Vietnam – Hanoi, Halong Bay and Ninh Binh (January 1st - 7th, 2018)

After about 3 hours and 20 minutes, we arrived in Hanoi and were picked up by our taxi driver with the name tag 'Michelle Daniel' 😊. It was a good decision because it was already dark outside. By the way, Happy New Year to everyone 😉. Unfortunately, the taxi driver couldn't speak English, so the three of us sat in the taxi in silence! As long as he gets us safely through the traffic, everything is great. It's incredible, they have rules, but nobody follows them! Everyone just does whatever they want, whether it's overtaking, changing lanes, honking, or trying to get attention, they just do it, and there are thousands of scooters and cars doing the same. It's like the bee house where the queen gets kidnapped 😉. Crossing the street for the first time (just walking without studying), then entering the hotel and closing the door...wow, finally some peace and quiet! I have to say, you develop a feeling for crossing the overcrowded street, and even though everyone is walking and driving, it somehow works!

After an hour of rest, we started to feel the vibe of the city in the evening, how is the food, how are the people? Let's go, exploring! We danced through the crowded street with all the fake branded clothing and bags, honking cars and scooters, fruit and vegetable stands, and street food stalls, with small chairs and tables on the street for children. It's incredible what they transport on those scooters. It's like a whole household including all the pets (chickens, pigs, etc.). I have to say, the traffic is surprisingly quiet, and I see the causeway in a completely different light 😉.

Well, the weather is unfortunately not cooperating. It's still gray and rainy every day. But first, let's have breakfast, luckily we have a choice of hot and cold food, and especially fruit! Delicious! After two days of chaos and noise in Hanoi, we spontaneously decided to book a 2-day and 1-night trip to Halong Bay, staying on a boat. It's a natural wonder in the sea with many high rock formations! We're leaving tomorrow!

With our driver and a cool international group, we visited 3 caves, made our own spring rolls, went kayaking, and even did some Tai Chi on the deck (6:30am was a bit too early for us 😉). Spending a night on the boat is something special and unique. Unfortunately, the weather gods still have no mercy on us and kept showing their favorite color - gray - and it kept raining. As a result, the wow-effect of Halong Bay was a bit diminished!

Back in Hanoi, we packed our bags again for Ninh Binh. For a small fee, we booked a so-called tourist bus and were picked up on time at the hotel. But after almost all the guests were on the bus, the guide suddenly disappeared and we were left with a driver who had no interest in what we wanted and booked and couldn't speak a word of English! He wanted to drive us about 7km outside of the city. Luckily, there were other girls on the bus who didn't agree with that. One of them spoke a bit of Vietnamese, while the other called her travel agency, which then spoke to the bus driver! He eventually started driving and once he caught his breath, he confessed 😉.

Nguyen Shack. A bamboo hut by the river, in the middle of the mountains, could there be anything more beautiful (we're still not talking about the sun - we're not talking about things that are not present 😊). So...two giggling girls on a scooter, dressed like Eskimos, driving along these paths and watching the people work in the rice fields. At least the fields are flooded and prepared for when the great unknown - the sun - appears again! Chickens, goats, and cows, all sorts of animals are walking around on the street, and they don't seem to be afraid of tourists at all! Welcome to the peaceful countryside! There are incredibly beautiful places here, and we imagine it would be even more beautiful with the sun 😉. We also visited the largest temple in Asia (Bai Dinh Pagoda) and were extremely impressed. It's a huge Buddha!

Back "home", we settled into our room in the bamboo hut. We spent a total of three nights there, still needing long pants, fluffy socks, and rain jackets! Luckily, we had a fan that could also be used as a heater, so we managed to dry our underwear in 2.5 days! Tomorrow, we rented bicycles and explored the surroundings! The weather forecast actually predicted 2 hours of sun, but unfortunately, it didn't happen! We took a 2.5-hour boat tour (and had to paddle ourselves because our lady had shoulder pain) and then returned to our hut. We finally abandoned our plans to travel from the north to the south and Ilse booked a flight for Monday from Hanoi to Dalat in the south! She also organized transportation and accommodation for two nights in Dalat. And goodbye...