VIETNAM - the 2nd time around

major rewind part IV

It came time to leave Korea. I thought I was gonna go home right away because my mom was supposed to have heart surgery, but then my sister told me that I had time to travel. I jumped on the opportunity because I LOVE to travel. Hmm, where to go, where to go? I decided that I wanted to go back to the semi-motherland of Vietnam to explore the northern and central regions because I didn't have the chance to do so the first time I went to Vietnam. So I purchased my one-way ticket to Hanoi, packed up my 70 liter backpack, and went on my merry way to the beginning of an amazing trip through Southeast Asia.

I arrived in the capital city and made my way to the newer Hanoi Backpacker Hostel on Ma May. It's a beautiful hostel. So big, clean, and equipped with a restaurant/bar, lounge floor with huge TV, and 2 computer areas. The dorms were nice as well - comfy beds, clean, equipped with lockers under your bed. I believe I only stayed one night because I was gonna return to Hanoi after I finished with Central Vietnam because my flight to Malaysia was from the Hanoi airport.



The time I spent in Hanoi (this first time), I went to the Temple of Literature, which was the city's first university. They have these huge stone rectangular plaques on top of huge turtles with names engraved on them. These were the diplomas!



I also went to the Museum of History (Bao Tang Lich Su). I saw lots of artifacts - drums, jewelry, statues, thrones, bells, china, swords, crowns, etc. It was a nice museum. After I was done roaming through the exhibits, I was super hungry and didn't wanna walk around too much to look for a worthwhile restaurant, so I just went to the restaurant next door. There were lots of Vietnamese people there so I figured it would be OK. It was a bit pricier than other restaurants but I didn't care; it was still cheap to me!



I had a bowl of pho and FINALLY an avocado milkshake! My first time in Vietnam, I was unable to track down an avocado milkshake because it wasn't the season. I guess 2 months later, the season had arrived and I was thrilled. It wasn't exactly what I expected but it was still good. A bit warmer than I liked (I don't think they blended it with ice. I'm a stickler for ice-blended drinks!) but it was still drinkable.



I walked around aimlessly and saw a few sights, including the St. Joseph's Cathedral, the Opera House (Nha Hat Lon), the Monument of King Le Thai To, streetside barbershop, the Ngoc Son Temple, the Lake of the Restored Sword (Hoan Kiem Lake), and other places around the Old Quarter. I was also able to get some che, dessert. Yum. I love Hanoi; it's such a great city.

Hue



I went to Hue next. I met Brian there at the Hue Backpacker Hostel, which is associated with the Hanoi Backpacker Hostel. Going to Hue, I took my first sleeper bus. It wasn't the most comfortable sleeping conditions but it's a lot worse for someone who is taller than 5'7". I am so grateful for my small stature in times like this. I had booked the bus during my wander around town and it had left later that night at about 8pm. They had us meet at 6 or some time ridiculously early and just had us wait for ever to actually depart. When I had gone to the 6pm meet up time, we went over to a travel agency (a different one than the one I had booked through) and I saw this tall, lanky, pale boy. I asked him if he was going to Hue as well and he said yes, so I befriended him. We talked, I got to know him, and we went on the bus together. His name was Aleksi and he was from Finland and a baby at only 18 years old, traveling on his own. I don't think I would've had the guts to travel alone at 18, but at 24, I was OK with it. haha. He didn't have a place to stay in Hue but he did have a Lonely Planet, one of my requirements for a potential travelmate. I'm so shallow. hahah I told him where I was headed to and we used his handy dandy LP to locate the hostel. We booked our beds and were put in separate rooms.





We ended up doing our own thing that day. I went to walk around alone and he explored as well but with a couple of his roommates. I walked to the Citadel but I didn't go inside because I was saving it for when I meet up with Brian. I went to get lunch at this restaurant where they support the blind and deaf. I had some weird banh trang that felt like toilet seat covers and I had some weird vegetable mixture to wrap inside. It tasted good, but very different. As soon as I left the restaurant, I saw Aleksi and the two new buds, Justin & Faheem. They were on their way to eat lunch. They invited me along and I was reluctant because I had already eaten, but I had nothing else to do, so I joined them and actually ended up going to the Citadel with them. Thank goodness I did because when I met up with Brian, he had already gone. The Citadel is the historic residence of the rulers of Vietnam. It's really old and I love the antique look of it all.



