Ha Long Bay, Hanoi, Hue and Hoi An
12 december 2013 - Chiang Mai, Thailand
Xin chào tất cả mọi người! Ở đây chúng tôi đi một lần nữa!
So we just packed our things and the next morning we were in the mini van to Ha long Bay. There was a really nice couple from Belgium, Patrick and Shadia, we played "Backup" with. This game is becoming a hit throughout Asia! At Ha long Bay we got on board and enjoyed the sundeck on top of the boat. First we went to a cave which looks are completely destroyed by all the colored lights that are used, but is still nice to walk through. There was a really good view over the bay and all the different boats. When we went on by boat we arrived in the middle of Ha long Bay. Surrounded by islands and amazingly beautiful it is a definite must see on anybody's bucket list. There was a stopover at a small fisherman's village to go kayaking through water caves and small bays with a lot of eagles, which was great! Unfortunately some of us were less equipped with the right techniques for kayaking, so there were juggling boats and splashes of water all over. No worries, it's 30 degrees so some cooling off is actually pretty nice. And then it was time for the highlight of Ha Long Bay...sunset! There are really no words to describe it, because it was to awesome, to beautiful, to amazing...oke, you'll get my point. Just look at the photo's, they say it all. In the evening we had a nice dinner and some of us chilled in the cabin's and others played some card games on the sundeck. After a good night sleep with little disturbance from the rats, we catched a stunning sunrise and went on a hiking trip through the jungle, led by the Monkey man. He did his name justice, but Sebastien gave him a little run for his money. The hike was steep, fun and extremely hot with a good view over the jungle at the top. So when we arrived at the hotel later on, we immediately threw our bags in the room (extremely big with 3 huge beds, loved it!) and went for a swim in the ocean. Although technically it is not cooling down in an ocean that has the temperature of a hot tub, but he, I'm not complaining. The next day our Ha Long Bay adventure was over, but even though it was a nice boat ride back we were glad that we went these days, because it was more clouded and windy than it had been so far.
Back in Hanoi we met some people from Ireland and had a nice drink with them and the hostel owner and his family. He was glad we enjoyed the tour so much and gave us a taste of his grandma's rice-wine, we liked it! At night we went clubbing at the ' Funky Buddha' (how can you not have a good party with such a name?) and when that closed we were invited to a somewhat less legal bar. Which basically means that you are in front of what looks like a closed shop with an iron roller blind, they pull it up and suddenly there is a very lively bar with a lot of people behind it. Is nice! So we took over the music, danced as much as we could, met some really nice people and had a great time. The next day was a typical hangover day with doing an awful lot of nothing, except catching the sleeper bus to Hue in the evening.
The Hue experience started good with a very nice tour on the back of a motorbike and a good old fashioned Halloween party, for which Fleur and I went all out with our creativity. Woolen hats became masks, gloves became claws and poef....2 Catwomen were born. Sebastien was a thief in the night, Batman was a bit out of our fabric range. I don't know how many people took pictures of us that evening, but I felt like a celebrity surrounded by paparazzi and blinded by the flashes. Very funny! Also the club was very well decorated, making it (again) a very nice party.
On the 2nd of November Sebastien left for Hoi An by bike, brave man!, to find out if Vietnam was suitable to bike through. Which, people, is a full day of cycling with mountains and crazy traffic! Although he extremely enjoyed it (even with a scooter accident and a bike malfunction), he decided that cycling was not the way to go in Vietnam. Fleur went on the same day by bus to Hoi An and she and Sebastien enjoyed a couple of beach days there. I stayed in Hue to spend some time with someone I met in Hanoi and joined the others a few days later in Hoi An. I believe we all had some pretty good times.
In Hoi An we just had a really relaxed time with the 3 of us. We played funny games, enjoyed the authentic city center, saw plenty of movies, rented motorbikes to go to the beach and Fleur and I bought custom made dresses. They look very pretty. All together it was the perfect time to catch our breath from sightseeing and traveling and to just take it easy.
