Ha Long Bay Extension

After seeing the rest of the group off from our hotel in Hanoi, we loaded onto a bus ourselves headed to Ha Long Bay.  There were 14 of us traveling with Henry, 8 from Tony’s bus and 6 from Henry’s  The drive was 4 hours, but that included a couple of stops along the way including one to watch a farmer plow his field using a hand plow and water buffalo.

A little further down the road we stopped to watch the very intensive work involved in watering a rice field.  Then time to stop for happy house and coffee, and of course another opportunity to shop. 

The next stop was to board our boat for a four hour trip around Ha Long Bay.  There are some 2000 islands in the bay – very spectacular.  One in particular looks like a fish from one angle and kissing chickens from another angle.

 

 

 

 

After a delightful lunch and a great deal of scenery we stopped at Thein Cung Grotto.  This is a huge and spectacular cave with many shapes and formations.  It along with Ha Long Bay have been declared a World Heritage Site.  We walked up to the entrance – about 50 steps, then another bunch as we walked through the cave.  Then we walked down the other side and back to our boat.  While on board we had the opportunity to make a few more purchases with the specialty being pearls which are cultivated in the area. 

Back in our bus we were taken to the Novatel Ha Long which was beautifully decorated for Christmas.  Several of us went for a nice walk along the shoreline before getting a light dinner and an early bedtime.

The net morning we had a chance to sleep in a bit as we didn't head back to Hanoi until 9:30.  The trip back was nice and easy with a stop at the same Happy House for an early lunch and one more opportunity for shopping.  On the way back we chased after this man riding his scooter with a cow tied onto the back. 

We arrived back in Hanoi and to the same Hotel, with time to explore a little more of the downtown area or to walk around the lake that is close to our hotel.  Eight of us went out to a local restaurant which served a huge variety of Vietnamese dishes from various venders.  The Menu was about 22 pages long and what a variety!  We had a great time trying some different dishes and sharing in the experience. 

After a cab ride back to our hotel we returned to our rooms to pack and prepare for our return trip through Hong Kong then back home.

All in all it has been a wonderful trip with lots of experiences to take home with us to share with whoever wants to listen.

Last Day of Magnificent Mekong

This is the last day of our tour of the Magnificent Mekong, and therefore the last edition of the Newsletter for this tour.  We began the morning – which was pleasantly cool with a wonderful breakfast buffet in the hotel restaurant.  The choices were almost limitless, from traditional North American Breakfast to Vietnamese, Chinese – or any combination of the above.

We then set out early in electric carts for a 45 minute tour of the Old City.  Tony told us that at one time he had lived here, specifically in the area that specialized in Noodles.  As we drove through the area we did note that there would be areas specializing in various products, some with restaurants, others with fresh food, clothing, technical products or even plumbing supplies.  We also had the opportunity to drive along the river bank and saw people participating in everything from Tai Chi to Ballroom dancing.

Being Sunday – we thought the traffic might be a little lighter – if it is – this was not evident.  We often found ourselves playing chicken with tour buses, the government buses, cars and of course motor scooters, bicycles and pedestrians. 

Upon arrival back at the hotel we loaded onto a big tour bus to head off to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Presidential Residence and the Temple of Literature. In the Mausoleum we stood in line for several minutes before being walked at a regular pace - 2 by 2 up the stairs by the preserved body of Ho Chi Minh and then down the other side.  We then toured the Residence grounds and walked up by the very modest house of Ho Chi Minh.  His cars, however were not so modest, though he is not believed to have driven them himself, but used them for official business.

During our tour Tony told us a great deal about Ho Chi Minh’s philosophies and several people commented that they had more respect for the man than we had previously held and had been taught through the Western Press.

 

 

 

Our next stop was the Temple of Literature.  A very interesting facility with  focus on learning and admiration of Intellectual work.  The Topiary was fantastic and the ‘flower arrangements’ with Chinese Characters was really unique. 

Then it was back to our hotel for time to have lunch, wander around the hotel and get some needed rest for some. The Hotel had a Vietnamese Buffet or one could order from the menu.  Several ordered the Pho which was reported to be delicious.

