Ha Long Done - Next up? Sapa!

Lets start this by saying I am writing this post from the top of a junk boat in Ha long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Northern Vietnam, located on the shore, 180 kms from Hanoi. There are very few places more relaxing than this to be writing this blog. It seems like I am writing 5 words, then lifting my head from the computer to admire the sandstone cliffs that dominate the sky. They come in all shapes, all sizes, and most rock formations are covered with a thin layer of vegetation, adding to the beauty and mystic.

Ha Long bay is currently in the running to become on of the 7 new NATURAL wonders of the world, and judging by the sights, it has to be considered one of the favorites to make the final cut. With These sites I am currently laying my eyes upon, I know it will get my vote as a top 7.

The last post I made was a little short winded (which is strange for me, I know), so I thought I should go back and tell a little more about Hoi An and Ha Noi…Half because I want to, and half because I have the time to do it between glances at the cliffs.

Oh look….a Vietnamese fishing boat, and we are passing Skull island…

In Hoi An, I mentioned that we had some clothes made, but I should explain the process in which it is done. First thing that happens is that your hotel reccomends a tailer shop to go to, so you head that way only to find it is the most expensive one, and owned by the hotel, so you proceed to another of the over 400 tailor shops to get a good price. At that time, it basically turns into a carnival of cloth design. Anything you can imagine, whether it is in your mind, in one of their many books, the internet, or even a picture on your camera, they will take the design, and recreate it in your size using whichever fabric style you decide on. Trevor saw a fellow traveler in our hotel with a neat design, took a picture, and a day later, he had it in his hands, fitted to him in just the way he prefers.

The suit and shirts I bought were great, and Michele loved the tanktops, dresses, and shirts she had, but the real jem of the bunch was having shoes made for my fred flinstone style feet, built to fit. For those readers that don’t know, I have abnormally large and akward feet (size 13, extra wide), and have never been the benefactor of shoes that fit properly on the first try, so having sandals made for me that fit like a glove, in a design that I chose was like something out of a fairytale. I actually went as far as to hug the man that made them for me. All for the low low price of $15 USD. In retrospect, I should have really had 3 or 4 pair made.

Oh look…Fighting Cock Island. It’s a rock formation in the middle of the water that looks like two chicken

fighting, and is also the symbol for Ha Long Bay.

Other than the tailors, we also experienced a couple of nice beaches. The frist we found was the locals beach, which, at the time was completely empty. It was overcast, but the temperature was just right to play in the good sized waves that were crashing in from the South China Sea. Trevor, always the adrenaline junkie, even asked the locals to take a fishing boat out in the surf, only to have it topple on top of him. Thankfully, Michele, the photographer of the day, caught the memory on film at JUUST the right moment.

I am looking at an island formation right now that is on the Vietnamese 200,000 dong bill (about $14 CAD).

The evenings in Hoi An would have been quiet if it wasn’t for the King Kong bar, which tempted the tourists with free rum and coke’s between 10:30-11:00pm. 2 nights out of 3, you could find me there putting back as many as possible, and for both of those nights, it was officially the ‘Turning Point’. Lets just say that I joined the large crowd on the dancefloor (read: Pooltable) on multiple occasions.

Neat…A Floating Village!

One of the mornings after indulging at King Kong Bar, we were up at 5:30am to get ready to hop on a plane to come to Ha Noi. Good times.

Due to time constraints, we have had to pack extra things in to very few days, and that included seeing Ha Noi in a day, and I think we did a pretty good job. And thankfully, we were there on a national holiday, as well, to see some traditional Vietnamese entertainment, and partying. Although, we didn’t really participate in the partying. What we did do was go to the Snake Village to drinks snakes blood, and eat snake. It was another one of those ‘experience’ moments that I really love.

So that brings us to Ha Long bay. Yesterday morning at 8am, we were back on a mini-bus, heading to Ha Long for a 2 day journey out into the bay to see the cliffs and water I have described. We were fortunate enough to hop on a boat with a number of fellow travelers that were, simply, a good time, A few Americans, a few English, a few Isreli, even a Spaniard. We spent the day on a junkboat, touring the sites of the bay, the evening diving off the boat into the emerald water, and the night singing karaoke until our lungs were exhausted. The evening also included some liquid courage that was needed for the karaoke to be a success. Dad, you will be happy to know that I sang a version of Suspicious Minds that brought down the house!

So with all of these fun times, amazing experiences, and great times, there has to be some bad news. Mine came just as we were hopping on the boat to see the bay, and came in the form of my big camera not turning on. We have changed batteries many times, and there is still not a drop of power getting to the camera. I spent the first hour of the boat ride fuming, but since have mellowed a bit. For 2 travelers that came to asia with 3 cameras, we are down now to one ole reliable Sony powershot camera. I hope to hell this one lasts the rest of the journey.

Once we disembark the boat, we will be hopping back in a minibus for the 3 ½ hr. drive back to Hanoi. Once there, We have a 3 hr. turn around to get onto a train to head up to Sapa, known for its mountainous region, picturesque rice terraces, and treks through the Vietnamese countryside. It also includes a homestay, meaning we will be crashing at a local’s house. Right now, it sounds really cool, and I am pretty excited for it…Sounds like I will have another experience to write about.

During the 3 hr. layover, I am going to try to find a camera shop to take a look at my camera. If I could get it up and running again, I would be one happy camper!

So its off to Sapa! Should be some good times.

MB

PS – I have no idea what is going on in the playoffs, but someone please tell me the Canucks are losing!!!