Thanks for sticking with us during our travels and for your, nice, informal and funny comments.
Big hug, Janneke
So we just packed our things and the next morning we were in the mini van to Ha long Bay. There was a really nice couple from Belgium, Patrick and Shadia, we played "Backup" with. This game is becoming a hit throughout Asia! At Ha long Bay we got on board and enjoyed the sundeck on top of the boat. First we went to a cave which looks are completely destroyed by all the colored lights that are used, but is still nice to walk through. There was a really good view over the bay and all the different boats. When we went on by boat we arrived in the middle of Ha long Bay. Surrounded by islands and amazingly beautiful it is a definite must see on anybody's bucket list. There was a stopover at a small fisherman's village to go kayaking through water caves and small bays with a lot of eagles, which was great! Unfortunately some of us were less equipped with the right techniques for kayaking, so there were juggling boats and splashes of water all over. No worries, it's 30 degrees so some cooling off is actually pretty nice. And then it was time for the highlight of Ha Long Bay...sunset! There are really no words to describe it, because it was to awesome, to beautiful, to amazing...oke, you'll get my point. Just look at the photo's, they say it all. In the evening we had a nice dinner and some of us chilled in the cabin's and others played some card games on the sundeck. After a good night sleep with little disturbance from the rats, we catched a stunning sunrise and went on a hiking trip through the jungle, led by the Monkey man. He did his name justice, but Sebastien gave him a little run for his money. The hike was steep, fun and extremely hot with a good view over the jungle at the top. So when we arrived at the hotel later on, we immediately threw our bags in the room (extremely big with 3 huge beds, loved it!) and went for a swim in the ocean. Although technically it is not cooling down in an ocean that has the temperature of a hot tub, but he, I'm not complaining. The next day our Ha Long Bay adventure was over, but even though it was a nice boat ride back we were glad that we went these days, because it was more clouded and windy than it had been so far.
Back in Hanoi we met some people from Ireland and had a nice drink with them and the hostel owner and his family. He was glad we enjoyed the tour so much and gave us a taste of his grandma's rice-wine, we liked it! At night we went clubbing at the ' Funky Buddha' (how can you not have a good party with such a name?) and when that closed we were invited to a somewhat less legal bar. Which basically means that you are in front of what looks like a closed shop with an iron roller blind, they pull it up and suddenly there is a very lively bar with a lot of people behind it. Is nice! So we took over the music, danced as much as we could, met some really nice people and had a great time. The next day was a typical hangover day with doing an awful lot of nothing, except catching the sleeper bus to Hue in the evening.
The Hue experience started good with a very nice tour on the back of a motorbike and a good old fashioned Halloween party, for which Fleur and I went all out with our creativity. Woolen hats became masks, gloves became claws and poef....2 Catwomen were born. Sebastien was a thief in the night, Batman was a bit out of our fabric range. I don't know how many people took pictures of us that evening, but I felt like a celebrity surrounded by paparazzi and blinded by the flashes. Very funny! Also the club was very well decorated, making it (again) a very nice party.
On the 2nd of November Sebastien left for Hoi An by bike, brave man!, to find out if Vietnam was suitable to bike through. Which, people, is a full day of cycling with mountains and crazy traffic! Although he extremely enjoyed it (even with a scooter accident and a bike malfunction), he decided that cycling was not the way to go in Vietnam. Fleur went on the same day by bus to Hoi An and she and Sebastien enjoyed a couple of beach days there. I stayed in Hue to spend some time with someone I met in Hanoi and joined the others a few days later in Hoi An. I believe we all had some pretty good times.
In Hoi An we just had a really relaxed time with the 3 of us. We played funny games, enjoyed the authentic city center, saw plenty of movies, rented motorbikes to go to the beach and Fleur and I bought custom made dresses. They look very pretty. All together it was the perfect time to catch our breath from sightseeing and traveling and to just take it easy.
Thanks for sticking with us during our travels and for your, nice, informal and funny comments.
Big hug, Janneke
liefs van Ellen en John