Well a belated Christmas and New Years to everyone. I hope that you all enjoyed the holidays with family and friends. I had a great time and will have lots of memories spending Christmas dancing alongside a river and celebrating New Years on an island. I mentioned that Christmas Eve dinner was being cooked by Oh and it was delicious. About 15 from all over the world had dinner and drinks together and it was such a great time. On Christmas day, we took a tuk tuk to the river and partied in our Santa hats and with our Christmas tree with a couple hundred other people. Great fun! On Boxing Day, I took a bus to Phonsavan and the Plain of Jars. There are these jars that are 2000 plus years old in the middle of fields and no one really knows exactly what their purpose is. One theory is that they were used for burials as skeletons were found in some and the other theory is that they were used for storage. I think they were used for both but then again I am no expert. Phonsavan was one of the most heavily bombed areas in Lao during the war with the US so MAG (Mines Advisor Group) had to clear the sites of the jars and has an office in town. It is so interesting and yet so scary that the effects of a war 40 years ago are still being felt by the people today. I learned from MAG that there are millions and millions of unexploded bombs in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam and everyday people fear for their lives as they can’t safely harvest land and walk in the forest to gather food. It is so sad and I really support the work MAG does in clearing the bombs.
From Phonsavan, I caught a bus into Vihn, Vietnam and than a sleeper night bus up to Hanoi. I spent a day and night wandering around and getting lost in Hanoi while trying to dodge the crazy traffic. With a population of over 4 million Hanoi is a big city and for every two people there is one motorbike, which means lots and lots of traffic. The key to crossing the street is not to look both ways but just go and walk slowly so the motorbikes and cars can predict your movements. It is really quite scary at first but you get used to it.
On the 30th of Dec, I took a bus up to Halong Bay with 30 other backpackers and we hopped aboard the Jolly Roger for a New Years boat cruise of Halong Bay. Halong Bay is about 4 hours north of Hanoi and it is a world heritage/UNESCO site due to its beautiful limestone cliffs that rise out of the ocean. It is just beautiful and I loved sailing around all the islands. I was on the Jolly Roger with Amy (who I meet in Chiang Mai) and Mark, who had to cab it from Hanoi to the boat dock due to a late bus and just made the boat thankfully. On the first day, we jumped off the boat and swam in the water before going kayaking. Drinking games followed dinner as we were on a party boat. The next day we got up early as we transferred to a smaller boat to take us to Castaway Island in Cat Ba National Park. I just sat at the front of the boat with my legs hanging over watching the scenery as it was spectacular. We lucked out on the weather as it was a hot sunny day so everyone napped and sun tanned on the beach before doing a water sport. I went banana boating and it was really fun but rough. There are 8 on you on the banana and when all 8 of you get tossed off you typically slam into someone else in the water or they slam into you. Drinking games started the night off after dinner and flowed into New Years Day as we counted down the clock. It was a great time and a great crew of people to celebrate the end of decade and the start 2011. The boat picked us up early for our journey back to Hanoi and goodbyes were said at the hostel as everyone went their own way. Mark, Amy and I went out for hot pot for dinner and it was amazing! They just put a pot plate on your table with a pot of broth on it and you add ingredients (chicken, tofu, veggies, and noodles) to it as it cooks along. Very tasty!
Amy and I Swimming off Castaway Island
The next couple of days were busy as Amy, Mark and I went on a tour of the Perfume Pagoda which is about 70km outside of Hanoi. It is a place where Vietnamese go to pray and therefore burn lots of incense creating a perfume. To access the pagoda, you are rowed up and down a river for about an hour and then have to take a gondola up or hike up to the cave where the pagoda is. That same night, I caught the night train to Sapa as Amy and Mark flew to Saigon. Sapa is northwest of Hanoi in the mountains and is famous for rice terraces and treks to the hill tribes. I did a 2 day trek with a home stay. Sapa is a very built up touristy town but it also very beautiful as it is built on the side of a hill a surrounded by rice paddies. The Vietnamese go there in the summertime to escape the heat of Hanoi so it is busy all year round and no exception when I was there. The scenery is supposed to be amazing and I can imagine it to be that way but the weather was less than ideal for us and it was very very foggy so you couldn't see much. When it did break at times there were rice paddies terraced all up and down the mountains into the valleys. All the tours follow the same road into the villages in the valley as the road is being constructed to make a hydro dam. Would have like to have separated from the masses and walk along the rice paddies but seems that is not the case unless you book a private tour. Our guide was named Co and she was fantastic. She really opened up about her life as a Hmong and life in the village and shared lots of information with us. Best guide in Asia thus far! Little but very strong Hmong ladies followed us and chatted with us as we walked along, hoping we would by from them. We stayed overnight in a house that has a large loft area for lots of bed to house all the homesteaders. There was about 3 groups staying at this house so not a very close knit thing where you eat with the whole family but I still enjoyed it as we all sat by the cooking fire and watched the ladies make dinner and chatted with them. The ladies ate with us too and we drank rice wine. It poured rain all night so the trail the next day was full of mud. I had two Hmong ladies holding me up for a good portion of the trail as it was so slippery. Everyone else had 2 ladies holding them up too. Other than not being able to see the full scale of the scenery, Sapa was nice. It was definitely chilly as had to wear layers to stay warm but then again it is winter in Vietnam too.
Co, Sa and I
I am currently Hue after spending one more day in Hanoi and getting the night sleeper bus here. It is pouring rain and has been all day. Managed to get on an afternoon tour of the old Forbidden City and citadel and take a boat tour of the river. Tomorrow I will see the emperors’ tomb and then catch a bus to Hoi An. Well now you are updated on my adventured and I hope you are having great adventures of you own. Much love xoxoxo
No comments:
Post a Comment