Thursday, December 22, 2022
Noi Bai International Airport: Cảng hàng không quốc tế Nội Bài
The morning started off a little rough with Cady's battle with food poisoning, but by the time we got checked in and through security, our gang was all smiles for our 5:15 am flight to Hanoi!
As we lowered through the clouds, we realized that Hanoi is a pretty large city. Remember from our earlier post that Hanoi was the capital of North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. When Saigon fell to the Northern powers, Hanoi stayed the country's capital despite having a smaller population of 5 million (compared to Ho Chi Minh's population of 10 million.)
We landed around 7:00 am and were greeted by our driver, who would take us to our overnight cruise of Ha Long Bay! We then began the 3-hour car ride, during which Ryan was sure to sneak in a nice nap!
Indochina Junk - Chi nhánh Hạ Long
I booked us a two-day/one-night cruise with Indochina Junk Unique Luxury Cruises as a "splurge" for our trip! Cady and Ryan were fantastic at giving me a good budget for this trip, but there were a few things I knew we had to splurge on, and then make up for it with cheaper hotels in other locations to offset the luxuries, and the Ha Long Bay Cruise was definitely worth the spending! I mean, look at this promo video of our cruise and tell me you wouldn't do the same!?
We arrived at the check-in building and had a little while to chill before being escorted to golf carts that took us to the dock. We then boarded small boats that took us to our large boat, where we were welcomed aboard our home for the next 30 hours!
By 1 pm, we were starving and our lunch was well worth the wait! Our numerous-course meal gave us a chance to try many Vietnamese dishes that Ha Long Bay is famous for! Bryan and Cady delighted in all the fish and shellfish options, while Ryan and I enjoyed eating all the shrimp in the seafood medley clay pot!
Ryan was put under pressure to use the local utensils and his struggle was real!
After lunch, it was time to see our rooms and we were beyond impressed! Spacious, luxurious, and Bryan was NOT disappointed in the bathtub view!
After a few minutes of relaxing and changing into our bathing suits, it was time for some exploring! The Dragon Legend, our junk boat, pulled two smaller boats that took us to shore for our first adventure in Ha Long Bay: cave exploration!
Thiên Cảnh Sơn Cave
As we climbed one of the rocks sticking out of the bay, our tour guide explained the legend of how Ha Long Bay came to be one of the seven natural wonders of the world. According to legend, a dragon spotted the beautiful, calm bay and dove down to have a closer look. As he flew over the calm waters, he dropped pearls and treasures into the bay, and each of these dropped treasures formed an island. The legend states that after admiring his creation, the dragon flew over ancient inland cities before returning to the sky.
From this legend, Hanoi and Ha Long Bay were named: Ha Long means "descending dragon," and Ha noi means "ascending dragon." So the legend says that the dragon descended over the bay, and then ascended into the sky over Hanoi, giving meaning to both cities!
Scientists have a different version of the unique rock formation: millions of years of limestone erosion formed these magnificent islands and unique caves!
After exploring the massive Thiên Cảnh Sơn cave, we headed to a nearby beach for a few hours of kayaking along the Ha Long Bay islands! Pictures just don't do it justice- this new wonder of nature is breathtaking (and not only because we were getting a good arm workout with the paddles!)
I can honestly say that Ha Long Bay is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited, and the rest of our group couldn't agree more!
With jello arms and sea salt covering our bodies, we paddled back to shore in time to snap a few photos before it was time to return to the ship. Bryan and I also spotted a Vietnamese Hugo lying in the sun and reminded us of all we were missing at home. Lucky for us, our amazing dogsitter keeps us up to date with photos while we are away!
Back on board, we headed straight to the upper deck to enjoy a few cocktails while waiting for the sun to set! And y'all: these photos don't disappoint! Ha Long Bay felt majestic from the kayaks, but nothing could touch the view of the islands as the sun went down. Having a few drinks in hand also didn't hurt!
Cady and Ryan finally got the needed downtime and rest they were missing since landing in Vietnam a mere THREE days ago! Both agreed this trip has already packed in more than any other vacation in the past, and all four of us would agree it has been a perfect trip so far!
