Hanoi and…goodbye.

8 months in, 5 countries down and we arrive in our final destination: Hanoi.  To say it has been a pretty wild ride would be a complete understatement, but wait, it hasn’t finished yet.  We still had more than a week left before our flight back home, time left to unwind and relax a little.  I realise that all the beaches and swimming pools and cocktails and scenic walks may have made this journey sound like an idyllic break from the ‘real world’, but in fairness, it has been hard work.  Tight budgets, extreme heat and a multitude of foreign languages has really tested Malene and I individually and as a couple.

 

Arriving into Hanoi in the early hours of the morning and you would be amazed at the buzz that’s already flowing through the narrow streets.  Unlike a lot of other cities in Vietnam, there are a lot of cars here which reflect the wealth of the city.  Unfortunately for us, our bus decided to drop us miles away from anywhere remotely touristy or interesting and the inevitable walk began.  Luckily the heat was still low and as we followed the GPS on my phone, we snaked our way through the streets and towards the old city; home of anything that’s anything in Hanoi.

 

There is no divide between the old city and the new. But there is an astonishing difference between the architecture and the road system and in general the feeling between the two.  The streets close in as the buildings tower over and create eerie shadows below.  The details in the buildings themselves are simply beautiful, most of which originate from around 1000 years ago.  As the pavement disappears, we found ourselves walking in single file trying to dodge the speeding motorbikes. Coffee time.  I don’t think our backs could have taken much more plodding and so decided to stop in the heart of the backpacker region.  I was sure I would find a place to stay around here, but didn’t want the challenge whilst lugging all our stuff around.  The hunt began.  The goal – under $10 and a soft bed; how hard can it be?  An hour later, I returned to Malene who was beginning to worry about me.  Once again, my tail was firmly placed between my legs as I told her the bad news.  Nothing here was in our budget, one that we thought was quiet generous compared to previous places.  As we slowly strapped our bags back on, we began to trudge through the streets and after another good walk, finally found a nice place for bang on budget (of course now we wanted something cheaper), a soft bed and in a good location; we were too tired to haggle and collapsed in what would be our home for the next week.

 

Apart from Pokhara (Nepal) and possibly Nha Trang (Vietnam), we hadn’t had the luxury of spending such a long time in one place, and it felt a little bit strange. We found a place that did breakfast, another shack that did good Vietnamese coffee, even a bar for some cheap drinks and Western music.  It was as if we had separated ourselves from the ‘travellers’ and were making friends and settling into this relaxed new life. 

 

This time also allowed us to wander the little side streets and explore the shops.  We wanted to find all the things we saw whilst travelling around Vietnam and buy them as souvenirs or gifts for people back home – needless to say, our shopping list was long.  We also had the mission of booking our Ha Long Bay trip – or final farewell tour of one of Asia’s most breath-taking places.  Booking this trip turned out to be stressful, time consuming and energy zapping.  Next time, I think we would rather just pick a name out of a hat and go with that company rather than trying to research them all in the blind hope that we could eliminate any chance of wasting our hard saved cash.  It took no less than 3 days to book the tour.  We studied all the price ranges from budget $50 to the high roller $300 for the 3 day options.  It all looked too good.  Until we went online at looked at the reviews and that was when it got tricky.  With so many stories of people being ripped off, rat infested boats and dodge salesmen, what do you go for?  To be honest (and probably no help to anyone) I think you have to go with your gut feeling.  Choose your price range and plum for the office that treats you well and respects your questions.  You can’t buy a guarantee that says your trip will be wonderful.  More importantly, keep an eye on the weather – this will make or break your trip. Our trip cost us $120 each for 3 days (1 night on the boat, 1 night on Monkey Island), all food and activities included with the Asian Cruises company. It was all booked through our hotel – Rainbow Hotel (Hang Can Road, Hanoi), which we also recommend for a no-thrills, pleasant hotel.  So, did we get lucky?

 

I think someone above has been looking after us on this entire Asia trip.  Once again, we did get lucky and have a host of stories to tell from our trip out in Ha Long Bay.  Yet another UNESCO World Heritage site and home to some 2000 islets (huge hills that protrude from the calm water), this place is like no other on Earth.  The limestone islets form a forest in which our Junk (old Chinese sailing vessel) carefully meanders through.  The whole place is a little creepy, but we are constantly eager to see what lies behind the next corner.  With the sun out for the first of our 3 day trip, we stayed on the top deck and enjoyed the deck chairs and serenity – a stark difference to the city.  We stopped at a small fishing village and used canoes to explore the surrounding area.  We even managed to paddle through a huge cave that gave us that instant Indiana Jones adventurous feeling.

 The food on board was simply wonderful.  A huge range of fresh fish and delicate Vietnamese dishes were on offer and all included in our package.  After living so long on such a tight budget, we really got our money’s worth here!  Our first night was spent in a lovely little cabin, but not before we all decided to go for an evening swim.  Like little kids, we all rushed to get our swimming shorts on and run back up to the top deck.  After a few moments of hesitation, we carefully stepped over the barrier and dived off into the dark waters.  It was a great first evening.  Tomorrow: Cat Ba  and Monkey island.

