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MeznG. In the air, on the road, river or sea again
This morning we gave the Tai Chi a miss but went up for coffee and a croissant before going to explore a limestone cave.
A spectacular site in the bay this morning as all the boats that are moored there have there main sails up. It's so picturesque.
We go across by tender and then proceed to climb the 300 steps to enter the cave.
It's only just after 7.30 but we are not the only ones there!
The caves have been used by the fishermen as a safe refuge from the monsoons for hundreds of years and in 1901 when the French arrived in Vietnam they we 'discovered'. There are 3 chambers each one bigger and more spectacular than the one before. They have been open to the public since the mid 1990's after the government cleaned them out and relocated the monkeys and snakes and other wildlife to other islands.
The caverns still fill up with water up to 1 meter deep if there is a typhoon. 2 weeks ago the caves were closed for 5 days because of the water and then the subsequent clean up. It's a very interesting tour and our guide from the boat is Yen and she is very funny with her explanations.
Back to the main boat at 8.30 for breakfast and to pack up.
It's a must do in Vietnam for sure and we have been so lucky with the weather. We had the rain and thunder and lightning but no wind. We had perfect days. Cruises 2 weeks ago were cancelled for 5 days due to the typhoons.
Back at the harbour, Hong is there to meet us and we start the 4 hour trip back to Hanoi, including the customary stop at the government run business again.
Once we arrive back in Hanoi it's free time until 2.30 tomorrow when we fly to Siem Reap.
Really enjoying Vietnam.
After a freshen up back in Hanoi we head out into the street to find the old town to check it out more closely....only problem is that we take a wrong turn and never get to the old town, however we do get to see some other parts of Hanoi.
The Hotel Metropole is in the French Quarter of Hanoi so it was built in the French style, complete with bomb shelters. A lot of diplomats stayed at this hotel and during the Vietnam War the shelters were regularly needed during the heavy bombing of the city. For years these shelters were sealed, the staff of the hotel knew they existed but they were a reminder of terrible times so they chose to forget them. The shelters were re opened in recent years and guests of the hotel are able to take a guided tour with Mr Duc to hear about the history and visit the shelters. It was an interesting tour.
It's now after 7 so we head in the right direction this time to go to Old Town for food. We eat at a bar called Geckos.
A carefully negotiated walk through the streets dodging motorbikes and taxis and people. It's Friday night and the streets are a buzz with people and music and markets.
Love the atmosphere.
A spectacular site in the bay this morning as all the boats that are moored there have there main sails up. It's so picturesque.
We go across by tender and then proceed to climb the 300 steps to enter the cave.
It's only just after 7.30 but we are not the only ones there!
The caves have been used by the fishermen as a safe refuge from the monsoons for hundreds of years and in 1901 when the French arrived in Vietnam they we 'discovered'. There are 3 chambers each one bigger and more spectacular than the one before. They have been open to the public since the mid 1990's after the government cleaned them out and relocated the monkeys and snakes and other wildlife to other islands.
The caverns still fill up with water up to 1 meter deep if there is a typhoon. 2 weeks ago the caves were closed for 5 days because of the water and then the subsequent clean up. It's a very interesting tour and our guide from the boat is Yen and she is very funny with her explanations.
Back to the main boat at 8.30 for breakfast and to pack up.
It's a must do in Vietnam for sure and we have been so lucky with the weather. We had the rain and thunder and lightning but no wind. We had perfect days. Cruises 2 weeks ago were cancelled for 5 days due to the typhoons.
Back at the harbour, Hong is there to meet us and we start the 4 hour trip back to Hanoi, including the customary stop at the government run business again.
Once we arrive back in Hanoi it's free time until 2.30 tomorrow when we fly to Siem Reap.
Really enjoying Vietnam.
After a freshen up back in Hanoi we head out into the street to find the old town to check it out more closely....only problem is that we take a wrong turn and never get to the old town, however we do get to see some other parts of Hanoi.
The Hotel Metropole is in the French Quarter of Hanoi so it was built in the French style, complete with bomb shelters. A lot of diplomats stayed at this hotel and during the Vietnam War the shelters were regularly needed during the heavy bombing of the city. For years these shelters were sealed, the staff of the hotel knew they existed but they were a reminder of terrible times so they chose to forget them. The shelters were re opened in recent years and guests of the hotel are able to take a guided tour with Mr Duc to hear about the history and visit the shelters. It was an interesting tour.
It's now after 7 so we head in the right direction this time to go to Old Town for food. We eat at a bar called Geckos.
A carefully negotiated walk through the streets dodging motorbikes and taxis and people. It's Friday night and the streets are a buzz with people and music and markets.
Love the atmosphere.
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