Ha Long Bay

When people think of Vietnam, I am pretty sure that Ha Long Bay is one of those images that explodes into the brain.  Before my trip fades from memory, I think I should put down a few words and share some of the amazing pictures I took.

We got to Hanoi by overnight train just before dawn.  The journey had been a difficult one, made more difficult by copious amounts of alcohol consumed and a climb down from the top bunk when nature called.  My belly was full of pizza delivered to the station and my ears full from conversations with my bunk mates.  I had managed to sleep a little and managed to catch some of the night scenery on those rocking and rolling nature breaks.

We went to our eventual hotel to have breakfast and store our bags. I was lucky enough to snag the newspaper while enjoying my coffee, omelette, fruit, yogurt and of course my morning flan (crème caramelle the Europeans called it).

Our bus ride through the old quarter of Hanoi out to the road to Ha Long Bay was early enough to be less busy than some of our other morning rides.  The scenery was pleasant and oddly warm and inviting.  If I lived there, I wondered if I could have found a breakfast home amongst these somewhat impromptu kitchens.  Banh Mi and delicious Vietnamese coffee every morning seems like such a great idea.

Approaching Ha Long Bay after several hours, it seemed like our journey was coming to an end, even though there were a couple of days to go. Perhaps it had been the end of the cycling, perhaps it had been the gruelling bus ride, or perhaps it had been the building up to the crest of the highest rise on the roller coaster.  I don’t know.

We got on a skiff that took us to our overnight boat. We got our luggage stowed in our rooms and proceeded to have lunch.  At the same time the boat started to move out of the bay and into what can only be described as otherworldly beautiful.

You’ve all seen the pictures, but nothing is the same as actually being there. The sky was overcast, and many said it would have looked even more spectacular with the sun shining.  While I can’t argue with them, I think that you take nature how it presents itself.  On that grey day, I was sure I was being embraced by nature.  I felt humbled and awed.  I felt so young.

There are reasons why UNESCO designated this area as a treasure or wonder of the world…or whatever they designated it as. It is just one of those “duh?” moments.  One quick look would have told me that.

All of us snapped many pictures and I am sure that many will be better than mine. Some people experimented with black and white.  Some tried for panorama shots.  I am no Ansell Adams, but I hope you enjoy my pictures nonetheless.  I hope my pictures can convey some of what I felt.  Perhaps they will inspire you to go an see it yourself.

We also managed to visit a huge cave complex that was large enough to hold the super bowl in. Sadly this was very overrun by tourists and tour boats, but even that couldn’t mar the fascinating scene.  It was just too large and overpowering.

The night featured a superb meal and some of my tour mates dancing to 80’s disco. They asked me to join them, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.  I regret it now of course, but sometimes you are just not that unreserved.  They were having such a fantastic and unselfconscious time.  Perhaps I should have drunk more with dinner.

Our ride back the next morning presented us with Ha Long Bay with early morning fog. It wasn’t as overcast and the limestone islands looked fantastic.  I could have spent weeks on that boat.

 It didn’t hurt that there breakfast coffee was the most delicious coffee I have ever had in my entire life.  Seriously.  If this were available in Canada….oh I shudder to think how much I would drink.

 

Beer in Vietnam

I’ve got a few more posts about Vietnam coming, but I also need to get some sleep, so this short one will have to suffice for now.

While in Vietnam….and any country I visit really, I try to sample a few of the local brews.  I am not a wine drinker, and my palette is not very refined.  I do like beer though.  Prices were really low.  At most bars the beer cost slight more than one US dollar up to about less than two dollars.  I didn’t have a chance to check out supermarket prices, but I expect that case prices were pretty low.

I could wax on about the taste, but I would just rather show you the pictures of the beers I drank.

My Last Night in Vietnam.

All fantastic things must come to an end.  When I wake, one last Vietnamese breakfast, with lots of delicious Vietnamese coffee.

It has been a fantastic trip, with some great people.

It seems only fitting to find a wall decoration like this on the last day of a cycling holiday.

Here are a few other images.

I had an amazing time.

The Day Less Pedalled

There was no cycling today.  We took a walking tour of Hoi An.  It is a beautiful city.

The city has some great old buildings.  There’s definitely some Japanese and Chinese influence.

Soon, Very Soon

I feel like I am ready…but I feel like I am not ready. My trip to Vietnam is looming and there seems like there is a lot to do and so little to do.  Honestly, it feels like Christmas. only surprisingly the weather is better.

