we've now been traveling in vietnam for the last 2 weeks and it has been nothing short of awesome. i feel a little stupid that i hadn't chosen to take a holiday here sooner but better late than never. i've been keeping a journal everyday (or nearly everyday) to try and keep track as well as fill in the gaps in my memory of the places we've seen and been
June26.2007
What a day! Day 9 and feelin' fine. We hopped aboard our minibus where we spirited away to the splendor and wonder that is Halong Bay. it is every bit as good as it looks in photos and
more. aquamarine water, chinese junk boats everywhere, rocky outcroppings with hundreds of areas to explore, some only accessible by sea kayak. we went to this natural cave which was just so....incredible. splendid. amazing and all those other adjectives i can't think of right now. also took a walk up 400 steps for some wicked views of the entire bay. also tried our hand at sea kayaking which is definitely something i would do again in the blink of an eye. great exercise...can't believe i said that but it's true. tonight, sitting down to a great seafood dinner aboard the junk where we will be spending the night. 
more. aquamarine water, chinese junk boats everywhere, rocky outcroppings with hundreds of areas to explore, some only accessible by sea kayak. we went to this natural cave which was just so....incredible. splendid. amazing and all those other adjectives i can't think of right now. also took a walk up 400 steps for some wicked views of the entire bay. also tried our hand at sea kayaking which is definitely something i would do again in the blink of an eye. great exercise...can't believe i said that but it's true. tonight, sitting down to a great seafood dinner aboard the junk where we will be spending the night. the feeling of being here on the water at night is sublime. a warm breeze is blowing off the water while a melody is being played on a bamboo flute somewhere in the ether.
June 27th.2007.
said farewell to the beauty of halong bay and hello to 5 hours of bus riding. tonight, we're going to stay in ninh binh which is nothing more than a place to stop and rest for the night. the next leg of the hourney is going to take us a grueling 10 hours so wanted to try and break it up as much as possible.
we've decided to slow down a bit and just take our time, otherwise this holiday is going to be over. fast.
june 28.2007.
we weren't able to book ourselves on the bus today but let me tell you, i'm glad it worked out that way. we decided to take in some of the sights of north-central vietnam. it feels like an 
entirely different world out here. very rural complete with floating villages, rice paddies and water buffalo. so tranquil and serene. we visited tam coc, which has the familiar karst rock formations, except we saw them by being rowed down a lazy river. what an absolutely perfect way to spend a hot afternoon. we also hired a couple of motorbikes to take us around and really got to see some of the countryside. all in all, a perfect day to while away.
entirely different world out here. very rural complete with floating villages, rice paddies and water buffalo. so tranquil and serene. we visited tam coc, which has the familiar karst rock formations, except we saw them by being rowed down a lazy river. what an absolutely perfect way to spend a hot afternoon. we also hired a couple of motorbikes to take us around and really got to see some of the countryside. all in all, a perfect day to while away.july.1st.2007
happy canada day! yet another national holiday spent abroad but i can't imagine doing so in 
more picturesque surroundings. we left ninh binh behind and got our first, true taste of the bus system here in vietnam. long story short, it was awful. intermittent air cond, thread-bare seats and incessant horn honking every 10 seconds. even after two sleeping tablets, i didn't manage a single wink. i tried until about 4:30 and then just plain gave up. on the plus side, i did see my first sunrise in years. (without me trying to get indoors from the night before, that is!) we arrived here in the former imperial capital of Hue and just crashed. after this bus ride, i've been too tired to truly give this sleepy city the attention it no doubt deserves, but still pretty cool. we depart tomorrow night for another yet shorter bus ride to another culture capital...Hoi An.
more picturesque surroundings. we left ninh binh behind and got our first, true taste of the bus system here in vietnam. long story short, it was awful. intermittent air cond, thread-bare seats and incessant horn honking every 10 seconds. even after two sleeping tablets, i didn't manage a single wink. i tried until about 4:30 and then just plain gave up. on the plus side, i did see my first sunrise in years. (without me trying to get indoors from the night before, that is!) we arrived here in the former imperial capital of Hue and just crashed. after this bus ride, i've been too tired to truly give this sleepy city the attention it no doubt deserves, but still pretty cool. we depart tomorrow night for another yet shorter bus ride to another culture capital...Hoi An.july 5th.2007
this has been a weeks of lots of moving around and seeing lots of great stuff. as i mentioned, hue was alirhgt but didn't really have a lot of the stuff we were looking for. Hoi an on the other hand was much more in keeping with the rustic and ancient feel we've been wanting to see. fading yellow building with terraces, draping plants over them , cobblestone streets lined with shops selling all sorts of handicrafts and knickknacks. it was slow-paced, scenic and enchanting. as far as culture goes, hoi an has been my favourite place so far. it did rain but it made for a nice day of shopping. i actually got a couple of shirts and a suit made which is awesome...all for the bargain price of $60 US!
Now, we've arrived in Nha Trang after yet another grueling 12-hour bus ride. Slept some fo the trip but just crashed as soon as we got to the hotel. today, just been taking it easy in the room. tomorrow, i think we'll just check out something in the morning and then hit the beach for a few hours in the afternoon. i think it will take care of this travel weariness we've been feeling. just a combination of travel, changing rooms too much and dealing with other travellers. (see future post for further details about this)
No comments:
Post a Comment