 

Cat Ba island is one of 2 big habited islands in Ha Long Bay.  We docked at one end and proceeded to take a mini bus across the island to the other side where we boarded a small boat that would haul us to our final destination for the day: Monkey Island.  Yes, there are monkeys on the island.  No, we didn’t see any!  It was a beautiful and remote place that seemed perfect for one of our last nights in Asia.  The following morning, after a huge buffet breakfast (sorry to keep banging on about the food – but it was good!), Malene and I took another canoe and decided to travel around the island.  At first, this was an easy task.  Fairly calm waters surrounded us as we gently paddled clockwise around the island.  However, by the time we reached the backside, the stretch of water opened in front of us and the waves grew big.  Before we knew it, we were being dragged closer and closer to jagged rocks where the huge waves were now crashing.  Malene and I put our backs into it and dug our oars deeper, determined not go down without a fight.  Our adrenaline levels rose and within 20 minutes we were back in calmer waters, this time with a few beads of sweat running from our brows.

 

It was a special place.  We climbed the hill high above our beachside resort and watched as the sun gently dipped its gleaming head beneath the watery horizon.  This was it. The end of a chapter.  Malene and I have survived 8 incredible months of self-exploration and togetherness.  We experienced some fantastic things and met some truly wonderful people along the way.  As much as we talk about all the things we’ve done, it always comes back to India and the school.  Every day we think about the children and the things they taught us during our first 4 months out here.  We truly hope that one day we can come back and visit them all.  Those children really filled our hearts with love and became our family out here in Asia.  We will never forget all our special memories of these beautiful children and truly wish them all the success they deserve.

 

So how lucky were we? Very lucky.  Very lucky indeed.

Lanterns and romance in Hoi An

Our first night bus was an interesting and pleasant experience. After so many wonderful night trains in India, we didn’t know what to expect from Vietnam. In conclusion, they are certainly passable. You don’t get the local interaction or the constant chai as you do in India, but the seats/beds are comfortable enough and apart from it being quite a bumpy ride, we found the bus a good way to travel the large distances.

We arrived into Hoi An fairly early in the morning and the heat was already beating down on us. Thinking we weren’t too far away from a place to stay, we again refused taxi offers and headed towards the main market situated in the old part of the town. The market was already busy, with locals frantically trading with eager customers, we walked along the river bank with eyes on the buildings searching for a hotel. No luck. But we did find a little cafe – cafe des amis – and inside, it was as French as the name sounded. In fact, the entire town is incredibly French and quaint. The architecture is detailed and beautiful. With little window shutters and small balconies, it was hard to remember that we were still on Vietnam soil. Hidden speakers line the streets and play French music which creates a wonderful and peaceful atmosphere.

Truly relaxed.

With Malene enjoying her mornings fruit shake (not so French) and guarding our bags, I walked around in search of a place to stay. An hour later and I wasn’t any closer to finding anything. I’d found the main hotel strip, a small side street close to the old part of town, but prices were high; 15/20/25$ a night. Admittedly, most of them came with indoor pools and looked lovely, but we weren’t in Hoi An to spend our time in the confinements of a hotel lobby, and so I pressed on. Eventually, I found one for 6$, a 5th floor shoe box sized room with shared bathroom, not ideal, but all I could find. With my tail tucked between my legs, I headed back to Malene and told her the bad news. On our way back to said hotel, we took a little detour and found something much better. Again close to the old area, we found a family run hotel, with large rooms, tv and a bucketful of character.

After settling in, we headed back to small streets of the old town. Quiet roads with beautiful lanterns hovering above you and small shops offering a full spectrum of tourist goodies, had us captivated for hours. Next to the market area we found our first meal. Inside, what appeared to be an old town hall, row upon row of women and basic oven setups were cooking typical Vietnamese delights, the only difficultly was picking one. Vietnamese food was quickly becoming one of the hi-lights of this leg of our journey. Delicate vegetables wrapped in rice paper and sea food served with sticky rice was two of our favourites, but the menus were almost endless.

Hoi An’s beautiful streets.

A rainbow of choice.

Food glorious food.

With our bellies full, it was time for a little light refreshment. And with Bia Hoi at 2000 dong a glass, sorry, 6p a pint for those back home, it was hard to refuse. That evening we made plans, plans that got Malene rather excited. We were going to find a custom made, tailor fitted dress, or two and maybe some matching shoes for her. Not my ideal type of shopping exercise, but Malene liked the idea.

Cheap beer always makes us smile.

The following morning, we started browsing the many shops offering services that I’m sure a lot of women would dream of. The previous night, Malene had searched the internet for a dress that she liked the look of for her sisters wedding. Upon entering the first dress makers, we showed them the fuzzy image copied from google and everything went from there. First, choose a colour. Second, the material. And 5 hours later, like magic, there it was: a beautiful, hand made, tailor fitted dress. A true one of a kind. Next up, shoes. For me, it was a little too much. I headed back to our previous watering hole, blogged and waited for my beaming eyed girlfriend to reappear. This time with two dresses and a pair of shoes in hand. Success on her behalf and I had a matching tie too; all parties were happy!

The beginning of something beautiful.

A girl can never have too much choice.

That night, we strolled along the river banks and as the lanterns were turned on, more magic filled the air. French music serenaded us as we dined and the romance was tangible. Sorry for being so soppy, but Hoi An will have that appeal to all that travel here. This town quickly topped our Vietnam charts.

Watching our lanterns being made.

Romance wasn’t hard to find.

As quickly as we arrived, the following morning, we would depart. Without trying to rush around this amazing country, there was just too much to see in the short month that we had. Still, the world’s largest caves would be our next destination and Hue was planned as our base to visit them. Onwards and upwards it was.