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| halong bay |
The following morning I went to Halong Bay for a day trip- $16- free lunch, bus and boat included. it was i think 3 hrs fr hanoi. slept most of the way but i did manage to see a few temples along the countryside, and verdant rice paddies. it was beautiful.
From the pier, we boarded a junk. and off we sailed to Halong Bay.
I haven't been to our very own version of Halong Bay in Palawan yet, so my perspective on this trip is fresh and untainted. From the hustle and bustle of hanoi, the solace and the grandeur of the place were a welcoming change. chillax lang. the vast cliffs rising fr the water look like dragons swimming. a couple of cliffs looked liked cocks fighting at one point, then as we moved it became a giant turtle. we stopped by a floating market where you can buy fish and fruits. i bought my favorite fruit, atis, or na in vietnamese, and practiced my haggling skills.
Lunch was eaten family style; we are grouped w other passengers, an excellent way of meeting people. in my table there was a german travelling alone, the rest were vietnamese. the viet family was very friendly. gave us pomelo, and put food on our plates- fried tilapia, squid in a delicious sauce, kangkong in garlic, etc.
After lunch we headed out to see a cave that will lead us inside the cliff mountain, revealing a big outdoor pool guarded by cliff walls, ala "The Beach". to get there, we either had to ride a smaller motor boat or we could kayak. The viet family of 3 wanted to kayak, and invited me to be the fourth person. I wasn't very eager to-I haven't done it in a long while, i don't know how far it was, and if there's current it would be more difficult. I finally called it quits when i found out that i will be partnered w the 50-something mom, while the siblings will get another kayak. I don't want and cannot paddle for the both of us. I wriggled out of it by saying i don't have money for the rental and want to ride the motor boat instead and suggested that the mom come w me. we were both happy to do it. The cave tunnel was short, and the view inside is marvelous. it would've been nice to camp there for a couple of days.
We also went inside a cave system, w vast stalactites and stalagmites, brilliantly lit purple, blue, red. it's about 3-storey high. The harbor outside is lovely too, w numerous junks parked, lit by bright sun w a bright blue sky.
The trip home is just as long, but much more happy.
A couple of days in Hanoi... what to do, what to do. I decided to explore the French Quarter, which has beautiful French architecture, wide tree-lined streets and quaint stores. A far cry from the Old Town, like Quiapo and Paris. Ate more pho at the sidewalk. saw the Opera House. went in the History Museum. most interesting is the Hao Lo Prison Museum (Maison Centrale) or "Hanoi Hilton" for the Americans who were locked up there during WWII. It was built to detain vietnamese dissidents rising against the French. The guillotine is still there. the quarters cramped, evidence that conditions of the prisoners there were horrible. I bought a green cap w the red star to commemmorate.
The next day i went to picturesque Temple of Literature, founded in 1070, where their scholars studied Confucius and other disciples. The compound held several courtyards, traditional buildings and tranquil gardens w lotus pools. Then across the road was the Fine Arts Museum. Fell in love w lacquer paintings.
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| street of my guesthouse |
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| halong bay |
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| floating fruit stall |
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| through a cave |
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| one of the oldest bldgs in the French Quarter |
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| Hanoi Opera House |
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| book made of gold! |
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| hao lo prison |
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| temple of literature |
After an afternoon w Luu Van Sin, Nguyen Sang and other vietnamese artworks, i hurriedly went back to the guesthouse to catch my flight to Luang Prabang.
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