Hoi An - Jess

Hoi An

We are adoring Hoi An. While it is rather touristy, with the shops & restaurants geared towards the international guest, the Old Town is quiet ("primitive" transport - motorbikes, bicycle & walking traffic only) at this time of year & easy to navigate. Lanterns & fairy lights line the buildings at night and the whole place has a real old worldy feel to it.

We visit the Japanese covered bridge and tour past the assembly halls and old houses.

We join the tourist crowds and get some clothes tailor made. We are a bit swept up in the friendly service and pretty much order through the first shop we come across - located in the cloth market. The girls are lovely (they pour on the flattery and it's easy to forget they are only working on their sales when they are so friendly and cheery) but professional when it comes to sales & sewing skills. Anthony orders two suits (with vests) and some business shirts. I order a blazer and a dress. It's a bit nervy waiting until the next day to be fitted but we are really happy with the products and I end up ordering another dress. We also have some shoes made up - Anthony gets a flashy pair of sneakers & I get 2 pairs of leather sandals.

I can only laugh as the girls measure us up - they fawn over Anthony "Oh you're sooo tall" and pat him on the butt as he tries on suit pants.  They comment on my measurements ( I already feel huge and awkward standing next to these gorgeous tiny girls) "You tall but chest so small".... Oh dear. As I try on my dress one of the girls bends down, grabs my chest and lifts "Here!" So not only is it too small but also located incorrectly! Double Oh dear!

Flattery and smiles work wonders on Anth & he falls into exchanging Aussie dollar coins for some of the girls - they have already worked out a healthy exchange rate (in their favour) - first time I don't hear him haggling over rates!! Haha!


We are recommended the Blue Dragon restaurant (Read about the Blue Dragon Foundation http://www.bdcf.org/) by a lovely couple from Canberra, and so we try it out for an early dinner. The food is as delicious & fresh as they describe and we wash it all down with (yes, more) Tigers.
* Six course seafood dinner for two people & 3 long neck beers = US$15

We decide to return to Blue Dragon the next day for the cooking course (US$12 each). Most restaurants seem to offer cooking classes based around their specialty dishes. It turns out that we are the only ones booked in for the day so we enjoy the essentially private lesson with Leung. Leung teaches us preparation skills, about different ingredients and how to make spring rolls, pork skewer And lemon fish in banana leaf (we had tried this dish the day before & we were excited to learn the recipe). Leung is a great teacher & we cook well - sooo delicious!

We take a day trip to My Son - once the centre of the kingdom of Champa. Time, weather & American bombing has damaged most of the structures but an area remains (has been restored). We spend the morning visiting the site - surrounded by lush rainforest, & bump into Jim (Newtown, Sydney) who we met on the Hue city tour. We spend some time chatting - it turns out we were on the same flight over from Aus.  In the afternoon we travel back to Hoi An by boat. We also visit a wood carver & try a (slightly shifty looking) nasi goring lunch as provided.
* Tour US$6 including lunch & boat ride. (Another couple tells us that their hotel tried to book this tour for them and charge $40 - ouch)

We have taken to enjoying the Happy Hour(s) provided by the bars and restaurant everywhere. After a day of sightseeing it's nice to sit back and slip into cocktail hour.
* Two for one cocktails US$1.25

The only downer in Hoi An is that our first hotel is a fail. We knew it would be quiet out of town being off season, we were looking forward to staying on (and digging our feet into) a stretch of China Beach, what we didn't count on was the staff, service & cleanliness being "off season" too. While $50 a night is not really much for a hotel room, here it is a lot & should get you a fantastic hotel & room standard.

The cats in the dining area, our complimentary impractical, large, whole watermelon (provided with a teeny-tiny little knife) and playing hide & seek with the staff (I wont worry you with food & hygiene grossness) could only keep us amused for so long so we made the move into town for our third night in Hoi An.

Ah, Glory Hotel, you are a wonderful change. The staff greet us with warm smiles, sort our luggage, bring hot, sweet tea and provide us with local information. Our room is spotless and fresh, the bed is decorated with flowers, the view spectacular. Clean kimono robes call my name. The staff are fantastic and organise our transport to Nha Trang for the next day without any hassle and minimal (if any) mark up. For US$1 more than the cost of our room last night, we are very happy!

