Jared has just left for the airport to board his plane for Laos. I get to use our room's computer for a few more hours (and the room's A/C - which, I can't believe I'm saying this - I am really enjoying). As for the heat - it is actually not that hot, it is just really, really muggy. The weather is bearable if (all sufficient conditions, no one condition is necessary): 1) It isn't between the hours of 10-2, 2) you are in the shade, 3) there is a breeze.
Before I forget to write it down, here is a list of things about Hanoi I don't want to forget:
1. Children making offerings in the street (burning paper money).
2. Spontaneous Vietnamese style Zumba classes for women on the sidewalks
3. Kids plating badminton everywhere without a net
4. The four lucky Vietnamese animals are: dragon, turtle, phoenix, and unicorn. It sort of sucks for the Vietnamese that only one of these animals actually exists.
5. Tons of Russian flags everywhere (and soviet style propaganda posters) - even more Russian flags in the country (that we saw in our drive from Hanoi to the coast)
6. We have not met /seen any Americans yet. The hotel staff tells us Americans are rare - most English speaking tourists are Australians (second are the British, but we've only seen a few Brits).
I also haven't seen any single non-Vietnamese woman walking around, which makes me nervous. It makes me think I maybe should have booked the backpackers hotel in Hue, instead of the nicer hotel (so I could meet some travel companions). I think when I get to Hue I will book a guide for the whole day to take me around so I don't have to navigate everything by myself.
Now, our last night/day in Hanoi:
Jared and I got back to the hotel and found our new room. We, apparently, had won a room lottery! A suite in the hotel opened up (someone had cancelled), and the Ruby's staff told us that they picked a person at random to give an upgrade to. I'm not so sure if our upgrade was random - I think they were trying to be nice to Jared and give us the more accessible bathroom - but I'll take whatever we can get. The room is huge! It is bigger than my apartment, with two king-sized beds, a large desk with computer, big flat screen TV, and vanity station. The bathroom is quite large with a big walk in shower with 5 different shower heads (which I couldn't figure out how to use). Safe, ironing board, 3 nightstands....so super nice.
We dropped off our stuff in the new room and decided to go to a spa. The Lonely Planet recommended a spa that happened to be owned by the same hotel chain and we decided to go there. The hotel called us a cab (free, since we were using the spa's services), and we arrived at the Elegance Diamond hotel's spa called "La Siesta" (funny that a spa in Vietnam has a Spanish name but whatever).
We were going to just get quick 45 minute massages, but decided on the "his" and "her" package which lasted 4 hours! This was splugry, but for around $100 per person, it felt worth it. We started with tea and lotus flower candies (delicious), and then were lead into the massage room where we would both be treated together. In fact, the hostess made sure to tell me (she looked at me when she said this) that we would only be apart for the treatment for 20 minutes. I bet they have many people wondering if their partners/husbands are getting more than just a massage...but this place was above board. Sorry, no happy endings here.
Our treatments started with a full body scrub; I think mine was honey and sea salt. The scrubbed everywhere - my armpits, boobs, everything. It was quite nice. This part probably lasted for 45 minutes. Then we took separate baths in these beautiful wooden tubs filled with lime slices and lotus petals. After that, we had 1.5 hour long massages. Then, there was this totally nice "herbal" treatment where the woman put different hot sacks of herbs on different spots on my body. The herbs smelled super earthy and wonderful - similar to the herbs I smelled in a clay room in Oakland where Lana and I went to a spa. After the herbal treatment, we had facials. Finally, they served us pho and watermelon slices. (Jared, tragically, does not like pho. Again - seriously picky eater. I bet he'll lose a lot of weight on this trip because there isn't much he can eat.)
All in all, I think we were there for like 4.5 hours and it was very, very nice. It felt like a really wonderful vacation day - started out the day in one of the most beautiful spots I've ever been to (the lagoon in Halong Bay), fancy hotel suite upgrade, spa day...
After the spa we took cyclos around the old quarter - around the lake, to the opera house, down small side streets...it was very nice, and very relaxing.
We got home to the room, watched some CNN and fell asleep.
I've been having such a decadent vacation and I know the relaxing luxury part of the vacation is coming to an end. I will stay in Hanoi for the rest of today - probably spending more time walking around and perhaps I will go to a museum - and then I leave on the train for Hue at 11 pm. The train is overnight. I've book the nicest accommodations on the train you can - but the train, according to the guidebooks, can still be sketchy. I will be wearing my stupid money belt (which I hate - so hot and sweaty), and I will lock my backpack to the birth.
Now that I've had my vacation, I'm off to do work. Ruins in Hue and My Son. Taking pictures, taking notes.
I'll miss tooling around with Jared. Overall he's been a great travel companion. He makes friends fast, gets up on time, and doesn't mind when I go off without him (when he is too tired).
I'll try to write more tomorrow night (8/28), at the end of my first full night in Hue.
OH! Before I forget: When we were booking the cruise, the hostess showed us pictures of the boat and the cabins. One picture was of a gigantic hot tub with a woman lounging in it - both Jared and I went "wow, ahh!" (at the hot tub) - but the hostess curtly responded, "Woman not included in cruise!" and flipped the page! Again, there have been small indications here and there that many are here for sex tourism and that our hotel will have none of it.
If anyone reading this is thinking about going to Hanoi, I highly recommend the Ruby Elegance Hotel. It has been a real pleasure staying here.
I'm off - I'm nervous about starting the solo portion of my trip, but this is what I signed up for. I want to know that I can do it alone if I have to.