The following day, Aleksi and I took a bike ride around town. I wanted to go to the Thien Mu Pagoda so we found our way there as well. We weren't sure if we were going in the right direction even though we followed the scant street signs. We eventually made it there. It was nice and I enjoyed bicycling there and back and all around. After the pagoda, we went to eat bun bo hue, the local delicacy and a favorite of my mom's! It was DE-LICIOUS!



After that, we parted ways and I rode to the Dong Ba Market. I rode there a couple times but didn't walk through it because I didn't have a bike lock! It was really packed and hectic. The ride there was also crazy - I almost hit a lady on a motorbike because she was stupid and cut me off and slowed down in front of me for no reason!



Hue Backpacker Hostel does a happy hour where you can get free beer for an hour. We would gather there together and just chat. One night, I saw Brian and he was speaking to a couple new people, Sarah and Evan. I was hesitant at first because they just looked too cool for me, but we all ended up becoming really good pals! We all had an amazing night out together. We had dinner at a great little restaurant down the street from the hostel. The waitress there was so funny and worldly. She had a friend from every country. And then Brown Eyes, a crazy bar/club with a good mix of locals and foreigners. We had so much fun dancing the night away! We left the bar and Sarah, Brian, and I decided to get some late night food. We stumbled across a little roadside pho restaurant but the old man was closing up shop. He said he would stay open for us and he made us some very peppery pho. It did the trick and ameliorated us tipsy folk. Then early the next morning, Aleksi, Faheem, Brian, and I took the bus to Hoi An, the ancient city.





We spent a couple nights in Hoi An at the Grass Land Hotel, which is where the bus dropped us off. It was an OK hotel. It had an indoor pool, but I don't think anyone ever uses it. They also offer free bikes for you to ride! I love bikes, so this was a goodie for me! We took advantage of this and we went bike riding around town. We went to the riverside, through the little alleys and shops, and then to the beach! We got a bit lost but via a roundabout route, we made it! We weren't prepared (no bathing suits, no beach towels, no nothing), so we didn't spend too much time there. We did spend enough time there to bury Faheem though who stripped down to his boxers. Brian also sculpted a wee-wee on his sand body which may or may not be true to size.


Later that night, we "splurged" on a gourmet meal on the riverside at River Lounge right across the bridge. We all opted for the prix fixe meal and it was probably the most amazing thing I ate in Vietnam. I had spring rolls - fresh and fried, pumpkin soup (YUM!), boneless chicken in a sesame/soy/ginger reduction with rice and mango. Soooo good and it was only about $10.


After dinner, we went to sit on the OTHER side of the river for some "local" beer. We thought it would be some special Hoi An beer, but it was just 333 in a can. I guess by "local", they meant Vietnamese. I guess it's "local". =/ The river was beautiful with the lit up lanterns in animal shapes, e.g., dragons, fish, etc. It was so colorful and the light reflecting from the restaurants on the river's surface was just a sight to see. After our beers, we took a stroll around town only to be harassed by promoters trying to lure us to go to their bar. We ended up following this guy to some bar in the boonies. Aleksi, Brian, and I were kinda reluctant while Faheem was confidently following the shady Vietnamese man through a deserted street. With a sigh of relief, we arrived at a bar that actually existed with tons of graffiti on the wall that proved that there were customers at one point in time because there were none at that moment. We were the only ones there! Eventually a few more suckers entered the bar and enjoyed a game of pool.

The next day, Faheem left early to go to the tailor shop to get multiple custom-made suits for his disproportionate body. Aleksi, Brian, and I went later and unexpectedly got some clothing made. I got a blazer and Brian got a pair of shorts and a button-up. I paid waaaaaay too much for my blazer. I forgot to bargain; I got so caught up in the process! I've never gotten anything tailor made prior to this, so it was very exciting to have something made just for me! After the tailor shop, the three of us decided to buy a ticket to go through the ancient city. We got to see some souvenir shops, a temple with a drum made with animal skin (you could still see the hairs!), and the Japanese Bridge. I got a bit sick after a while so we took a breather and then headed back to the hotel.



