The best part about Northern Vietnam was that Susie was able to visit us there. I can't pretend that I loved Hanoi and it didn't help that it was raining and cold the first few days we were there BUT it did manage to clear up for when Susie was there. We ended up having a good time doing an overnight trip in Ha Long Bay and then we casually stuck her on the back of Mark's manual motorbike with his luggage and we headed south!
The adventure of us buying motorbikes and actually getting out of Hanoi will be a different post :)
Susie was a trooper and minus a nasty exhaust burn she was unharmed! And while I don't think she had the best weather for the entire trip I know she had some of the best scenery traveling down the Ho Chi Minh trail.
I think Mark appreciated having her on the bike because it gave him someone to talk to while I trailed behind. I appreciated having someone to accompany me while I ((finally)) got a mani/pedi and facial. I wish she could have stayed with us through the end of the trip because I really loved southern Vietnam and the weather was amazing but I think it was a good intro to Asia for her.
Our best day (I think) was when we were in Phung Nha, Vietnam. We had free bicycles from the hostel and took them out into the countryside to a local restaurant called Pub with Cold Beer. Here, you can relax, have a few beers, take an inner tube and float in the river, and casually pick and kill the chicken you'd like to eat for lunch. We opted to stay out of the killing process and just ate it instead along with the best peanut sauce I've ever had.
Having Susie on the trip made me realize that it is really fun to be so close to your sister but I will NEVER kayak with her again.
Views of Ha Long Bay - we slept on one of those boats!
Who's who? Napping on our boat trip
Susie pretending to not be terrified that we would die in the kayak
Really good hair day in Hanoi
Views on the HCM Trail
