Halong Bay, Vietnam

I made a last minute trip to Vietnam this month, leaving the same day my parents left Bangkok. I had decided to head to Hanoi but hadn't had much time to plan. I'd also never traveled internationally by myself. I'm sure that had I had more time to think about it I would have been nervous but it was all so last minute I didn't have time to get nervous. The day before I left I had booked a hotel and a driver from the airport (I find that airports are where scammers love to attack so I'm willing to pay a few extra bucks to not have to deal with it). After gathering my luggage I found the man holding my name and he took me on one of the most beautiful drives in my memory. Vietnam countryside was covered with fields being worked with by their owners, each one wearing the traditional pointed straw hat Vietnam is known for. The roads were filled with motorbikes loaded high and wide with various goods including food, toilet paper, huge vases, families of 5 and much more! As we pulled up to an intersection there was an overloaded motorbike tipped on it's side. None of its leafy contents had been spilled and the owner approached with a helper and they were able set the bike upright after a bit of a struggle. I was absolutely fascinating to be introduced to Vietnam like this. On the highway we hit a top speed of maybe 80 Km/hr. Traffic was slow but moved fluidly, each vehicle honking its way down the roads ensuring everyone knew of their location and intentions. It was slow but it was loudly communicative.

I was dropped off at my hotel and then I began to consider where I might spend my time. I had heard of the beauties of Halong Bay and thought I might look into that option but wasn't sure what that would entail. I took off on a walk around lakes, passed outdoor barbershops where hairs were being cut leaving hair all over the sidewalk, declined numerous offers by taxi drivers, and found my way into the city center, thanks to a map and my handy compass...a gift from my dear aunt. Once inside the city center which was packed with traffic going in all directions on narrow streets lined with vendors selling produce, sweets, spring rolls, souvenirs and much, much more. I stopped at a tour office and spoke with a sweet woman who helped me plan my time. She told me I could spend 3 days 2 nights on Halong Bay where I would enjoy the beauties of hundreds of mostly, uninhabited islands protruding out of the water. I would spend 2 nights on the boat, go kayaking, see floating villages, explore a cave, hike and enjoy delicious seafood meals...all for a very, very reasonable price! I said "sign me up." I just needed to find my way back to the office the next morning. Until then I still had some time to kill. I learned about a puppet show held on a watery stage. It was unlikely I would be able to get a ticket for that night as the show is popular among tourists but I thought I'd try. Approaching the ticket office I saw the "sold out" sign and decided to purchase a ticket for Saturday night, my last night in Hanoi. As made my way towards the window a woman asked me if I needed a ticket. Her friend was unable to attend the show and the woman was selling her ticket at 1/2 price (she didn't know I would have paid double the price for that ticket!) . I purchased the ticket and went straight into the show. The wooden puppets danced in and on the water, the operation of which I'm not entirely clear on. It looked like somehow there were polls attached to them. I dunno...but I know it was fun and very entertaining.

The next morning I loaded a van with several couples and we went on a 3 hour drive through the picturesque countryside. We arrived to the dock of the bay and loaded a small transporter boat that took us to our boat, Elizabeth Sails, a 3 deck boat. My room, located on the bottom deck, was very lovely with the exception of the roach I found crawling around on the second bed in the room. Needless to say, I decided not to sleep in that bed. We made ourselves comfortable and then lunch was served as we began to make our way into the bay. The view was breathtaking and I knew I'd made the right decision for my time in Vietnam.

More to come!