Vietnam

We landed in Hanoi after a quick flight from Singapore. As we disembarked from the plane, a man handed us a piece of paper saying not to be fooled by scams and to find safe and legitimate transport into the city; this was something that we also encountered in the guide book as well, so as we passed through customs, we were on high alert as twenty or so men approached us offering rides. After acquiring a map from the airport tourist office and asking about taxis we were informed that there were legitimate mini buses outside, with the name of the airport on the side of the van, that would take us into the city for $3 US each. After finding our mini bus, we were told the total would be $6 US and we had to pay in US dollar, we did, but everyone else who got in the bus was allowed to pay in Vietnamese Dong, we definitely got the tourist price but I guess it was only $6. However after the thirty-minute drive into the city I would have paid $50 US to have a safer ride. A four land highway, two lanes in each direction, is really a sixteen lane highway in Hanoi, cars drive in the middle of the two lanes and motor bikes fill in the rest of the pavement space, everyone swerving in and out, exiting the highway, passing to go faster, it was madness! Some local people got out of the van early, getting picked up by family members on motorbikes closer to home. We saw a couple drive the streets and the mother was breast-feeding her child as they went along. The driver often wears a helmet but the passengers, often children, do not.

After being dropped off in the Old quarter we put on our packs and started off to find our hotel. We thought Singapore was hot but after an hour of being totally lost in the old city of Hanoi trying to find our hotel, making it through intersections, and being hassled by motor bike taxi drivers and scammers of the street we were sweating! Finally a young woman offered to help us as we poured over the map in our guide book, at first we were suspicious, because it seemed like everyone was trying to make a buck off you, that we looked at her warily but she kindly told us we were only a block away and simply smiled. She was telling the truth and we walked into the air-conditioned lobby of our hotel within minutes. After dropping the bags in our room, we were back out in the streets, armed with the location of the Kangaroo café, the café/tourist office that we were told was the best and cheapest in Vietnam for tours to both Sa Pa and Ha Long bay. As we weren’t sure what time the tourist office closed we tried to hurry, but the streets were crowded and with every block a different name we struggled, eventually we found the café and were amazed at how easy the whole tour booking experience was, they took care of everything for us, a trekking trip in Sa Pa with transport and hotel, and a trip to Ha Long Bay as well as a flight from Hanoi to Hue on the 4^th of October. After our successful mission we walked to the City View Café which is located on the top of one of the tallest buildings in Hanoi and had a drink, Jimmy had a Tiger beer and I had a cool refreshing Sea Breeze, the total was $3, it was amazing, the sun had set and the café looked over the central lake in Hanoi, that the locals view as the heart of their city, couples walked around holding hands, families enjoyed picnic dinners and for a moment everything seemed calm. We enjoyed a nice dinner a Little Hanoi, a restaurant recommended in the guide book and then ventured back to our hotel, however our ten minute walk at most turned into an hour walk through the festivities of Saturday night Hanoi, the streets were crammed with people, and vendors selling everything under the sun, we could barely walk.