Travelling Hoi An to Nha Trang (not 1st class)

Woke early in Hoi an to catch the bus to bus to danang. Greeted by the driver who screamed 'take your shoes off' upon our entry to the bus. Also the bus had sleeper berths, not seats, so there were 2 aisles, 3 'beds' across (aisles in between), a top bunk all through the bus and a broken toilet (that's what the sign written in faded permanent texta said) As mentioned before about taking your shoes off upon entry, the whole bus smelled of feet. 40 minutes later we were in danang.
Travelling to the train station made me glad we didn't stay in danang - it didn't seem like the place had much natural beauty nor did it look like it offered tourists a lot (this i worked out in the 90 min I spent there)

Waited a while at the railway station for our train to arrive (from my experience of 2 times - Vietnam trains aren't punctual) and once it arrived it was a bit of a dump. Crowded, old and a bit of a stuffy smell. Yep this 10hr trip should fly by. The entertainment for the trip on the tv consisted of replayed news in Vietnamese, a Vietnamese comedian in Vietnamese, the transporter 3 in English but pretty sure the copy was pirated (I could see it was a div-x file when it loaded up), a David Attenborough doco redubbed in Vietnamese, Home alone 2 in Vietnamese and jingle all the way (starring Arnie, Tom hanks wife, the kid who played annakin skywalker and comedian sinbad) in Vietnamese. Top shelf.
The prawn crackers we bought tasted and smelled a little too much like prawns and we didnt dare try the hot chicken wheeled out on a trolley and served from a large cardboard box - also served (& probably cooked) by the guy who checked my tickets.

Enough of the negative - i got used to the cabin smell & we still really enjoy traveling on a train and seeing the Vietnamese countryside including going past Quong Ngai which is near where the Mai Lai massacre occured during the Vietnam-American war and despite my whinging about the conditions on the train I'm still pretty sure we will continue to use the rail system.


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Day 9, 10 & 11 - Hoi An

Arrived in Hoi and our bags were wet from the bus ride. Awesome. Checked into the hotel which is on Cua Dai beach. (one of the beaches known as china beach where soldiers played during the American-Vietnam War) Unfortunately weather has been overcast (20 degrees), also the hotel has rubbish everything (breakfast, polite staff etc) Apart from that, we love Hoi an, got clothes tailor made (suits, dresses, shoes) day trip to my sun - return trip by boat, enjoying the tourist strip and got a bargain with some genuine lacoste polo shirts.

A great market set up except walking through the covered market the smell of room temperature meat and alive livestock can be a bit overpowering. One time Jess stopped midway and I had to prod her back while dry reaching to move her along without opening my mouth - its quite cramped moving through the market and I have no idea how people sit next to the meat all day without gagging.

Food, particularly seafood, has been great here, a highlight was a 6 course seafood meal at blue dragon (+3 tiger beer long necks = $15) also took a cooking class there on 3rd day. After 2 nights at agribank beach resort we changed to glory hotel for our 3rd night. No regrets - better everything (location, food, staff, room, clealiness, wifi) except $1au more.

On the 3rd day me and Jess were picking up our new clothes and 1 of the sales girls shows me $2 Australian and asks me if I'll change it to (40,000) dong. I say yes. About 3 seconds later another girl pulls out $5 Australian and all of a sudden I an a currency exchange with no fees..... Think I got scammed there and I'm probably not the first Aussie they tried that trick on. But the girls were charming and Jess got cranky when they kept patting my backside and telling me how good I looked in my new suit/vest combo. $7 Australian up - 140,000VND down - but self esteem sky high.

Apart from that we have eaten street food, and drank the very cheap street beers (only took over a week to build up to that) and I have given into the Oreo's (American biscuit) temptation that every street seller has packets of.

Bus to DaNang and then a day train trip to Nha Trang tomorrow.

