Mid-term break in Vietnam 2009
Fun in Vietnam! We left on Saturday, October 24th (1:50hr flight) and got to our hotel, The Mercure in Hanoi in time for a late supper. Great temperature (about 28 d), but still quite smoggy. First thing we noticed - the electrical cables - talk about chaos - I counted more than 50 cables all connected to 3 haphazard boxes on a pole - and all hanging almost to the ground between poles - it's a wonder we had power in the hotel! AND THE TRAFFIC - total and utter mayhem - we heard there are 3 million people in Hanoi and 1.5 million vespas/motorbikes - sometimes riding 5 to a bike! You really have to see it to believe it. There are traffic lights, but what for? No one pays attention and ALL go their own way. We were told to cross the road, and NOT to stop, as all the drivers simply swerve around you - if you stop, THEN you're in trouble! We stayed at the Mercure for 2 nights, and explored the city - lots of tours - Old Quarter and French Quarter (read up on the history - it's fascinating) where the markets were - good thing we're seasoned veterans in the market department now! by cyclo tour (like a 'tuk tuk', see all 5 of us!), we visited the "Hanoi Hilton" prison, Vietnam army museum, Ho Chi Min Mausoleum, the Temple of Literature (Confucious), and more! We then transferred to the Intercontinental Hotel, where the next morning, we left for Halong Bay, and our Bhaya Cruise - SO wonderful! An old converted junk, felt a bit like colonial steamboat travelling, with 20 cabins, each with its own bathroom/shower, an upper deck where we watched the stars and had a Vietnamese spring roll cooking demonstration, and wonderful food. A day trip by small skiff to see the oldest floating fishing village in the region (including a school, separate floating homes, and tourist souvenir shop!), and we simply sailed through the amazing limestone rocks (this is a world heritage site, Halong Bay) and read, and ate well, and slept like rocks. Then back to Hanoi for our last night and a great .... french restaurant... and swim in the pool, and home again the next day. A fantastic trip - enjoy the pics!
