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Upt North in Vietnam!
Paul and Carolyn's last 2 weeks in Vietnam had its ups and downs... geographically, not emotionally. From the caves in Halong Bay to the mountains of Sa Pa.
Having given themselves a night to recover from the 16 hour mega-sleeper bus trip in Hanoi they travelled over to the island of Cat Ba in Halong Bay. Being the only Westerners on the local ferry transfer they wondered where all the other tourists were. They'd left swarms behind in Hanoi but were the only non-Vietnamese tourists weaving their way around the tropical island, taking in the stunning scenery.
It turns out it is peak holiday season and Cat Ba island is a popular destination with the Vietnamese. As Vietnamese do not sunbathe, partake in physical exercise or activities, Paul and Carolyn seemed to have the island to themselves once out of town! They hired a scooter and took off on the islands only 2 roads to seek adventure. Sensing little danger on the roads, Paul even allowed Carolyn to have a go at taking the reins.
They came across a huge cave called 'Hospital Cave'. It served both as a secret, bomb-proof hospital during the American War and as a safe house for Viet Cong leaders. There were 17 rooms to explore (all now empty and blissfully cool away from the searing heat outside) including a ping pong room, a huge cinema, swimming pool and games room as well as living quarters.
Next day they went out in a boat for the day exploring Lan Ha bay. This bay is far away from the tourist trail and in the depths of the local fishermen's floating villages. Paul and Carolyn enjoyed many leisurely hours kayaking around the amazingly still and deserted waters; discovering hidden coves, deserted beaches and floating villages. For those Top Gear fans out there, this is the area where they 'drove' their bike-boats to the floating bar!
The seafaring couple booked on to a 2 day boat tour of Halong Bay which would eventually take them back to Hanoi. This was an altogether different but amazing experience. The whole world seemed to be out on the water in a variety of tourist junk boats. It was scorching hot so a visit to yet another massive cave called 'the amazing cave' (and it was!) was a cool respite from the heat. They spent many a leisurely hour drifting around the majestic limestone islands of the bay, only breaking their rest to eat what the chef cooked up for them. Bliss!
Arriving back in Hanoi was a shock to the system. This city is crazy busy and traffic seems to have absolutely no regard for any driving code; traffic lights, sides of the road or even the difference between pavements and roadways seem to not matter to them, making it a challenge to walk anywhere in the tiny streets of the Old Quarter where they were staying. They visited the War Museum, which gave a very biased and triumphant view of the Vietnam wars from the Northern point of view. Paul was also very excited that he actually got to sit in the pilot's seat of a Chinook helicopter, bullet holes in the windscreen and all!
The next day they were booked on a night train to the Hill Station of Sa Pa in the 'Tonkinese Alps'. They had no idea why it was called a 'sleeper train' as they got very little. They felt as if they were being tossed around in a tumble dryer for 10 hours; with a badly laid track and the air con on the blink, they arrived in Sa Pa sweaty & irritable! Things looked up however when they arrived at 6am as they stumbled across a British Pub called The Red Dragon so they settled in for a couple of hours.
Sa Pa was initially built by the French in the 1920's as a mountain resort to enjoy the respite from the heat in the lowlands. Many hill tribes live in the mountains of this area, all wearing unique traditional dress and have their own languages. With the development of tourism in this area, the hill tribes have adapted their culture and now take Sa Pa by storm as a honeypot for selling their wares. They hang around in packs ready to pounce on groups of tourists and follow them around nagging them to buy something. From pestering the tourist, the hill tribes are multilingual, most speaking English, French, German, their own tribal tongue and a little Vietnamese!
Paul and Carolyn booked a trek through the countryside visiting the different hill tribe villages and witnessing the stunning landscape of tiered rice fields on the mountains. This trek took them on a grueling workout over undulating mountainside, over streams and rivers and around tight mountain ledges. It was an amazing workout! The hill tribe women strolled easily like mountain goats beside them with heavy baskets and/or babies on their backs, tackling the tough terrain in flip flops!
The next day they opted for an easier way to see the mountains; by motorbike! Having the roads almost to themselves, they zoomed around the tight bends taking in the awesome vista. They trekked to a stunning waterfall and climbed up to a viewing tower where they could see the Fansipan Mountain (the highest peak in Vietnam) in all its glory.
After spending a month travelling from South to North Vietnam (43 hours by sleeper bus and 20 hours by sleeper train) Paul and Carolyn said an exhausted but fond farewell to Vietnam. It was an interesting country for them; A country where the people were a total mystery; mainly aggressive or pestering but a few amazing people to balance out the agro! In a country where very few people know any English, Paul and Carolyn had to turn their miming skills up a notch to be understood (fun when asking for toilet paper!). The landscape was unforgettable; so dramatic and so beautiful.
Now on to Laos; the last undiscovered country for the Masons.
Speak soon.
Alan (Carolyn & Paul)
- comments
Rosemary Yet another place I wold never choose to visit but very happy to experience it through you. You certainly have had a very in-depth visit to the East! Continue to enjoy as the time draws near for the culture shock of returning to UK and back to work...that will not be easy! Happy Birthday Carolyn next week! Love from Rosemary.Ps I shall miss the blogs once you get home.
Rita Liddiard It would be great to get your blogs published by a travel company it would prove very useful for travell ers and such beautifully written, Im sure Alan could do the 'Prologue' dont you think. Will be thinking of you Tuesday sendings birthday wishes for then Rita xxxxxxxxxxxx
Sam Bentley Love your pictures, the caves and the mountains look amazing! Glad you put a life jacket on Alan while he was on the boat! Great underwater pics. love to you both xxxxx