Day 7-8 HUEppy Xmas

Checked into hue hotel and within an hour or so we joined the 2nd part of a tour group, seeing some of the tombs around Hue. Vietnam has had a few wars in the 1900's and throughout the tours there is a recurring theme in regards to how many historic buildings of Vietnam have been lost due to this. Many are being rebuilt but not quite the same as having the original. Apart from that the tour had 2 English girls whinging about the $5 entry fee to see 3 tombs. (it didn't bug me if the tourguide was skimming). Once the tour finished went for a swim, had some cocktails in the skybar and booked in for Xmas eve dinner, complete with Asian Santa and Xmas carollers.
Woke up Xmas day with small hangover and started part1 of the tour. Enjoyed seeing the hue citadel the most. Walking back to the hotel I got a little carried away and purchased a couple of pairs of ray ban sunnies (they are real right?)
Walked round hue for a while and then we both went to have a 1 hour massage - hot rock. A bargain for $12.
Went for an arvo swim where I think I left an oil slick in the pool from the massage and rounded Xmas day out with a bucket load of beers at British backpackers pub. U could tell it was British not Aussie by the lack of Aussie music and the Human league, Bowie, Pulp, New order, Sting, Eurythmics .... And the list goes on. But they did have coopers pale ale for sale (but at about $4, which was 4 times the price of regular beer I avoided it). Found hue to be a very easy enjoyable city to visit.
Boxing day bus to hoi an has been booked. Hope Aussies win the cricket


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Location:Hue

Halong Bay (3 day tour)

We are in the car on our way to Halong Bay. Anthony and I have spent the drive glued to the windows, watching the people and scenery pass by.

I've taken to spotting "motorcycle bubbas" Toddlers riding wedged between family members, they are often not big enough to see out from their little 'nest' and often are only noticed when a little hand reaches out from between two adults riding double. They look so cute rugged up against the wind and nestled down between mum and dad.

I also watch for the bicycles with cages housing 40-50 chickens or ducks on the back. What a sight! Off to the free range farm they go to cluck and strut free.... Right?

It's now 9pm - Aboard our Junk Boat

Oh to choose a highlight of today...

We start with the quiet, still beauty of Halong Bay as we putt-putt out to start our journey, add in an indulgent seafood lunch (crab, prawns, pippis, squid) and a few Tiger beers, and I'm pretty much comatose with relaxation on a sun lounge.

We meet our fellow passengers. A family from Chile (with cute kids Pedro & Sophia) and a family from USA Barbara & Charlie & their daughter Amelia. We also meet honeymooners Mark & Rachel from Hervey Bay Qld.

After lunch we ride the small boat to a Ti Top Island to climb the 400 odd steps to the pagoda at the top. After a mild heart explosion we make it up to the top & the amazing views.

We board the small boat again to visit the lagoon. After a ride into the lagoon on a paddle powered boat we climb back aboard the small boat which our captain motors over to a small beach. We watch as monkeys (Long Tail Monkeys that are native to the area) frolic in the trees and bushes. They move the whole mountainside of bushes with their antics. We watch as they drop down onto the beach and to much delight bring along a baby. Very cute! (THIS is the highlight of my day!)

After returning to the junk we join in on the cooking class - we learn to wrap spring rolls - which make up one course at dinner (and are delicious!)

Dinner is another seafood feast & a few more Tiger beers.

Squid fishing is on the agenda for after dinner but I've decided that the view from our bedroom window & the soft, comfy bed is much more inviting.

Also- Today we spotted 9 piglets, piled in a pyramid, on the back of a motorcycle. They must be off to the farm to see their friends the chickens & ducks....

Day Two:
Today I woke at 4am to the view of junks floating on glass-like water. The moon shimmered in the settling fog.

Breakfast was served at 7.30am - toast, eggs and cold meats. Anthony discovered the joys of coffee & condensed milk... He polished off 3 coffees!

After breakfast we boarded the small boat for the Surprising Cave. After wandering through the limestone caves we discovered a monkey climbing down the rockface. He was quite close and a small crowd gathered. It was great to see him so close up, until he grew cranky that no one would feed him and he spotted Pablo's bananas. Our guide called us back to the small boat, and we all moved rather quickly, cranky monkey close behind!

Next stop was the fishing village of Cua Van. The village children saw our junk arrive and quickly paddled out in small hungs to greet us with souvenirs. I couldn't say no to these cuties and bought a green beaded bracelet for VND50,000. My haggling skills are very poor to begin with, let alone when 3 little boys hold up a basket of pretty accessories asking "Madam, please...."!

We boarded hungs (the traditional row boat) to travel through the fishing village to the ecological museum, where we leant about the history of Halong Bay and it's people.

On the return trip, Rachel (a fellow teacher) and I are interested in the local school. We passed by the brightly colored building and heard from the guide that while the school is very close to the homes of the local children (the village of floating homes & boats lines the small bay) and there is a highly trained teacher on site, absenteeism is high. Fishing is the priority of the families and children are more likely to fish than attend school.

