settled in our cozy bungalow. The first day was spent exploring the city. Pai is very charming, with numerous little restaurants and shops. After doing some shopping at the local night market we finished off the evening with a bottle of Hong Tong in the room. On our second day we soon realized that most of the attractions were a bit of a drive, our best option was to rent scooters. Now Bridgette is a very experienced driver having had her own scooter for the past year; as for Stacy and I neither of us had ever driven one before. As we have said before we are trying to conquer some fears on this journey and seeing as I was scared to even ride a regular bicycle this was something I should try. So Bridgette went ahead and rented one for me to practice on and her being the great teacher she is I got to an “okay” comfort level on the first day. After some practice we decided to head to Fluid – an outdoor pool. After experiencing the coldest weather ever in Thailand during the past few days the sunshine and heat were welcomed with open arms. So we spent most of the afternoon at the pool and Bridgette did a quick scope out of the roads to see what I would be up against. After doing about 10km she determined I would be fine. So the next day after a little more practice in actual traffic I went ahead and rented my own scooter. We decided to head to Lod Cave about 45Km outside Pai. The beginning of our journey was easy enough but as we got further and further outside of the city it became very clear we would have to drive though some mountains to reach the cave. So on my first time driving I took the curves in stride with only some minor freaking out on my part. It was definitely good practice  We took a short break at a lookout point before heading on to the cave. It was a beautiful view of Pai and very impressive how far we had already driven. We finally made it to the cave and decided to book a tour considering how far we had come. We booked a guide complete with lantern and were lead to the mouth of the cave which we entered by bamboo raft. We then took a tour of the cave – about a 1km walk. We saw some cool stalactites, stalagmites, and a very old image etched on one of the walls. We were also taken to some coffins and were given each a coin by our very friendly guide to pay respect to the dead. Our last part of the tour consisted of floating under a couple hundred bats swarming the mouth of the cave. All in all it was a pretty cool thing to see but considering we didn’t want to being driving the extremely sharp curves in the ever darkening sky we made our way back into town. The next morning was our last day in Pai before heading on to Mae Hong Son. We all really enjoyed Pai and its beautiful charm.

Mae Hong Son - On this leg of the journey we decided to travel by local bus. This added about 2 hours to the journey as the drive there is even curvier than the one to Pai. It was awesome to take a slow drive through the mountains and experience the beauty of the north. Once in town we were a little unsure as to what we had arrived in. On the surface it seemed like a boring little town with not much to do. Originally we had planned to stop at a Monastery and do a meditation retreat for three days but unfortunately missed our stop and so we ended up in the actual city. Now being an experienced driver we rented scooters again and headed to a spa for a mud facial. We were slightly disappointed with the experience considering it only lasted 15 min and we had to wash the mud off our selves! We then headed back to town and did some walking around; we finished the night off with massages. So instead of improving our minds we spent quality time keeping our bodies young and beautiful. The next morning we got up bright and early hoping to catch a morning bus back to Chiang Mai, the only way to get to Chiang Rai is by leaving from Chiang Mai.

~ Randi

Chiang Mai Trek - Thailand

Bridge, Randi, and I arrived in Chiang Mai a few days ago. While waiting for Kate and Bri to join, we visited the Sunday Night Market, got lost, saw some movies, danced to some reggae, and bought matching trekking shoes for only 350 baht. Bored of cities, we (Bridge, Randi, Kate, Bri, and I) decided to escape into the jungle for a few days, so we booked a 3 day trek. Note: It rained all 3 days.

Day 1: We visited an orchid and butterfly farm. Then, we hiked to an elephant training camp in the hills. We embarked on an hour long elephant trek up a muddy mountain. The elephants were not willing participants, so there were a few divergences from the muddy trail. In order to safely stay on the elephant, we held firmly to our metal seat. Back at camp, we spent the evening huddled around a picnic table in an attempt to escape the cold rain. We slept in a straw mountainside hut.

Day 2: We awoke to a beautiful view of the valley and watched as the elephants bathed in the pool. Then we began the rigorous part of the journey: a 3 hour muddy, rainy, and slippery trek up a mountain. Our guide, Yui, made us all bamboo walking sticks, which helped significantly! There was a lot of sliding backwards, a few falls (Randi suffered the most scratches), and some fear and anxiety (Did I mention that I’m afraid of heights?!). Our new Canadian friends, Bryden and Mike made it to the top first. I pulled in last, followed by our friendly and helpful guide. We settled in atop the hillside village. Due to the rain and cold, we spent the next 8 hours around the campfire. We listened to Mike and Bryden play the guitar, had some Chang, and played some drinking games. We were, also, entertained by the state of our guide. Turns out, many people trek into the mountains for the opium. Us gals politely declined.

Day 3: After a cold nite, we set back down the slippery mountain. There were less falls than expected! We gained a great appreciation for our bamboo walking sticks. At the bottom, we visited a beautiful waterfall. The boys braved the freezing weather and took a quick dive in. Next, we went white water and bamboo rafting. Despite the freezing air, water, and rain, we all had a blast! Lastly, we visited a Karen long-neck tribal village. This was actually our least favorite part of the trek as it was more like a zoo display than a depiction of village life.

Overall, we all had an amazing time in the jungle! We conquered some fears, enjoyed the company of friends, experienced village life, saw breathtaking views, and had a lot of laughs. That night, after receiving messages, all 7 of us and our friend, Andrew, went out to some bars

Yesterday we rented motos, experienced some very windy roads, and visited the Golden Temple atop the hillside. Some of us are quite sore and walking rather stiffly. There aren’t mountains like that back in Michigan!!

~ Stacy