The Whitakers In Vietnam

We wake overnight to a loud thunderstorm with rain, thunder and lightning which is quite spectacular.  Then its back to sleep until 5:45 when I head up to the top deck for some gentle tai chi as the sun rises. Its an early breakfast as we are heading to Cat Ba island. This is the largest of the islands in Ha Long and we visit a limestone cave there and drive a little around the island.  Its still raining lightly and this is the first real rain we have had in our whole trip. Back to the boat for another buffet lunch and then, all too soon, its over and we are back to the launch and back in the transfer car headed to Hanoi. Its a final shop for us - a frenzy of shoes and last minute clothing purchases.  Everything is so cheap here and the quality is better than Bali. Our final dinner is back at Beer St followed by a picturesque drink near the St Joseph's cathedral.  This is much quieter and prettier than the bustle of all the bars and touts in the old quarter. A final ...

Its back to the lap of luxury for us.  We have to transfer to the boat via "speed boat" but it turns out its only named this because its faster than the main boat.  Its more like a small passenger boat. There are only about 60 people on board and we start with lunch; the most fantastic seafood buffet with crabs, giant prawns, oysters, seafood pho and snail patties.   We have our own waiter who only looks after us a one other table. After this meal he takes us to our rooms and we are checked into the most gorgeous rooms with balconies.   The scenery is stunning and even though there are many more cruise ships in the Bay much of the time we have lovely views of the bay uninterrupted by other ships.   We then take the launch to the Light Dark Cave where we kayak for about an hour.  Then its back to the boat to jump off the ship and swim.  After this I take the most glorious bath looking out at the scenery.   At 5pm we have drinks ...

This morning started with a swim at the local waterfall.  Our guide was keen to get us away quickly after breakfast and it’s just as well.  We enjoyed the spot all to ourselves and as we were leaving all the other tours turned up.  Then it was a bone shaking ride through a local village.  The road was rough and it was hard going on our bottoms.  The village was green and verdant but the people were poor. Washing by the well outside their homes and farming by hand.  After lunch we visited a textile business made from hemp.  It’s a slow painstaking business all done by hand. Its incredible to consider the time it takes to make it and how they then turn it into colourful items of clothing and bags. Then it was back on a bus and back to Hanoi. On route we stop for pho from a tiny shop.  The stop the bus pulled up to looked unappetising and the place next door seemed the better option.  Whilst we were initially reluctant it turns out to be delicio...

We set off at 8 this morning looking out a misty mountain range.  The views are stunning and seeing them from the back of a bike is something special. Our drivers are so attentive, making sure we are well looked after on the ride, serving us our meals and ensuring we are having a good time.  Most don’t speak much English but they are very kind. We stop wvery hour which is welcome as we are all feeling a little saddle sore.  It’s getting harder to throw our leg over the bike as we mount and dismount. Emma is the most comfortable of all and looks positively laid back when travelling! This afternoon we stop at a swimming hole.  We are transported by bamboo boat to the mouth of a cave where we can swim out of the sun and jump of rocks.  It’s a lot of fun and welcome after being hot, sweaty and gritty on the back of the bikes. We are staying in home stay  tonight. It’s by a river and out the back are paddy fields.  We love it.  It’s party night tonight...

The sleeper bus was a fun way to travel.  Most of us managed to sleep for a few hours and at 2.30am we are woken and tumble out into the hostel in Ha Giang.  We are allocated rooms and fall asleep until 7am. A good breakfast to start the day and then we meet our drivers.  We are also given a helmet and safety pads for our knees and elbows.  It’s a bit misty when we start so we are decked out in plastic pants, boots and ponchos. There are a couple of groups and once we all kitted out we head off in a flurry.  James tells me that Emma’s driver left with the first group!  Luckily we do stop after 45 mins and we are able to have her and her driver join our group.  The views are spectacular and we stop often to take pictures. The roads are winding and steep.  We are very close to the Chinese border and are invited to roam on the Chinese network.  But no matter how high we go there are colourful women working the land, old and young often with babi...

Our first stop is to the Note Cafe where Izzy left a message for Holly when she was here in December.  It’s a riot of sticky notes over four floors so we enjoy a salt coffee and smoothies and leave several notes of our own.  We then make our way through the French Quarter past St Joseph’s Cathedral which is packed as today is Easter Sunday. Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton) is a grim visit. Over half the space is dedicated to details of the French who built the prison and incarcerated Vietnamese revolutionaries.  It details their poor treatment, poor rations, lack of space, corporal and capital punishment. The remainder talks of the American War and the prison was used to hold the pilots who were shot down whilst bombing Hanoi.  The exhibits say how the Americans were pleasantly surprised by their treatment here and show them playing volleyball, celebrating Christmas and receiving medical treatment.  From here we walk through the remainder of the Quarter to the old O...

We are headed to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum but see lots of highlights on the way.  We cross train street just as a train is coming so we hustle onto a table at a cafe to watch it pass by.  We haven’t had time to order drinks and they are seriously overpriced so we leave 100,000 dong (7NZD)and carry on. We walk past the statute of Lenin on the way.  He’s styled Lề Nin in Vietnamese.   The crowds at the mausoleum are huge. Bus loads of school children who are on school trips and who wave out and say hi or give five /fist bump us.  The queues are mostly orderly and we are made to wait single file as the queues move at different speeds.  We are sweltering in our long tops and pants which are needed here.  We queue for about an hour but the queue moves reasonably steadily and it’s cool and sheltered. Lots of Vietnamese here with their young children. It’s all very solemn at the tomb, soldiers in white uniforms as the honour guards.  The body is well preser...

We spend most of the day transferring to Hanoi.  Even though it’s only a 1 hour flight it’s a 30 min car ride to the airport and 40 mins in Hanoi plus some waiting around time.   Hanoi is noisy and busy. Lots of people and bikes. We head out for lunch Bun Cha at bun Cha Huong Lien - famously patronised by Anthony Bourdain and Barack Obama.  Despite the fame the prices are still reasonable and the food is delicious.  A sweeter broth than further South and loads of pork meat. Plus add your own garlic and chilli. We explore a little more, wandering around the Hoa Kiem lake and then find a cold beer to watch the world go by. We then play cards waiting for Holly to arrive.  Finally she is here at 10:30 - Yah!

Our driver picked us up at 9 to explore Hue.  We started with a cruise down the Perfume River.  Just four plastic chairs on board just for us.  We visit the Thien Mu pagoda and then three royal tombs, Minh Mang which is set in 15ha of land with lakes and temples.  It’s vast, pleasing to look at in its symmetry and serene.  He was a well regarded ruler who united much of Vietnam, resisted the French and implemented building and administrative programs. Next was the tomb of Khai Dinh which was smaller but set up on a hill with big views.  The tomb was beautifully done in mosaic.  Our driver told us Khai Dinh wasn’t liked ( seen as a puppet of the French) and was a « ladyboy ». The last tomb was for Tu Duc who was forced to cede South Vietnam to the French.  It was a beautiful site, serene with lakes and koi carp.  There were so many people there taking photos including a wedding couple.  It was a hot day and we were pleased to head home at...