We returned to the junk and were greeted by three more children selling souvenirs (Two small girls, aged 8, 6 and a toddler). They posed for photos (VND10,000) and peered in our windows, showing me their colouring books. Our guide told us that while it is a Wednesday and the two older girls should have been at school they are here rowing from junk to junk selling shells and entertaining themselves playing on their little boat until the next junk arrives. I couldn't help it as I waved goodbye out my window I blew kisses back to them and called out "Go to school gorgeous girls".

After lunch we spent some time cruising around in the junk and then finished off the afternoon kayaking and swimming. After hearing Megan's stories of kayaking on Halong Bay, Anthony and I let the crowds paddle ahead and we floated in a quiet secluded area on "monkey watch". We float along taking in the colorful coral underneath us and watched the forest above us for the telltale movement of the monkeys as they move from tree to tree. We briefly caught a glimpse of some high up on the cliff.

When we arrived back at the junk. Anthony, Mark, Rachel and myself took turns jumping from the railings into the deep, green water (of course everyone jumped from the top & I jumped off the lowest level...). The water was cool but refreshing, and of course us Aussies are always keen for a swim.

More seafood feasting & beers for dinner... Hmmm we are getting used to this... and another early night.

Jess x

Day Three:

Today we cruised Halong Bay and visited a fish farm. We watched as other tourists bought fresh seafood (fish, shellfish, squid, mollusks) for their lunch.

After an early lunch it was time to check out & say our goodbyes to the lovely crew & fellow passengers.

Tonight: sleeper train to Hue.

Jess x

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Overnight Train to Hue

Adventures on the overnight train....

The sleeper cabins on the overnight train turned out to be much more comfortable & clean than I had expected. I think I was imagining something along the lines of Slumdog Millionaire (?!?)
The cabins are pretty much basic hostel standard. Clean enough to feel comfortable, basic (cleanish looking) bedding on hard bunks -with our sleep sheets on and our luggage stowed under the beds we felt relaxed enough to bunk down and get some sleep. 

We were lucky to share a cabin with two lovely, polite Korean students - June & Tom. We chatted for a while - soccer really is the international language - before all retiring to our bunks to read and listen to music. Pretty civilized really! 

I think I managed about 6 hours of sleep (be it a bit broken, a bit tossy turny) to awake at 3am to a view of rice fields in the darkness. As the sun rose & the fog lifted we watched rainforests pass by and give way to more rice fields & tall rocky mountains. We passed through small villages and arrived in Hue at 10am. 


Not only is soccer the international language - but so is "iPhone"! Tom works as a graphic designer and he showed us the applications that he has contributed to. June made sure we arrived safely at our destination, he is working in Hue for 6 months as an English teacher. A lovely couple of blokes.

Jess x

Day 4, 5, 6 - Halong Bay & Sleeper Train

Trip from Hanoi to Halong bay was about 3 hours and we got on the transport ship to take us to the junk about midday. Very happy with our accommodation for the 2 nights, as we had our own, albeit small, bathroom with a western toilet (woo hoo). The floor was slanted so the shower was in a corner and it drained to the opposite corner. Food was great, particularly seafood, views were great, saw monkeys that didn't have chains round there ankles, went kayaking, swimming, saw caves, climbed 400 steps up titop mountain and went to a fish farm. The water was clear green but it was a shame to see some rubbish in the ocean basically caused by lazy tourists and bins that don't have lids. There were only 5 other people on the junk who were really nice. Apart from that beers (tiger or Hanoi beer) were $2.50 aust each. We drank about $60 aust over our 2 nights. Also I'm really starting to enjoy black coffee with condensed milk - I wondering if I can get it back in Australia.....