With the sun officially set, it was time to change clothes and head to the dining room for another delicious meal! Pork, fish, chicken, oysters, veggies and prawns: the courses kept coming and we ended the night with full bellies! Our chef even carved some fruit into the Ha Long Bay dragon from the legend we heard earlier!
Friday, December 23, 2022
I woke up early to the sounds of the ship pulling up the anchor, and peeked out my window to see this morning view! Sitting and basking in the cool morning breeze from our open window, I was reminded why the sea is my favorite place to be! Take me to a beach in Ha Long Bay and leave me there. Preferably a beach with Hugo and Reynolds by my side!
We met Cady and Ryan for a delicious breakfast and then our cruise director explained today's itinerary. After breakfast, it was time to don the fancy life jackets and board our small boats for another trip in the Bay.
Vung Vieng Fishing Village: Làng chài Vung Viêng
We visited the Vung Vieng Fishing Village, which used to be an active fishing village until 2014, when the United States, with the help of other NGOs, helped relocate the families living here to the mainland for health, safety, and better education for the children. Many of the families still return to their floating homes during the day as a social hub for the community and as a meeting spot between fishing trips.
We boarded small boats that were rowed by prior fishing villagers. As they took us through the village, we were able to see tons of floating shacks with platform "yards" for their dogs to explore. We were told the dogs are dropped off in the morning to guard the fishermen's homes while their owners are out at sea earning a living.
Some of the homes were blasting music, while others were hanging out laundry to dry, but all were laughing and enjoying life (during the day) as part of the Vung Vieng Fishing Village community.
When we made it back to the Dragon Legend, we had a few hours to enjoy in the sunshine as the junk boat made its way back towards the harbor. Cady, Ryan, Bryan and I agreed that the best way to spend this time was on the top deck with the view! After a few short minutes of basking in the sun, a bartender arrived with a drink menu. Do we have to leave?! This is what heaven will be like one day.
By noon, it was time for a hearty lunch buffet, where Ryan feasted on fried rice and noodles, while I ate my weight in pumpkin soup! Bryan and Cady, again, enjoyed all the fresh catches of the day with their fish!
We knew the cruise had to come to an end eventually, but boy, was it worth it!?! Ryan argues that this was the best part of the trip so far, (but you should know he has said that after every tour thus far!) and Cady agrees that the drinks on the top deck, in the sun, were just what she needed after the hectic travels so far!
After disembarking our ship, we were assigned a van driver who, we were told, was to take us back to our hotels in Hanoi. We were really impressed with our luxurious accommodations for the next three hours: spacious, comfy chairs in an air-conditioned van!? Yes, please! We all quickly fell asleep for a nice 3-hour nap back to the Vietnamese capital.
Water Puppet Show: Nhà Múa Rối Nước 2 Yên Đức
In the midst of my REM cycle, I wake up to a Vietnamese woman slamming open the van door and, in broken English, telling us to get out for the water puppet show. What? I look at the three Chinese men in the back of our van and ask if they know what's going on. They don't.
So we get out.
We follow this woman to a small outdoor theater surrounding a pond and take a seat. We recognize the faces of a few people from our cruise, so we are feeling slightly better, but not everyone is here...what the heck is going on?!
At this point, I am a little nervous that our van driver has our luggage open somewhere and is selling all our stuff OR he's left us out in the middle of Nowhere Northern Vietnam to fend for ourselves OR we are going to get held up after this puppet show and told we owe $50 a person for a ticket. While the water puppet show begins, I try to keep a smile on my face while I begin typing a very stressed email to our cruise company asking what went wrong.
So while I am attempting to calmly panic, Bryan searches the Dragon Legend's website and finds that they have recently added this "excursion" to the trip itinerary but nobody told us. So I delete said freakout email and try to enjoy the performance while my blood pressure lowers.
I will admit, I am normally a chill traveler- but something about being responsible for two college kids on their first international trip and being the trip planner, I feel like I had to know what was coming at every minute of the trip. And this water puppet show was not part of the (known) plan.