                                               

Then we were off to the Ethnology Museum and the water puppet show.  We started by walking around the Museum grounds with its reproductions of various homes from the different ethnic groups that dwell in Viet Nam.  We were then entertained by a water puppet show which was entertaining, and semi understandable. Mark tried his balance on a test of manliness, but unfortunately was unable to complete the task.  His excuse was that the pole was too wobbly.  The puppeteers are obviously very talented and the children in particular had a great deal of fun.

We then went into the Museum itself where many of us spent time with a group of young people who were there to practice their English.  Many spoke very well and appreciated the time we spent with them which was evidenced by their gift to many of us who participated. 

Driving through town was really interesting – we spied everything from a 72 floor skyscraper to this building that  is just over 4 meters thick. – Very limited space for living arrangements.

Then there was the compulsory stop at the gift shop before we headed off to the Hanoi Hilton Prison.  This was a sobering experience.  A difficult time in Viet Nam’s history with displays of the terrible conditions of the prison and the various means used to dispense punishment to those who were deemed to have committed crimes against those in power.

We took the short ride back to our wonderful hotel to relax and prepare for our Farewell Dinner at the Press Club Restaurant across the street from the hotel. The meal was terrific and Lila’s rendition of “The Egg” was great fun.  It has been a great trip, a wonderful group and our guides have been fabulous.  A special thank you to Tony who was really very special in the care and attention he paid to all of us throughout this past two weeks.

We hope you have enjoyed our contribution to your tour, and although at this time we do not have another booked, we hope you will join us if we plan something in the future.

Last Day in Cambodia On to Hanoi

Our last day in Cambodia!  The sun is shining and there is a lovely blue sky and the birds are singing in the garden surrounding our hotel.  How fortunate can we be! It is time to have breakfast and pack our bags for the last leg of our journey – back to Viet Nam to the city of Hanoi. 

Some chose to stick around the hotel or go exploring in the surrounding area while a 8 of us went with Tony to the HTVO School Village that is supported by Viking.  Once we turned off the main road we encountered a group of village shops, tuk tuks, scooters, bicycles and other means of transport, making the road very narrow.  One little dog decided that it owned the road, so moved only when we became so close we thought we were going to pass directly over it.  We later encountered a motor cyclist with an unusual cargo.  The three pigs were all alive! 

Sothe informed us that our job today was to be teachers for the students, to encourage them to ask us questions, and give us answers to questions we asked them – in other words to give practical lessons in English.

The school is an auxiliary school in that all the students attend regular public school then when they are not in school – either in the morning or the afternoon they attend this school to learn English and computer skills.  Most of the students who greeted us were over 12 and in grade 7 to 10.  The young lady that ‘adopted’ the writer was 14, in grade 10 and plans to become a teacher when she finishes school.  We were shown around the school and had the chance to interact with the younger children whose English was not as well advanced as our guides.

We were also shown the computer lab where the young people learn the basics of computers including how to manipulate Windows and Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel.  My young girl typed her name, age and a bit about her family.  The writer did the same, and she was surprised at the way  I typed.  Then we visited the library which is funded by Viking, including the purchase of the land used to house the facility. (It is small compared to our libraries, but contains a variety of books in Cambodian and English).  We talked about where we all lived and found a globe which helped to illustrate just how far we had come to visit. 

We then walked a little further into the village to see the community pump which has made the collection of water for daily use much easier and safer.  We were also shown their banana and tamarind trees and stepped out of the way when a load of rice made its way to the main road. The visit was really informative and at the end we collected $58 to support the ongoing programs in the village.

Back at our hotel we prepared to vacate our rooms, have lunch, then await transport to the Airport.  We arrived with plenty of time so had to wait for a bit before they would check us in, then it took almost an hour for the last to make it through the line-up with the trainee that had to deal with two rows.  Thanks to Tony and Henry that kept the lines in order and pulled people out of the two long line-ups to go to the empty desk. 

The waiting area was very pleasant, though small compared to many of our airports. It had some unusual Christmas decorations!  Very suitable for the culture.  The flight – uneventful – and we arrived in Hanoi, made it through Immigration – got all the luggage and proceeded to our lovely hotel the Sofitel Metropole Hanoi. By the time we arrived it was close to 9:45 so most just proceeded to their rooms and bed to prepare for an early morning tomorrow.