Once back in Hanoi we got a cab to central station in Hanoi, which is about as luxurious as sydneys central station. While waiting I think I overpaid a beggar as he looked very excited when I gave him 50 cents Australian (20000 vnd), he hid the note away quick smart and even made a special effort to wave goodbye to me when he finished his 'rounds'. The smile (although missing some teeth) and wave he gave me made me feel good too.
In Hanoi to get to your platform you actually walk over train tracks. So at 630pm we were allowed onto our overnight train. After purchasing 3 beers for the trip, it was getting close to departure time and it was only Jess and I in our cabin but alas right before departure 2 south Korean uni students, Tom and June (and their lotteria - chicken burger and fries) joined us. In terms or cabin mates they were clean and quiet and looking at some of the overweight, loud British and German travellers who we could been paired with we were fortunate - it would only take 1 or 2 spicy dishes and the cabin could get quite 'stuffy'. In terms of cleanliness it wasnt great, about as good as you would expect from a $40 hotel in Golburn, but I can't see any flea bites or rashes..... yet..... I slept ok on the train, noone snored, and i woke up round 630am to sit up and watch the scenery go by, until we get in hue round 9.30am. I enjoyed the experience, although i didny dare brave the bathrooms (15 hours) and limited my food and liquid intake. I think we will use a sleeper train again for our travels in the next 2 weeks.

Vietnam Adventures: Ninh Binh

So tired tonight, so this will be short...

Where: Ninh Binh & Tam Coc
Who: with our fantastic guide Thai (www.gobambootrek.com)
How: private car w/ driver

* Two hour drive stopping at pagodas & temples and for tea.

* Buffalo "ride" - AUS$1 to sit up on a buffalo.

* Lunch at a restaurant, tried local specialty - goat.

* Boat ride in Tam Coc region. "Tam Coc - The area called Tam Coc is known among travelers as "Ha Long Bay on the rice paddies".

The area is full of huge rock formation protruding from the rice fields scattered along the Ngo Dong River. The meaning of the name is "the 3 caves". The name comes from the 3 caves that the river formed in the rocks on it's path - 127, 70 and 40 meters long. The route: In order to see Tam Coc, you can rent a boat and sail along the river. During the cruise the boat passes through the caves.".(http://www.trekker.co.il/english/ninh_binh/)

* Amazing scenery as we travel along in the boat.

* Buying drinks (beers) for our oarsman and laughing with the ladies selling goods from their little boats. We read plenty of information informing us not to buy from these sellers but we couldn't say no to buying our oarsman a beer, Thai a Red Bull & ourselves a beer as well. After paying the young girl generously for our treats, she hands us "sour apples" which we try. She laughs loudly as I scrunch up my nose at the taste, then informs me that I'll now have a baby (the apples bring fertility) and finds my widened eyes and shocked expression absolutely hilarious!!!

* Spotting the "wild" monkey - our oarsman points out a monkey in a tree as we sip our beers. I'm so excited to see it and snap photos of the little cutie... Until I spot his leg chain. The drink sellers toss apples up the him and stir him up so he "performs".

We have dinner under the sparkling lights around the lake to the tune Christmas carols.

Halong Bay tomorrow.

Sleep now,
Jess x

Location:Lương Ngọc Quyến,Hanoi,Vietnam

Day 3 Hopefully still bug free and dog free

Ready for the day trip to Ninh Binh, we were picked up early this morning from our hotel by our guide, Thai. The destination, Ninh Binh was about 120kms to the South - Jumped in the 4WD drive and noticed that seatbelts were only for the 2 front seat passengers. Not a surpise - the driver worked his way out of Hanoi in the usual honk and go, disorganised way it usually goes here.

Thai, the guide was very formal but friendly and started every guidey speil with 'ladies and gentleman' even though the audience was only me and Jess. I dont know too much about the history of Vietnam but in the same way that queenslanders or victorians are parochial about why the bit they are from is better than other bits Tai was the same way with the North of Vietnam, it didnt take him much to get started about why the North should monopolise most of out Vietnam holiday time - almost made me feel guilty for planning to spend most of my time in the south. Almost.

 Anyway the whole 120km's (approx 2 hours travel) to Ninh Binh was pretty dodgy road with basically old buildings and yet to be complete construction (think roads and buildings) all along the way. Hanoi is booming by 2020 they say it will have 20 million peple. In the few minutes leading up to our midway pitstop, I noticed people and dogs having conflicts (didnt see any bites but mainly people throwing stones at dogs or holding sticks up to hit them) - given that i hadnt had rabies shots (quote from Dr 'dont worry if you get it we'll treat it') i was a bit aprehensive about street dogs. And yep we pull up at our rest stop open the door and five metres away is a guy with stick ready to strike a growling dog. Dont tell Jess but i deliberately chose a seat that would put her in between me and the rabid dog during our tea. Chivalry is dead + plus Jess loves dogs and vice versa. A cup of tea and a toilet straight out of trainspotting (see the movie) and 1 hour later we are in Ninh Binh.