The next morning we woke up and had a complimentary breakfast at the hotel, hard bread and strawberry jelly – which seem to be the staple breakfast for tourist here in Vietnam. After showering and backing our bags again we checked out and walked back to the Kangaroo café to drop our bags off, as we would be departing with them to Sa Pa later that night for a three-day stay in the mountains for my birthday. After finding the café a little quicker this time we off loaded our things and we off again for a day of tourist sites. The first was the Hanoi Hilton, the prison were John McCain was detained during the Vietnam War. The prison was hard to find, located right next to, and over shadowed by a new high-rise building called the Hanoi Towers. After circling around and around the area where the prison was suppose to be, we finally found it! It was a real accomplishment; we met a couple the next day who were unable to find it, and finally gave up. What was left of the prison was quite small and most of the information regarding the prison was when it was used as a detention center for Vietnamese patriots during the war with the French before the Americans became involved. We are currently reading a book entitled Patriots to get a better grasp of the Vietnam War as we travel throughout the historic country. The book quotes a Vietnamese taxi driver proudly stating that Vietnam is the only country in the world to have defeated three of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council throughout its history; China, France, and the United States. The author tries to establish a comprehensive historical record, looking at all sides, of the Vietnam War. After the prison we walked to the Temple of Literature for a more uplifting experience. But before we entered the Confucian sanctuary and principle historic learning center in Vietnam we had lunch at the Koto restaurant, an Australian own restaurant that hires and trains underprivileged children in Hanoi culinary and dinning room skills as well as the business side of running a restaurant. The food was amazing Jimmy had a Panini and I had a mocha and a chocolate chip cookie, while sitting on purple overstuffed couches with pink and orange overstuffed pillows. After lunch we walked across the street to the Temple of Literature, which was amazing, beautiful gardens, small temple buildings and large sea turtle statues that are suppose to bring about a long life when touched. After the serine Temple experience we traveled back to the Kangaroo café to have dinner and catch our ride to the train. We got to the train station at 8:00PM and boarded the soft sleeper car shortly there after, we would be traveling on the over night train with another couple from Canada who booked with the Kangaroo café. After two hours of chatting and three beers later for Jimmy and Darren each, Jimmy asked about Canada’s national health care, this lead to another two hours of talking about its benefits as well as its down falls, over all they liked it and couldn’t image life without it. Then it was lights out and everyone seemed to be able to sleep but me. We arrived at 5:30AM in Lao Cai and took a hour and a half bus ride up into the mountains to the town of Sa Pa. The minute I say Sa Pa in the guide book sitting in the Barnes and Noble Café back home in Anchorage I knew that this was where I wanted to spend me 23 birthday, it was one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen located way up in the mountains surrounded by hundred year old villages that were home to the Hamong peoples as well as many other tribes as I came to learn. As we drove up through the mountains as the sun was beginning to rise, I was so happy my dream had become a reality. We checked into the Cat Cat View hotel and had an early beakfast on the terrace over looking the valley. After a short morning nap we met our guide in the lobby for a three hour hike to the Cat Cat waterfalls. Our guides name was Ker and she is a nineteen year old girl with belongs to the Black Hamong tribe. We had a wonderful walk with her and took many pictures. When we returned our amazing hotel that hangs of the side of a mountain, like something seen in Greece but with lush vegitation all around we couldn’t believe we were really here. We had a little dinner in town and walked through local shops, being chased by kids the whole time, calling buy from me, buy from me, the hustling never stops in Vietnam, is seems. The next morning we had an early breakfast and we off on a six hour hike through the mountains, visiting local villages, seeing their historic way of life and we even had a chance to have lunch in a Hmong family home, not a bad way to spend my birthday. After we returned I was able to catch my mom on Skype and we talked for almost forty five minutes with one of the best internet connections we have had throughout our whole entire trip thus far, its amazing how we can be in the “middle of no where” and have great internet connections and satalite TV, the world seems so small. After returning to our room I started to feel sick, unfortunately my system is not as strong as people who grew up in a Hmong village and so my birthday dinner was a box of saltine crackers and a Sprite at about 10PM at night when I started to feel a little better. However the 29 of September in Vietnam is only the 28 of September in the States so I’m going for a two-day birthday this year! We will try the nice fancy birthday dinner tomorrow night in Hanoi, because I have saved my clean new red dress for the occasion!

Today its raining here in Sa Pa, as well as the rest of Vietnam as the country get pounded by tropical storm Ketsana, which wrecked the Philippines over the weekend and has already caused serious flooding in Hue, the city we are scheduled to fly to on the 4^th of October. They say there are three more large tropical storms headed our way in the next week or so, so Jimmy and I are just watching the weather to see what where we will be going next. The plan is to travel back to Hanoi tonight and leave for Ha Long Bay the day after tomorrow, hopefully all works out as planned up to that point because Ha Long Bay looks amazing. We will keep you all updated, miss you tons, love you lots.