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.

The worlds largest cave: Hue and Dong Hoi

It was refreshing only to spend 4 hours on a bus from Hoi An to Hue, and we had heard so many good things about Hue that we were eager to get there. With a gem of a hotel and our first private pool in nearly 8 months, we could have spent more time just soaking up the sun at the pool side whilst sipping on cocktails. It felt a little strange sitting back and doing nothing, when we knew how much the area had to offer. In close vicinity to the city, there are the DMZ (demilitarised zone) tunnels and the worlds largest cave in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park. We had to make some decisions as to what exactly we wanted to see. The tunnels were quickly scratched from our to-do list, as they are too similar to the Chu Chi tunnels we visited in Saigon. This left the caves. Situated in a national park, 4 hours away from Hue and buried deep in a forest, the day tours going there didn’t make much sense. With 8 hours of travel and only an hour for visiting the colossal cave systems, we didn’t think the tour option would work for us. With our poolside antics over slightly quicker than planned, we said goodbye to Hue and took a local bus to the town of Dong Hoi.

Pool side cocktails.

Not the best form.

Dong Hoi (4 hours north of Hue) is the closest town to the caves and the best option for a base. It probably wouldn’t shock you to hear that we hired a scooter early the next morning. With a 40 minute ride out to the cave entrance, we gave ourselves a full day of exploring the area. Not only was this option considerably cheaper than the tour from Hue, but we had far more freedom. This felt good.

At the caves, we hired a boat and joined 10 others for the hour long ride along the river. The countryside was incredibly beautiful. Huge green mountains shoot up from the bank of the river and as we meandered along, we got to see local life on the water. Farmers bathing their water buffaloes and fisherman catching delights for the local markets were just some of the glimpses we got into the traditional life here. As the sun beat down relentlessly, we edged closer to a mountain and at the bottom, an eerie, black mouth. Nature was inviting us inside and we didn’t want to turn her down.

No turning back.

We slowly crept forward and into the mouth of the cave. As we entered, the engine was cut and the silence surrounded us like an evil aura. As our eyes adjusted to the blackness, we quickly saw the beauty and magnitude of the caves. The huge stalactites hung down above us like jagged teeth, dripping cold water onto our clammy shoulders. As we floated deeper into the cave, we approached a small beach landing and disembarked onto the land. From here, we would continue by foot, hundreds of meters under rock and at the mercy of mother nature. The equally impressive stalagmites thrust up from the damp floor and as we weaved between them, we felt like Indianan Jones on a quest for a lost land.

Stalactites or stalagmites?

Back into the sunlight.

Our caving experience didn’t stop here. A further 20 minute scooter ride along deserted roads took us to the Paradise Cave. This was the big one! But ‘big’ doesn’t really do this incredible cave justice. With a cavern over 80 by 80 meters big, we were struck by its size. Dim lights steer you down steps and to the base of the cave. From there, we could walk further deeper into the cave system and view the different rock formations, each one different from the next. The feeling of being inside a mountain is so amazing. Slightly daunting at times, but always awesome. There are lights inside that illuminate the entire cave. However, you could really appreciate what it must have been like to discover the caves for the first time with nothing but a flash light in hand.

Staircase into oblivion.

More spooky rock formations.

Entrance/exit.

We never expected to be so struck by the magnitude and impressiveness of these caves. Vietnam’s little gem is tucked away so secretly and we have to say that to truly enjoy this place, you need time and freedom. Not something a guided tour will generally offer. This is slowly becoming our greatest words of wisdom for those looking at doing a similar trip. Although we tend to stick to tourist routes, by doing more off your own back, you will get more out of it. It takes a little more planning, but what you get back is so much greater.

Stunning scenery.

A short break for the intrepid explorers.

With one final night bus, its slowly sinking in that we’re getting close to our final days of this trip. But without thinking too far ahead, we had Hanoi to think about first. Ha Long Bay, a 1000 year old city and a good old party awaited us. Fancy following us to our final city?

First steps in Vietnam: Chau Doc

Our first bus of the day took us to the border. We had heard horror stories of fake visas, but everything went without a glitch. This bus dropped us in Ha Tien where we waited at a little cafe for another bus that would take us to Chau Doc. This second, local bus was packed full of people, it was hot, fast and incredibly bumpy. The countryside already looked different to Cambodia and everywhere seemed to have a lot more energy and life. Unfortunately, the bus dropped us a couple of miles outside of the centre and so we had to take 2 motorbike taxis. As we raced through the traffic, Chau Doc wasn’t really what either of us had expected. Very busy, built up and noisy is probably how I would describe it. Still, we found a hotel quickly and although the room was basic (at best), we used it only for sleeping.

That evening, we strolled around the market in the center of town. Everything comes to life at this time, when the locals come out and eat on little plastic chairs that cover the pavement, often spilling out onto the road. With the food being so cheap, all the locals eat out rather than in their homes. This creates an amazing atmosphere of togetherness and friendliness. It’s also great to sit down and watch the buzz around us. This was also the first place where we tried sugar cane juice. Pressed right in front of you, this drink is full of sugar (obviously!) and tastes so good. It also keeps you buzzing for a number of hours!

Crushing the sugarcane. Sweet and delicious.

Fruit market.

Chau Doc is in the middle of the Mekong Delta. An area covered by river networks and where the real life happens. Everything from fish farming to vegetable markets, all is found on the water. Our second day here, we hired a guide to take us on his boat and explore the area. This was definitely the hi-light of our stay here. The life on the water was far more relaxing than the busy streets, but so much was happening. First we visited a little fish farm and got the opportunity to feed the fish through a hole in the floor boards. The fish then proceed to go crazy as they struggle to be first to the feed. That was certainly a wet experience!

Loving life on the river.

Fish feeding frenzy.

From there, we continued along the river and saw the houses on stilts or built directly on top of old, disused boats. Everything was so basic and pure. A civilisation built on the water and totally self-sufficient. We visited a market on the water and watched as locals haggled and exchanged products. Fruit and vegetable stocks were being thrown from boat to boat. There was a lot of shouting and it all seemed so natural for the locals, it was a great insight into their day-to-day life. On the way back, we watched a local fisherman cast off his net with great precision and technique. Obviously a life long role that he and his wife had perfected, again, amazing to watch.

Boat. house.

Floating petrol station.

Pass the parcel.

Staying mobile.

Traditional fishing.

Although Chau Doc town didn’t really impress us that much, the river certainly made up for it. We had set our expectations high for Vietnam, but it was a slow yet promising start. The next place was certainly a biggy for us: Saigon, the city of 4 million motor bikes…expectations were again, high.