Northern Vietnam

Day one in Hanoi is somewhat of a blur, mainly because of the speed at which everything had to be done to get to avoid missing the train to Sapa. Nothing of any real substance occured other than the laying down of millions of dollars in train tickets and halong bay tours...

The train to Sapa was horrible, ten times worse than the trains in China, with chewing gum stuck to light fixtures, coat hooks and every part of the roof. Being on the top bunk I got to experience all this first hand and with someones old stale saliva an inch from my nose. Glad to say however the train back from Sapa was a lot nicer, so it definitely comes down to luck of the draw and short of having cash to spare it's really your only legitimate option. Sapa is a beautiful little town though, an after the mini bus to get there was free of extortion which is so typical of Vietnam. Our hostel, or hotel more like, was one of the highlights, two beds, private bathroom, centre square location and really nice owners cost us $8US, and split between three, I think I can handle that... After checking in and eating breakfast we started our day, finishing the trek some seven hours later but seeing an amazing countryside. We did what I believe is the typical tourist hike and had a group of three local girls follow us down out of the city in the hopes we'd go to their village, or alternatively buy crappy souveniers from them. The latter didn't occur but we did go to the village of Lao Chai and eat lunch there. Although the village is nice and the locals are helpful the hike back up the Sapa was by far the most rewarding part of the entire journey, even if it was ridiculously hard work. The trek back takes you through the rice terraces allowing you to immerse yourself amongst the livestock, village kids and impressive scenery, and set high above a huge stream, it's hugely impressive. It would have been nice to have more time in Sapa and do a trek in the other direction to see the other side of the North, but we didn't so spent the second day exploring the tiny town of Sapa, hanging out in the markets, buying tiny Asian sized trackies that have officially become my favourite pants in the whole wide Asia... that I own. The trip back to Hanoi was nice, other than the honey gang spilling honey all over my bed.

Once back to Hanoi it was virtually straight onto a bus to Halong Bay. We booked the "delux" tour and it was amazing, well worth the 60US, especially when you factor in the torturous stories that are affiliated with the "on a budget" Halong tours. Two lunchs, one dinner, one breakfast, a really nice bed and bathroom, kayaking and a cave tour, not to mention the picturesque views and I was in heaven. The kayaking was definitely a highlight of this entire semester and other than the usual, "you need to pay, even though you already have" bullshit it was remarkable. We even saw monkeys and got to paddle through a cave. Basically Halong Bay is beautiful and even though it is completely over run with junks and tourists the natural beauty is insumountable. It probably could have been better however if the Frenchies on our boat weren't stuck up and would actually talk to us...

Hanoi city is a huge place, but for a tourist it is cut into a quarter of the size and hence the "old quarter" is where we spent all our time. For the tourist on the go, two full days is plenty, but it is certainly a city where you could spend months exploring it, eating, drinking, buying dodgy books/dvds, hanging with the locals and being harassed by local merchants. I really like Hanoi even if I did spend one day in a really shit mood.

The first day we saw a lot, practically cramming the entire middle and west of the Old Quarter into about eight hours of sighseeing. Honestly though we spent enough time in each place. First of course was Ho Chi Minhs Museouleum Complex. Ho Chi Minh himself takes a vacation from October to December but the park and builings where he is usually housed are impressive, even if the guards do restrict you from going even slightly off the marked path. The flag tower, Lenin Square and The Fine Arts Museum were next on the list and I was lucky enough to have a local woman with her baskets let me put it on my shoulder and wear her hat. Obviously she did this so I would buy her fruit, which I did, but it was a great photo opportunity regardless. The fine arts museum was really impressive and worth the 7,000 dong to get in for sure, but then again, what isn't...? After this we headed to the temple of literature, which although cool, due to the hundreds of turtle statues is just another temple which isn't nearly as impressive as most of the places you can go in Asia. The museum of ethnology however is really cool, as they have constructed minority village buildings to display how the people live. The trek back to the Old Quarter though was interesting to say the least, with attempted robbings and gropings all round. The bus ride is really intimidating and not something I would've done alone, or without the help of the local girls.

The second day was not nearly as full on, with the only real tourist stops being the Hoa Lo prison, where President reject McCain spent time hauled up during the Vietnam War, and Quan Su Temple. The Prison was really cool, and maybe even my favourite place we saw in Hanoi, it is really a surreal place and really makes you think about the brutalities of war, especially when the French are concerned. Did you know they used the guillotine on the Vietnamese into the 1930's????????? I also bought a whole lot of dvd's which I really hope work and a few dodgy lonely planet guides. I was impressed by the quality.... The food in Hanoi is also really good, Western and Eastern food is everywhere, with everything from Pizza to Indian to obviously Vietnamese, the best part though is the pricetag! Love it!

All in all, Northern Vietnam, or the week I had in it was really impressive. I personally think Sapa was my favourite place as a tourist, but I could definitely spend an extended period of time in Hanoi as it's so easy to get around and has so many options for cheap prices. I'm even more excited for Ho Chi Minh and December now!