As you can tell from Ryan and Cady's faces above, this wasn't the most exciting show they have ever seen, but it was a unique performance of a traditional Vietnamese art form that has been around for thousands of years.
I guess now isn't the time to remind Cady and Ryan that I had already booked us tickets to see a legit water puppet performance later this afternoon in the city...
Hanoi Golden Holiday Hotel
Eventually, we were escorted back to the van and continued our journey to Hanoi! Everyone attempted to nap a little more during the car ride but Ryan was the one who slept the whole time!
We hit 5:00 traffic as we entered the city and were in bumper-to-bumper traffic for what felt like another hour. We knew we had made it to the city's center when we saw people burning trash in the streets. Lovely. Our driver even got turned around in all the crazy traffic of side streets and alleyways, so Bryan had to help with directions to our hotel!
We got checked into our hotel and were off to explore Hanoi for the evening! With our late city arrival, the Temple of Literature had closed already, so we had a quick change of plans and figured we would try and visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Well, that didn't go well because they required coverings to enter (even though it wasn't a temple...) and Cady nor I had thought to grab our coverups.
By this point, we decide to head towards the water puppet show and see what we stumble upon along the way.
Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre: Nhà Hát Múa Rối Thăng Long
We made it to the theater for our 6 pm water puppet performance at the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre! This theater has traveled around the globe to showcase this traditional art form of Northern Vietnam.
Water Puppetry was invented, developed, and diversified over a thousand years in the Red River Delta spanning between Hanoi and Ha Long Bay. In the early days, water puppetry performances showed the daily life of villagers farming, fishing, and children playing. Since its earliest creation, water puppet shows have expanded to perform ancient legends, myths, and historic events.
With a much larger stage, colorful puppets, and many more puppeteers working behind the curtain, the Thang Long Water Puppet Show was drastically better than the earlier show we saw in Quảng Ninh! But the dark theater and familiar skits weren't enough to keep Cady's eyes open for the entire show!
Bún chả Hương Liên
After Cady woke up for the show's ending, it was time to find dinner! I found Bún chả Hương Liên, a nearby restaurant that is famous for serving President Obama and Anthony Bourdain, the former CNN celebrity chef who ate their $6 dollar dinner here in 2016. The restaurant that is now commonly referred to as “Bun Cha Obama,” isn't in a fancy part of town, nor does it have neon signs attesting to their famous food, but instead is noticeable by the packed stalls and line out the door!
After Cady's bout with food poisoning earlier in the trip from other "suspicious meat," she stuck to the plain noodles, while Bryan and I found the soup to be quite sweet for our tastes. Don't get us wrong, the food was good and the atmosphere was typical for Vietnam restaurants, but we ended the night with a stop at Mcdonalds so Ryan and Cady could end the day with full bellies and a taste of home.
Then it was back to Hanoi Golden Holiday Hotel for a good night's rest!
Saturday, December 24, 2022
Noi Bai International Airport: Cảng hàng không quốc tế Nội Bài
To celebrate Christmas Eve, I let everyone "sleep in" (and by "sleep in," I mean I didn't book another 5 am flight!) We met our driver outside our hotel at 9:15 am and were chauffeured out of the city and back to the airport for our noon flight!
At the check-in counter, we learned that our noon flight had been delayed and they "weren't sure when it would be leaving." Almost on cue, Bryan begins to stress, which then causes Ryan to begin a minor freak out, during which time I am just silently praying for strength to manage both of these boys.
Lucky for us, they were able to bump us to an earlier flight to Ho Chi Minh so we could still make our connecting flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia! We got to jump in line at security and barely made our 11 am flight! Good thing our hotel suggested we leave so early for the airport!
Back in the lovely Ho Chi Minh Airport, we grabbed a hearty lunch of Popeye’s chicken and french fries before checking in for our international flight! With plenty of card games to keep us occupied during the wait, we were happy to sit and laugh as Ryan lost nearly every game of Hearts and Euchre!
Finally, 4:15 pm came around and we boarded our next flight!
Next stop: Cambodia!
--Katie
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