Sat 8th - Sat 15th Feb (Week 20)

Sat 8th - Had a great buffet breakfast - one of the best in our 4+ months so far ! Spent the morning wandering around Hanoi, looking around the Old Quarter, seeing the Old City Gate, Bach Ma Temple, markets, Hoan Kiem Lake, and then down to Hoa Lo "Hanoi Hilton" Prison. I was a little concerned it might be like the war museum in HCMC, but it wasn't too graphic, just informative with some good displays. Went into Quan Su Pagoda, then had a cheap KFC lunch and 2 amazing chocolate buns straight out of the oven from a little street shop nearby. Headed back at 2pm and spent the rest of the afternoon doing more research, then went back to New Day for a nice dinner.

Sun 9th - Checked out and got picked up for our Halong Bay 3 day/2 night tour at 8:15. It took until 12:30 to drive down to Halong Bay (with the obligatory 30min stop at a shop). Our group got divided up into the 2 day and 3 day groups, and there was only us and an Irish guy on the 3 day trip. Boarded our boat, and checked into our lovely luxury room with ensuite and aircon. Had a huge lunch as we set sail out into the bay. It was surprisingly cold and I had to wear 5 layers as I sat on the "sun" deck as we cruised along. Arrived at an island at 3pm and walked up the 400 steps for stunning views all over the bay. Real shame its cloudy and cold as I bet it is spectacular in the blue sky and sunshine. Took out some kayaks at 4 and spent an hour paddling around the karsts and went through a small cave/archway. Got pretty cold and wet but then used our hot power shower in the room to warm up ! Spent a lovely evening chatting to 2 Canadian girls and the Irish guy whilst drinking cocktails and having a huge dinner. Had a go at squid fishing but no luck and after 30 mins we were very cold, so called it a night.

Mon 10th - Had a great breakfast, packed our day bags and left at 8am. Took another boat out for 45mins to a much quieter spot, leaving the 2-dayers to head back to Hanoi, and we spent an hour kayaking through a couple of caves into beautifully quiet bays and had the place to ourselves for a little while. The boat then continued passed a fishing village where they all live and work in little wooden huts on the water, and onto an even quieter bay. Had a big lunch between 4 of us then took the kayaks out for another 90mins and it was just pure paradise - we had the entire area to ourselves, absolute silence and we could investigate the bays and go around the karsts. We really had to force ourselves to head back to the boat as it was so peaceful and stunning. Visited a pearl farm to see how all the different sorts of pearls are cultured, then back to our main boat at 4:30 for a much needed hot shower. I actually wore more layers today (7) than I did in Patagonia and was still cold - really not the weather we were expecting. Had another nice dinner and chatted with some Aussies, then as it was so cold even in the boat, no one felt like drinking much and people started heading to bed from 8:30, although we made it to 10pm !

Tues 11th - Another early start of 6:45am and left on another boat at 8am. Headed to "Amazing caves" which did actually live up to their name - 3 caverns, each one larger than the last, and were gigantic. Really impressive stalactites and a very strange roof pattern made from the waves when it was underwater - never seen anything like it. Back to the boat at 9:30, then a gentle cruise back to Halong Bay port for 11:15. Had lunch on land, then made our way back to Hanoi for 4:30pm. We were hoping the coldness was just in Halong Bay, but it is equally as cold in Hanoi and everyone is wearing huge coats and puffer jackets.

Wed 12th - Another cold and grey day, and even walking around with 6 layers on we got chilled to the bone. Its like in the UK when it's a cold winters day and you want to go out and see stuff, but its not that enjoyable as you are just cold. We took a taxi to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum which was fascinating - more for how regimented and strict everything was. We had to walk all the way around the outside as there was just one entrance, no bags or camera allowed, and decorated uniformed guards with guns everywhere. We joined the large queue and filed into the large mausoleum - pretty much single file, no stopping, keep moving, hands by your sides. We walked around the glass coffin where Ho Chi Minh is embalmed and was quite surreal, especially with 8 guards in that room alone, and he is still so revered all these years later. Went to the One Pillar Pagoda, wandered around West Lake, and managed to find the lake that had the remains of a B52 bomber that had been shot down. Then went to the Army/War museum to see all the tanks, helicopters, planes, and displays from various wars over the years. We were pretty cold and tired by then, so headed home to get warm and use the internet.