I think everything is on schedule, but I would rather it be done and be heading to the airport. I suppose that’s normal.

The Visa Arrives

I guess the trip is official now. Okay, it was official when I paid for it….and paid for the flight….okay, it’s been official for a while.  The thing is, other than packing and buying a few clothes and toiletries, I was really waiting for my visa.  It arrived today.

I wasn’t expecting any problems, but one never knows how things are going to turn out. I remember encountering difficulty when I got my working visa for Japan.  Things worked out in that case, but maybe it subconsciously affected me.

I was a bit surprised at the price, but it is all part of the expenses for the trip.  I won’t let it bother me or become a point of contention.  Stuff is coming together, and I am getting excited.  I still have lots of time, but I wonder if I should make a packing checklist.

Hopefully, these posts are not annoying too many of you.  I haven’t taken a vacation in a long time and these blogs are helping me keep it all together.  I have also found lots of blogs about the country and am really enjoying reading about the place.

Getting Ready pho my Trip (continued)

Though the trip is still quite a bit of a ways away, (there will be a lot of teaching to be done in those weeks, lots of questions to be answered, and maybe a bit of pounding my head against the smartboard) the preparation continues.

I file this one under the “better safe than sorry” column.  While I wouldn’t call myself a very prepared person, I am trying to change that.  There could be tons of worse things, but one small annoying thing that would become a big negative on the trip would be to get a painful blister.

Getting Ready Pho My Trip

I have only ever had to apply for a visa once before a trip. In actual fact, that wasn’t a vacation but rather the start of my working time in Japan.  Since then, I have always gotten a visa at the airport when I arrived.  I just thought that was something that normally happened.  I assumed that like earthlings in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Canadians were “mostly harmless” and therefore welcome everywhere.

Pho my upcoming trip (my co-workers have started using this joke and I suspect that I will be repeating it numerous times as the trip draws near) to Vietnam, I need a visa. Luckily, it is something that can be done online with a bit of typing, a bit of scanning and a bit of paying.

I picked up a water and wind resistant jacket today. I am getting ready pho my trip.

 

Camera Questions

Once again, I am appealing to readers and friends of readers (please pass this plea along to anyone who could help me).

I am planning a trip in the near future to Vietnam and was wondering about cameras.  I want to capture lots of pictures because the country looks so beautiful.  I will be traveling by bicycle, so I don’t want to carry anything bulky.  And, no, I am not planning on mounting a GoPro on my bike, though the thought did cross my mind.

Recently I have used my smartphone to take most of my pictures.  I seem to have enough memory to take hundreds of pictures and can charge it up by USB.  What I don’t know is

• Will I find USB ports in two or three star hotels in Vietnam?
• Does their different voltage present any problems?

I could also take my Fuji Finepix camera, but I am worried about memory and battery power. Obviously, I can upgrade the memory.

• How long do two AA batteries typically last on the camera?
• Are AA batteries affordable in Vietnam?
• Is there an affordable camera out there that is rugged and can take a whole pile of pictures?

 

A Forever or Two Ago

Let me set the scene as best I can. I was sitting on the bus headed to work.  I had arrived about a minute before the bus was due to arrive–fortunately there is a digital display that is updated in real time telling me when the bus is going to arrive.  Though it is never exactly the same from day to day, I am usually on time and able to avoid the winter air burn on my lungs that racing like a madman for the bus induces.

When boarding my bus, I was unable to take my usual/favourite seat. So, I selected a forward facing seat on the left of the bus.  I could easily have sat on the right but that would involve seeing all of the passengers before they boarded and caused me to play the “please sit beside me/please don’t sit beside me game”.  Perhaps because I was not playing the game this morning, I inadvertently won the game and one of my bus crushes sat beside me.  Not wanting to be a pest/having any good lines and she being curled up in her Beats headphones, I buried myself in a book.

When I looked up from my book, I noticed that the sun was out.

I did a quick double take. What was the sun doing out?  Was I late for work?  I scanned the bus and noticed the usual cast of passengers.  I was obviously on the same bus I always took–but the sun was out.

I guess on the weekend things have changed. While I wasn’t paying attention the days have gotten longer.  I can’t remember when I last rode the bus to work in sunlight.  It seems like a forever or two ago.  It was a cause for minor celebration.

Soon, and at least until the time change, I might even get on the bus in daylight.