ASIA TRIP 2013
Hanoi to Halong Bay
Today, we are leaving Hanoi for a 3 1/2 hour drive to Halong Bay. We will tour Halong Bay and sleep on a junk. This has been on my "bucket list" since I first met Tom Linton from Trails of Indochina. Seeing the pictures of junks on the quiet water touring the small islands around Halong Bay has always called to me.
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| Pho (pronounced Fa) |
Yesterday, we toured Hanoi seeing Ho Chi Minh's body in state, visiting where he lived and ended with meeting a 94 year old Vietnamese historian to hear about Vietnam from it's inception to current day. Unfortunately, he possible had a stroke and at times, it was difficult to understand him but following his logic was quite easy. Interesting professor. One thing that we did that I REALLY did not like was a tour of Hanoi on a pedicab. This went on for 1 hour. The problem was it was in the middle of all the crazy traffic that is Hanoi. We were in the middle of buses, cars and scooters. We passed buildings that I didn't understand (signage in Vietnamese) which was frustrating BUT we did have a chance to see city life. I saw women sitting on the sidewalk preparing Pho (pronounced Fa), men lined up on the sidewalk getting haircuts and children walking home from school with their grandparents. We were passed by people on scooters carrying desks in the back of their scooter and a bag full of who knows what in front of them. The street life is amazing! I felt like I had swallowed all of Vietnam's pollution though in 1 hour so for my clients, I would not recommend this tour.
More to share on our Asia 2013 Trip in the next few days!!
The World is Our Playground!
Mari
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