When we arrived at the hotel, we were surprised by a couple of old friends, Sarah and Evan!! I was so happy to see them! We met on the bridge to go to dinner together. Brian insisted on going to this one street that we had seen earlier when riding in a taxi. We wandered around like crazy trying to find this street! Finally, we stumbled upon the street and had some delicious food! I had some chicken cooked with some passion fruit. So exotic! Teehee.

After dinner, we, of course, had to go for some drinks! Sarah and I really wanted to go to a bar, but Faheem and Aleksi wanted to buy a bottle of whiskey and some coke and just drink on the street. We weren't sure if it was acceptable or illegal or what. In the end, Sarah and I were quelled into the mobile bar scene and had a great time! Sarah really wanted to go to a karaoke place and we spotted one. We went through the corridor and it looked like a residence. They told us the karaoke place was closed. I don't know if they meant forever or just for the night because I don't even think this place existed! Sarah befriended a Vietnamese guy who said he knew of a place and then he led us there on some false pretenses. We stayed for an hour, sang some songs, paid for one bottle of whiskey but drank 2, and then scurried off when Faheem ordered us to in extreme dramatic fashion. I don't remember if it was before or after the karaoke place, but we also went to a club. There were some half-naked ladies dancing but the place wasn't really our scene. Sarah and Evan left without notice but we found them sitting on the curb drinking some whiskey. After the whiskey, we inevitably felt the hunger pangs set in, at least Sarah and I did. We really wanted to find some food but nothing was open at that hour. Sarah and Evan hopped on a motorbike, Brian and I hopped on another, and (we thought) Faheem and Aleksi hopped on another. These moto-drivers said they would take us to get some food. We drove on for what seemed like forever in the darkness with no restaurant in sight. Brian was behind me saying that we shouldn't have gotten on the motorbikes because we were warned not to ride so late at night. He was afraid we'd get sodomized by these guys. I was a bit wary as well but what the hell, I'm in Vietnam! And for the record, there was no sodomy that night. But there was pho! After our lovely meal, we headed back to our respective hotels. As soon as Brian and I got off our motorbike, Faheem yelled to us from the balcony. Yeay, they're alive! We went upstairs to have a chat. They had taken a taxi home. Where they got the taxi, I do not know. There were barely any motorbikes available! The next day, Brian and I were headed back to Hanoi (via plane!) to meet up with David and go on our trip to Halong Bay!


We went back to Hanoi Backpacker Hostel and found David. We relaxed until dinner time and when dinner time came, there was a tug-of-war as to where to eat. Brian wanted to eat pizza at the hostel because there was a special promo that night. David and I wanted to eat somewhere authentic Vietnamese because we're in Vietnam! We won the fight and went down the road to eat some delicious curbside BBQ. It was so good and I was so happy after that because quality food does exist in Vietnam and we found it!

The next morning, we went on our way to Halong Bay. I was so excited for the trip but also a bit reluctant because Brian and David wanted to do the overnight trip on the boat. I didn't want to sleep on the boat because one of the boats sank and a few people died. Eek! But freak accidents do happen but they are not frequent. We took a minibus with 30 people total to go to the dock to board the little boats to get to the big boat. While in the bus, we all introduced ourselves and said a little tidbit about ourselves. I mentioned that I didn't know how to swim and I didn't think if tonight was gonna be a good idea. Everyone was like, "Uh...what are you doing here!? You know you're gonna be a boat, right?" hahah Yes, yes I did, but I guess I'm a risk taker!

We get on a big boat, eat some lunch, and then get paired up and assigned to rooms. Some people were couples or friends so they roomed together, but there were loners like me who didn't have a partner. I ended up rooming with a girl from Ireland named Eimear (pronounced ee-ma, yeah, those Irish people have a messed up language, haha, just kidding!). She was really sweet. So sweet that I was OK with sharing a bed with her.

