We checked into our hotel and headed our for dinner. We found a great small place specializing in wrap your own spring rolls. After a filling meal of beef spring rolls, pho and wine we headed back to the hotel.
The next day it was rainy and cool. Although we were excited for the fall weather, we were hoping for a nice sunny day. We suited up in rain gear to explore the city. We wandered through the Old City all day. We passed tons of shops, old buildings, stone streets and markets. The roads were filled with motor bikes and ladies selling everything from fruits to rain ponchos. After a few hours we settled in a tea shop to play cards and warm up. We then headed to a travel agency. We knew that we wanted to escape the city for a few days so we were off to plan an excursion. We decided to go to Halong Bay for 3 days/2 nights. After booking the trip, we relaxed before heading to dinner. For dinner we found a nice quiet place near our hotel. After filling up, we headed to bed.
In the morning it was still raining. We decided to do a little shopping then we sent a large box home. We had accumulated a lot of stuff so our packs were getting full. Once we left the post office we went off in search of food. As the rain poured down we found a western spot that happened to be playing the Rugby World Cup. We enjoyed some pizza as we watched Wales vs. Ireland and England vs. France. The restaurant was full of rugby fans so it turned into a very entertaining afternoon. After a few hours we headed back to the hotel to pack up for our trip to Halong Bay.
In the morning we left at 8am for Halong Bay. We took a mini bus with about 15 others for the 4 hour journey to the sea. Once we arrived to checked into our room on the boat. The room was nice with a bed and our own bathroom. Our room was closest to the engine room so it was a bit loud but not a problem. After a huge lunch of fish, veggies, meat and rice on board we headed off to a floating village. We were able to kayak around and explore all that we wanted. After 90 minutes we were back on our big boat. We spent an hour or so swimming in the warm clear water. We then had a wine and fruit party with all of the other guests. Around 7pm we had dinner and then were able to try squid fishing. Fred tried, along with a Dutch guy, for about 90 minutes to catch a squid. After having no luck, we retired to the deck to enjoy a nice cold beer.
Floating village
Floating village
Floating village
Squid fishing
In the morning we had breakfast before our full day exploring the bay. We were able to kayak again. This time we explored a new area complete with two caves and a lot of bats. We had lunch on board and then spent hours swimming. The water was as smooth at glass and very salty. This made it very easy to float in and a lot of fun to jump into. We then headed to an island that had a nice look out point. After climbing around 400 steps we had a great view of Halong Bay. We then relaxed on the white sand beach before heading back to the boat. We again had wine and dinner on board and were able to try to catch squid (this time we didn't even try).
Overlooking Halong Bay
Overlooking Halong Bay
Overlooking Halong Bay
In the morning we had breakfast before heading to the Surprising Cave. We wandered the cave for about an hour before going back to the boat. After cruising around for an hour we had lunch then headed back to land. We jumped in another mini van for the trip back to Hanoi. We checked into our same hotel in Hanoi and Fred played the workers in a few PS2 soccer matches. After the matches we headed off to find food. We settled on a nice place that again had make your own spring rolls. We paired them up with some soup and beer. The restaurant was very nice but full of tourist groups. We were the only table that did not have at least 6 members.
Surprising Cave
Today we headed back out into the city to explore. We found a great place for lunch were we ate on a patio overlooking a city side street. After some cards we headed out. After a while we stopped for coffee and to plan out more of our trip. We planned out a little more for both Hong Kong and South America. We are now relaxing back in the hotel. We have one more day in Hanoi before we head to Hong Kong!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
No comments:
Post a Comment