Thurs 13th - Checked out at 12, had a sandwich for lunch, then walked down to the Temple of Literature. There were various acts being performed such as music, singing, dancing etc which was nice to watch in the traditional courtyard. Came back via another temple we stumbled across, and went into St Joseph Cathedral which felt very strange in Vietnam, but was a nice little sanctuary of peace and quiet for a few minutes ! Took our last look at the Hoan Kiem Lake, then used the internet at the hotel until our pick up at 8:30 to go to the train station for our overnight train to Sapa. We had a "Tourist Class soft sleeper" with 4 berths in, and I went on the top bunk, and Brandon on the bottom. Left Hanoi at 10pm, and got comfy with the provided pillow and duvet, and slept pretty well.

Fri 14th - Arrived into Lao Cai at 6:30am, with the usual mayhem with pickups and taxis outside, but got our minivan and headed to Sapa. Had a lovely buffet breakfast in a local hotel, then our group of 5 headed off at 9:30am. Very very misty and cold and I had my usual 7 layers on with hat and gloves, and still cold. Could barely see anything which was really disappointing as I bet the rice terraces are stunning on a clear, blue day. Walked at a steady pace without many breaks as there was nothing to see, then stopped in a village restaurant for a lunch of hot Pho soup. The tables were all outside so we got really chilled just sitting still, so were pleased when we got going again. We'd been followed all the way from Sapa by some local village women and children, all in tradtional dress which we thought was quite nice - until you sat down at lunch and were nailed with all their wares they were selling. They were incessant, and even if you bought something to try and stop it, even more arrvied with the constant drone of "you buy from me toooooo" ! Brandon was much more patient that I was and ended up buying 6 bracelets ! Carried on walking and arrived at another local village where we were lucky enough to see the annual festival of food markets and various activites - with the main one being to try to throw a rope with a stone really high to hit a target. We both had a go but it seemed pretty impossible, but apparently they have to keep going until they hit it, otherwise they will have a bad crop this year. Arrived at our homestay at 2pm, and sat around the small fire pot and drank lots of tea to get warm ! Had a wander around the village, and back down to the festival, then back for chips at 5pm. We got on well with the Dutch couple in our group, so sat around the fire, drinking beer and enjoying the dinner at 6:30, accompanied by many shots of rice wine ! Went to "Bamboo Bar" at 8pm for a wonderful creamy hot chocolate, then tried to get warm in our beds at 9:30. I slept in most of my clothes, sleeping bag, and big thick blanket over the top, but could still see our breath !

Sat 15th - Got up at 8:30, breakfast of pancakes, packed up and left at 10am. Slow gentle walk uphill, and luckily the weather had cleared more so we actually got lovely views of the valley and all the rice terraces. A lot of the walk was on the small edges of the rice terraces, and I slipped in once and got a very muddy and wet shoe ! Arrived at our lunch stop at 12:30, and again sat outside with our Pho soup, getting cold, and pestered by all the locals and children and Brandon bought a few more souvenirs ! Got a transfer back to Sapa and spent the afternoon wandering around the streets, looking at the local markets, and all the trekking shops, and views of Fansipan mountain. Had a rushed dinner at 4:30 and got our transfer bus back to the train station at 5:30. Waited for our train until 8.20, and luckily were in the same cabin as our Dutch friends, and were all equally tired, so went to sleep at 9:30.



Summary
Having spent 3 weeks in Vietnam, we feel we have seen most of the best parts. Of course there are always more places to see, but we did all we wanted to and got a good feel for the place. It was interesting trying all forms of transport (overnight buses and trains, minibuses, motorbike, moped, flight, taxi etc) on top of just walking everywhere and dealing with the mental traffic and lack of road rules ! We probably enjoyed Halong Bay and Sapa the most for the stunning scenery but just a shame about the cold and misty weather. It was also fascinating to watch people in the rice fields doing everything by hand - ploughing, planting, harvesting etc - backbreaking and very time-intensive work. In general we have found the Vietnamese people very helpful and friendly, but very different culturally. They all have their front rooms wide open so everyone can see in and watch them eating, watching tv etc. They all speak very loudly, and love their karaoke and will sing it at all hours of the day, normally very out of tune, and as loud as possible so the entire street can hear. None of the food has really stood out for us but I think it would be a different story if we liked seafood, but otherwise it is mainly rice, noodles, soup and plain-ish dishes.