Halong Bay/Hanoi

We went on an overnight tour to Halong Bay. 3 hours from Hanoi, Vietnam, it was beautiful! Limestone formations rise up from the water, its considered a World Heritage site. The pictures will help describe this place better than I could. The boats are called "junk.'' So we slept on the Junk. haha that is funny to me. We had a relaxing time, kayaked through a tunnel to a secret bay, only accessible by water, only it wasn't too much of a secret! Every tour goes there. The boats are about as crazy as the Hanoi traffic! Everyone just bumps into each other, soo many damaged boats, i just cringed. We walked through some amazing caves, had good meals, borderline painful foot/leg massages and met some really amazing people. A couple from Vancouver! (Rob and Cheryl) Cheryl is someone so much like me it was scary! And Jarad, a Californian dude was really cool. We met an Italian couple (Leida and Emannuel), he is working in Afghanistan, and a greek couple (Cassiane and Nicos), Cassie is a psychiatry resident and had lots to compare and ask about our heath care system. The 3 older Australians were a whole different story. lol but overall it was a great break from the city!

Our Junk we toured on

One of the many traveling snack shops

View from the caves
Halong Bay
So Long Ha Long!

Culture Shock!! Hanoi's streets are utter chaos. That is all I can say, and hearing HCM is worse almost seems impossible! Millions of motorbikes! Probably 50 motorbikes per 1 vehicle and they just weave around and jam together. Everyone wears handkerchiefs or hospital masks over their faces due to the fumes and dust, etc. That in itself is a site to see. To walk the street you just go amidst it all like a suicide mission, but people seem to just weave around you. We were sure we would die the first time, but it actually worked! It is too crowded, and too many honking horns for shopping, but we went to the water puppet performance and a few restaurant/pubs. Today we rode on the back of motorcycles which was quite a rush! We met with a few Vietnamese families and had lunch with them. Such nice people! WE ATE DOG!!!! Unknowingly. I just don't think about it because it makes me sick to think about. We fly out to Danang and bus south to Hoi An from there, the tailoring hot spot. I am getting really really sick of my clothes, so this couldn't come at a better time! Bye for now.

The Bustling Night Streets in Hanoi's Old Quarter