After lunch, there was some picture taking of the beautiful scenery from the top deck, some swimming by the swimmers, some activities with the longest beer bong known to man, sea kayaking, cave exploring, and lagooning. Halong Bay is full of limestone rock formations varying in size and shape. It is such an amazing sight, and when we were there, it was very misty, so that definitely added to the mystique and mystery of this fairy tale place.

We went kayaking and I was so scared to be so close to the water! The kayak gets all up in there. Thank goodness it was a two-person kayak. I went with David and we were a pretty good team. At least I think so! He probably thought I was a weakling because at times he would say, "Just stop paddling." haha I thought I was doing OK! We went to a cave that is rarely visited by tourists (or so we were told) and it led to a lagoon. Some people went swimming in the lagoon. It looked beautiful! I wish I could swim =( Then we headed back to the big boat. David and I were one of the first pairs to arrive. It was beginning to get dark and as David and I were paddling, I saw the water light up. I excitedly asked David, "Did you see that??" and he's like, "What?" and I said, "THE WATER! It lights up when you hit it!" and then he witnessed it. So cool. Then later, I heard the group leader yell to us to look at the phosphorescence of the water. That's what it was! I thought the Vietnamese people dumped a crapload of food coloring into the bay. hahah


That night, we had the boat party and it was pretty fun. Well, we had dinner first, and then we played some quick drinking games, and then a massive game of King's Cup/Ring of Fire, except there was no Cup and no Ring but there was like 50,000 decks of cards in this game. We actually had 2 games going on simultaneously because if we didn't, you'd have to wait forever for your turn. This game was unlike any other game I've ever played. Usually, when I play different versions of it, there are lots of similarities, but this one was beyond different. There were rules like Confession where you had to confess something and everyone had to decide whether or not it was an extreme enough confession, if not, you had to drink. Some people confessed things like, "My dad introduced me to his friend and then I ended up having an affair with him." Scandalous."I had sex with my best friend's sister and he doesn't know about it." Uh, OK. Brian said, "I kissed a girl and I liked it." haha That was his pretend confession; he said something else afterwards. I'm SO glad I didn't pick the confession card! There was another one called Troll where you had to go under the tables and stay there until the next Troll card was picked. While you were under there, you could tap on anyone's leg and they'd have to give you a sip of their drink. There was another rule where you had to switch one article of clothing with the person of the opposite sex to the left of you. There were many other really fun rules. After the drinking games, we had a dance party. The whole night was just so much fun. Halong Bay was the perfect backdrop for all the festivities.



The next morning, we had an early wake-up call and breakfast. We get to the dock, get off the boat, and onto the minibus on our way back to the hostel. We get back to our hostel and then for dinner, we ended up having a delicious hot pot dinner with a Canadian guy I started speaking to at the computer station. It was so good and the portion was so large that it probably could've fed a small village.



I had my flight to Kuala Lumpur the next day. I love Vietnam but it was time to explore another country! So the next day, the boys and I headed to the Hoa Lo Prison (where John McCain was a POW during the Vietnam War!) and a random temple. I wanted to go to the Ho Chi Minh Mauseoleum, but I didn't end up going. Maybe next time!

So...I missed my flight to Malaysia. I misjudged how far the airport was and the time it took to get there, so I went to Malaysia Airlines' headquarters to book a new ticket and then back to the Hanoi Backpacker Hostel and requested to be in the same dorm room as Brian and David. They were surprised to see me! That night, I went to the Thang Long Water Puppet Show via my first ride in a rickshaw. The show was OK...not really my kind of thing, but I had heard that in Hanoi, you just HAVE TO go see a water puppet show. I think the artistry and skill needed to perform the show is cool, but the "orchestra" so to speak was not giving off a good vibe. I know they are just supplying the music and your eyes should be focused on the puppets, but they were sitting to the side in plain sight. They should at least put some effort into showing that they enjoy what they're doing, or fake it! The next day, I didn't go anywhere. I stayed at the hostel until it was time to leave for the airport. I went to the airport early to avoid missing my flight AGAIN!