Before our riverboat we had a 9 course lunch, was hoping to not see either  local specialities dog or goat on the menu but alas goat was snuck in there. Food came out one at a time and we had had the 9 dishes and doing a quick recount none of them looked like beef and we werent sure whether we had 1, 2 or 3 chicken or goat dishes - hope they didnt slip in a local specialty dog dish in there......

River cruise was great, through caves and rice fields, we went through 3 caves then turned round and came back the same route. At the halfway point there were the usual tourist gouges (drinks, food and does anyone want a table cloth?) and we thought we were special when the rower of the boat (damn hard work) pointed out a monkey in a tree on the edge. After tasking some photos of the monkey Jess's voice sunk as she said 'Oh, its got a chain on its ankle' (damn thought the little guy came by just as we pulled up). But the beers hit the spot.

On the trip home to Hanoi I was sort of marvelling at how noone in this crazy traffic ever gets hurt. Unfortunately we did pass a motor cycle fatality on the way back to Hanoi so that myth was busted and I was feeling a little sad about it. Also it has dented my confidence in taking a motorcycle trip in Vietnam.

Got home, organised our hotel in Hue, we were feeling tired and unadventurous from a long day so got a cab to whre there was supposedly an Australian bar "the spotted cow" couldnt find it - so walked back and got an unadventurous dinner by the 'lake' (think Hanoi's Darling Harbour) and a few beers and an early night ready to be picked up early tomorrow.

Not sure if ill have time or wifi to post in Halong Bay so next post may be from Hue

Hanoi Day Two: Update (Jess)

After organising ourselves for the next few days we head off to Highway 4 ( 3 Hang Tre Hanoi) for dinner.

Shoes off, we perch on floor cushions in a well worn wooden room. After ordering a couple of stubbie holder clad Hanoi beers, we weigh up the menu. Crickets? Snails? Snake? Frogs legs? Stomach? We order spicy squid, crunchy fried veggie spring rolls and chicken hot pot.

All the food is gorgeous and yummy, until we attempt the hot pot. My new found cooking skills lull me into a false sense of cooking security. Our waiter brings out the large silver pot, to be heated by the little gas cooker on our table. We add raw chicken, tofu, green veggies and rice noodles to the bubbling broth. It has all the potential of being delicious - except I am in charge of the "cooking" - Anthony's job is to hold the hot lid open and remind me about raw chicken utensil contamination!

I may have over cooked it all - think grey instead of green! Hot pot fail! We enjoy picking out the tofu and noodles and sipping on the broth. I even eat (sucked? chewed? gnawed?) the bony chicken pieces, feeling thoroughly local.

As I do I try not to think about this chicken's cousin, who greets us each morning with loud "cockle doodle dos" and who we've come to enjoy waking up to.

Boney chicken love,
Jess x

Day 2 Hanoi plus some planning

Wake up round 6.30am, we have just gone back 3 hours in timezones so thats acceptablly late enough. Went down for breakfast, Jess had Chicken Pho, I had vegetarian fried noodles (still not fully embracing meat dishes here yet but I think I will get more confident as the trip goes on). Decided last night in the absense of any great plans to go do some touristy stuff today.

Headed of by cab to the Mausoleum to see the body of Ho Chi Minh, - very well organised and military style precision to drop your bags off at the entrance, lining up in 2 rows, see the body, dont stop moving, get your stuff back, see his house, cars and his house on stilts - done within an hour.  I now (back at the hotel) read that you arent supposed to wear shorts, but i still dont feel too disrespectful to Ho Chi Minh as there were some UK guys wearing pub crawl t-shirts.

After that we caught a cab down to Hoan Kiem Lake, choose a fairly western, but with french influenced cafe for a coffee and cake snack. Jess had a 2nd shot of coffee, I had a iced coffee with a bucket load of whiskey in it.Walked around the lake, saw tortoise tower and went on the temple in the middle. Still yet to see a live turtle, seeing one is a sign of luck. Apart from that Jess is now in the habit of taking a photo of every food dish that we are served.

Had a bit of trip planning to do in the afternoon. Hmmm, perhaps i should have booked more stuff prior to getting here. Tomorow we are off to Ninh Binh (not the place near Byron Bay) to some rice fields and lakes and caves for a day - then back to Hanoi then the following day off for a 3 day, 2 night stay on a junk boat. Yet to book our sleeper train to Hue yet.

