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Yes, we are in Hanoi -and don't we know it! Hot, wet, noisy and mad. There may be "9 million bicycles in Beijing", but there appears to be "3 times as many motorbikes and scooters in this City", all honking their horns. You take your life into your hands when you cross the road -just walk and pray that you won't be hit by a bike carrying anything from 3 people, 2 live pigs, a crate or two of live dogs or chickens, and yes -we saw it- a mitsubishi fridge/freezer! This place is mad and has been our base for 5 nights and we still can't understand why there is not a pile of twisted metal, spinning wheels and broken human body parts on every corner!
After 2 days of the usual sightseeing (and dodging the traffic), we met up with our fellow travellers who will be our companions for the next 43 days. Needless to say, nan and grumps are by far the oldest, but it has been great fun bonding with our young friends and discovering many shared interests.
The following morning we set off early for the 3 day hilltribe trek. A 4 hour drive was followed by a 2 hour uphill trek to our first overnight stay high in the hills (about 4,000 feet). We were guests of a family of the Hmong tribe and to say that the accommodation was basic is an understatement! After our evening feast (Made by our White Thai cook who accompanied us for the 3 days) we played the card game known to all travellers -'s***head'! The loser of each game had to 'down' a shot of homemade rice wine (fire-water!) in one. If you lost more than 3 times you would have great difficulty in finding and negotiating the long-drop jungle toilet (and that's another story). An early start and breakfast the following day and it's time to descend the 4,000 feet on a long, steep and very slippery path. This, of course, was compensated by looking down at the stunning views of cloud rising over the mountains like islands out at sea. Once through the mist the whole vista opened up beneath us -miles of verdent green rice terraces, vibrant blossoms, towering limestone outcrops and locals going about their daily toil. An image never to be forgotten. 5 hours of walking and yet more food -our lunch; this was followed by an easy 2 hour stroll in sunshine and stunning scenery to our home for the second night, guests of another hilltribe family (White Thai) in their bamboo house on stilts. Now, this was luxury with a much needed and welcome shower -we were all beginning to give each other a very wide berth. When I say shower, I mean a large plastic bowl to stand in and a bucket of cold water with a plastic scoop. Invigourating is a word you could use -but there are many others! Another round of 's***head' and a well earned, fantastic sleep under mosquito nets listening to the night sounds of the jungle. Not such an early start the next day with just a 2 hour stroll through breathtaking lowland scenery. God, did we know which muscles we'd used the previous day! There followed a 3 hour drive away from peace and serenity to the madness that is Hanoi. On reflection, the trek which had held some reservations for us, turned out to be reasonably easy and was most certainly a life changing experience -it's amazing how quickly you can adapt to not having home comforts and living life at a very basic level. Great fun!
It was with great relief the following morning that we could leave the city again for a 3 hour drive to the world heritage site of Halong Bay. Here we boarded our boat for a cruise through the stunning island rock formations and our luxury cabin accommodation for the night. It would have been idyllic had there been a glimpse of the sun instead of being shrouded in deep mist -a quality in it's own right but a bit of sun for lazing on the sundeck would have been good. Our first opportunity to sea kayak was soon after we arrived -a short distance to a nearby island completed by only 2 double kayaks -most the youngsters were too tired after the night before! Our evening was spent getting well oiled and listening to good music through the generations -sad kids had to rely on 'nan & grumps' to supply the speakers for i-pod and mp3 players! A great night and a chance to wind down after the exertion of the last few days. Our second kayaking the following morning was through a huge natural arch (see photos) to a secluded bay. This was great fun! To cut a very long story short, we have now boarded the overnight train (12 hours) to Hue (the old Dynastic capital) and another new experience.........................................speak soon.
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