Hanoi and Halong Bay

Dan and I went to Vietnam after Laos and began in the large northern city of Hanoi. We stayed in a nice hotel in Hanoi's old quarter. We've been staying in hotels and guesthouses since we left Thailand because there really aren't any hostels around. The hotels however are just as cheap except you get a private room, bath, and all the amenities of a hotel. The old quarter itself has a smaller more neighborhood feel, except for the insane amount of motorbikes that constantly clog the streets. I thought the traffic was overwhelming during the day, but at rush hour it becomes comical. When Dan and I walked out of our hotel the first evening in search of dinner we were stunned to see the whole street at a standstill. The motorbikes barely moved, while the pedestrians quickly weaved through the bikes. I think my view of Hanoi was skewed the first day or two by how overwhelmed I felt with all of the traffic. Having just arrived from quiet Laos, it was a huge change. I watched the locals technique of walking slowly across the street while the motorbikes deftly avoided them and once I tried it out and became comfortable crossing the street I finally relaxed and began to enjoy Hanoi.

The buildings in the old quarter were full of character, and the shop keepers were kind but not as keen to bargain as their counterparts in the south. On the third day, while making our way to a museum, we ran into our Swedish friends Linda and Oscar from our group in Laos. We met them that night at their hostel (one of the only ones in Hanoi) and then we all went to dinner a couple of blocks away at a street restaurant they recommended. People packed into the restaurant's typical preschool size tables and stools (still don't understand that one). We went up to a table crowded with vegetables, seafood, meat and bread and filled our plates absurdly high. We sat down and the waitress took our plates over to the barbecue where it was thinly covered with an amazing sweet sauce and then grilled. It was by far one of my favorite meals in Hanoi.



Next we booked a 3 day tour out to Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island. The tour bus picked us up at a our hotel and delivered us to the harbor. The tour boats were so packed in that there was a constant sound of them bumping into each other as they manoeuvred through the harbor. Our boat was typical of most, with the top deck open for lounging, the middle deck for eating and the bottom for the cabins. Our cabin was prettier then I expected with detailed wood paneling covering most of the room and had a private bath. It was nicer then most hotels we've stayed in. When the boat got on its way and entered the bay I was surprised at the size, over 1900, and number of the islets, which mainly consist of large hills or mountains protruding from the water. We spent the next day or so on the boat and visited a huge cave in one of the islets, swam, and kayaked. Mainly though we just sat on the top deck and took in the unique view.

After the boat we stayed on Cat Ba Island where we went hiking the first morning. The hike started out as easy and honestly we completely misjudged it thinking it would not be much of a challenge. We were pleasantly surprised when at the top of the first mountain peak waited a gorgeous 360 degree view comprised of the bay and islets and large mountains fading into the distance. We were even more surprised when we saw the extremely narrow rocky ledge that led up to the second viewpoint. It was scarier going up then down because you didn't know what awaited you as you precariously climbed higher. Again though the view made it all worth it. That afternoon I joined people from our tour group in hiring a boat to take us to monkey island. Dan opted to kayak and as he neared the island he heard someone on a nearby boat calling his name and waving their arms emphatically. He saw it was Linda and Oscar again, our friends from Laos. Their tour boat told them they had to swim to the island so Oscar jumped into the empty front seat and Dan paddled them both to shore. I was shocked when I saw Dan emerge from the bay with Oscar in tow.

I was happy to find the island lived up to its name when I saw a whole group of monkeys chilling out around the bathrooms on the edge of the woods. When I approached calmly and quietly they barely took any notice of me. The balance was upset however when some jackass started chasing and antagonizing the largest monkey who was about the size of a 2 year old. The guy ran towards the beach and the monkey turned its anger on me and chased me out of their area and lept towards my legs and hissed. The rest of the afternoon was uneventful though as most of the other tourists had left and my group had the island to ourselves as we laid on the beach and watched the sun set behind the mountains.