Tourist gouges noticed so far -
1. Sydney Airport (just in general)
2. Travelex at Sydney Airport - Shouldnt have converted so much money into Dong also difference between buying/selling price is damn high probably should have just used ATM's in Vietnam
3. Prices quoted in $US are converted back to Dong at the convenient rate of 20000 Dong (its actually 19500) - but I dont really mind tipping the Vietnamese

Apart from the whinge about the gouges I am really starting to enjoy Hanoi, as opposed to being shitscared of Vitnam in the cab from the airport and remaining scared once we got to our Hotel. Note to self - next time pack more long pants - I am begining to think that the only people that wear shorts in Vietnam are tourists -  I may be proved wrong in the coastal areas - or it may be that Vietnam are finding this 20 degree temperature quite cold.

Glad Australia won the cricket

Got a cab out to dinner to a what we thought was a fairly safe option, Highway 4. Options available on the menu were snake, cricket, snails, frog legs plus the usual 'safe' options. Got starters of squid and spring rolls (both lovely), Jess wanted a hot pot (chicken) which we had to cook ourselves at our table. Hmm - wasnt an expert at this in Australia and not an expert at it now - apart from the fact it has some sort of stomach lining meat in it and that me and Jess started a game of what part of the chicken is the meat from - it was either beak or wing - pretty sure it was wing - the hot pot was lovely. We probably over cooked the  dish in order to stay bug free. Dinner was washed down with 4 Hanoi beers - which I am developing a taste for.

Its now 6.30am here and no health issues yet (touch wood), off to Ninh Binh for a day trip in a few hours where I have read on Wiki travel that they serve goat and a local specialty is dog...... Hmmmm i feel like goat today.

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Below is Jess's version of events

Today is our first full day in Hanoi. A full day of absorbing & processing the sights & sounds of this busy, intense city.

This morning we start the day with a Vietnamese breakfast of fried noodles & juice (for Anthony) and Pho Ga (rice noodles, broth & chicken) and coffee - strong black coffee sweetened with condensed milk (for Jess).

High on a coffee & sugar buzz, we head off to face the Hanoi day.

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanoi

First stop was Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. We follow the crowd through the entrance, falling into line, walking quietly two by two and (quickly) doing as we were instructed by the guards - "You - sunglasses off!"
The crowd moves silently and steadily through the corridors & rooms of the mausoleum. We finally enter the inner chamber where Ho Chi Minh's body is housed in a darkened, wooden case. I am expecting him to look rather creepy (being a dead body an all) but he lies peacefully and looks well 'maintained'.

We file out of the mausoleum and collect our camera from the stand outside (thankfully!). We pay 15,000VDN to walk around the presidential palace area. Again falling into line with the crowds, we visit the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh's house and his house on stilts.

On our way out we find the One Pillar Pagoda. Due to our dress (shorts) we don't venture inside, but snap a few photos from outside. "Legend states that the Emperor had a dream that he was given a son by the goddess of mercy, Quan An, while seated on a lotus flower. Soon afterwards, the Emperor married a peasant girl and had a son. The Emperor built the pagoda to honour the goddess, and it contains a statue of her and many sculptures of lotus flowers. Built over a lotus pond, the pagoda is extremely popular with childless couples and is also believed to have miraculous healing powers" Sorry Mumma Margy!

A hectic taxi ride, and we arrive at Hoan Kiem Lake. We wander along the shoreline and enjoy some people watching. I can't help to make goo-goo eyes at the local children bundled up against the cold (!) and wave back as they peek out from behind their mums and the park benches.

We visit the Ngoc Son Temple and read about the Ho Guon Tortoises. We have not yet spotted a real tortoise, doing so will bring good luck.

Anthony points out that I photographed every wedding we've come across during our walk around the lake... will there be room on the memory card for anything eles? We spot at least 15 before I stop counting, and snapping.

By now I am mid-coffee crash so it's time for a break. We find a seat at a lakeside cafe and order black coffee (yes, with more condensed milk!) and an iced coffee heavy with whiskey. We also enjoy some sweet cakes.

After a bit more of a wander we head back to the hotel, we need to organise our next few days... Halong Bay and Ninh Binh (and maybe go for a swim & nana nap?)...

Love & nana naps,

Jess x