Sorry we havn't blogged in a while; we have been very busy! As you know, our tour to Halong Bay had to be cancelled because of the Typhoon, but we were assured that on Monday the weather would be fine and we would FINALLY be able to go. So on Saturday, we were at a bit of a loss as we had two extra days to fill. Fortunately, we were offered a day tour to Perfume Pagoda, which despite being one of the main attractions of Hanoi as stated in the Lonely Planet, we had ignored. It happened to be a lovely suprise! We were taken down the 'Perfume River' by a little rowing boat powered by a tiny little woman! However, she proved to be amazingly strong and she motored us quickly to the foot of the mountain where the Pagoda was. We took a small and extrmely hot cable car to the top- the views of the river and mountains were beautiful. We found the Pagoda (which is a type of temple by the way) at the bottom of a HUGE cave. It had looooads of insects- there was a stick insect bigger than my hand!!! The smell of insence filled the cave and the coolness inside was a relief. We also had to lug around our massive bags because we had booked onto the tour last minute (literally that morning) and so had not prepared anywhere to keep them. This made the whole thing slightly hot and uncomfortable to say the least. Particularly when climbing the numerous steps! Fortunately, some English girls, who at first we HATED (typical Habs girls-Nick) offered to take our bags back down in the cable cars with them as we were climbing down the mountain on foot- they were forgiven!
Sunday was greeted with the news that the storm had passed that night and we would be able to go on our trip. This came as a huge relief as at one point we had considered just moving on which would have meant missing Halong Bay completely. We had a relexing morning with a lovely breakfast (Elodie- the coffee is DELICIOUS here!!! and so cheap!) and planned our walk around the various lakes in Hanoi. After visiting the lakes we decided to keep walking to Lenin Park. It is fair to say that the man has been relatively neglected in comparison to Ho Chi Minh. The park looked like a construction site/jungle- AND you had to PAY to walk around it. We hailed a taxi (or four- as they did not agree with our price)and set off to the Army Museum. Zack loved looking at all the American aircraft (Jamie you would have been in your element)- Elodie, not so much. But we enjoyed a niiice brownie at the end which made up for it and prepared us for the long walk back.
Then for the day we had been waiting for! We got up bright and early as we had been warned (thanks mum and dad (elodie)...) that we would die if we went. So we decided to check with every person possible what the chances were of death. They all said it would be fine so off we went! However, half way there, they informed us that our boat had been damaged in the typhoon and was unable to go out. We would therefore be transferred to a one day boat and would then stay the night in a very posh hotel on Cat Ba Island to make up for it as it was too dangerous to sleep on the boat. They also informed us that another typhoon was coming! You were right Kevin and Adeline! But it wasn't coming until the evening that we were coming home on. The sight of Halong Bay put all our doubts behind us and we were excited to be in the potential 8th wonder of the world. Although not the luxury option we had paid for the boat was still brilliant and it chugged slowly around the GIGANTIC limestone karsts. The first thing we did was to explore the natural caves and tunnels in the rocks by kayak. There was a particular couple that Elodie really did not like as the woman, who was Vietnamese, was EXTREMELY rude and irritating so we took much joy in chasing them around and overtaking them in our kayak. The tunnels were fun to go through and we even saw a big jellyfish floating next to us. We then stopped off at the 'Suprising Cave' which was so-called by our guide because you were 'suprised' when you entered it. He was a small chubby man who resembled the 'Happy Buddha' and was very crude but this added to his hilarity. The lighting inside the cave was not natural but it certainly added to the magic of our surroundings. We were told that three French women discovered the cave whilst climbing the rocks. Our tour guide took great pleasure in showing us the different shaped rocks that looked like animals and certain parts of the body...one of which looked like a 'Beebop' apparently (a boobie). Another cave we visited had natural light and was filled with massive bats. Before we got to Cat Ba island we floated by on our boat and had the pleasure of watching the sun set over the bay. On arrival to the island, we saw a literal shipwreck where one of the jumks, just like ours, had tipped on its side in the storm two days ago, killing three and leaving two still missing. This made us grateful we were staying the hotel for the night!!! The luxury came that evening in the hotel and the room we stayed in cost a lot more than our whole tour put together!!! The dinner that night was a FEAST of different food including the fish from Halong Bay. The next morning (Kevin you would have LOVED it) we had a breakfast buffet which included coffee, chocolate cake, carrot cake and bacon. Zack mainly stayed by the apple juice constantly refilling his cup. Elodie headed straight for the cake. Unfortunately, because of the impending storm, we were not allowed to go to another island or swim in the water as the current was potentially volatile and no-one wanted to risk it- having said this, the weather was beautiful! We sat in the sun and tanned our arms and legs, dangling them over the front. We returned to the dock and had another lovely lunch in the harbour.
Back in Hanoi, we went to our tourist office and got back 30 dollars for the 'inconvenience' caused to us!! It was no problem at all, we had loved it but obviously we didn't complain- extra money for diving! We rushed to the 'Gecko' bar accompanied by two ice-cold Tiger beers. It was one of the most satifsying meals yet after having noodles, noodles and more noodles.
We got on our overnight bus, which was extremely cosy as it had proper beds (chairs that went flat- we weren't used to that luxury). However, Elodie got a fright as she woke up with a man fiddling with her glasses and the bag by her feet. He was practically on her bed! But he quickly left after she shouted at him and didn't return. We arrived in Hue this morning and have had the BEST day yet- we'll write about it tomorrow.
Thanks again for all your comments- miss you all!
Elodie- Claire- WELL DONE CLAAAAAAAIRE! That's so good, you'll have such a good time. I'm so glad you had fun in Paris, it sounds hilarious- and I like the sound of the bike tour! Tessa- Got your e-mail, I will e-mail you back as soon as I can, I'm glad to hear you had such a good time in Turkey! Are you tanned? Edith- Same with you, I will email you back as soon as I can, we're a bit limited with computer time at the moment. I took such a funny picture especially for you today I can't wait for you to see it. I'm pulling your favourite faaaaaaaace. And also, in reply to your comments, yes lots of presents are coming your way. Wait for my big email to you, miss you lots. Mum and Dad- Have fun in France, and don't miss me too much! We've been to lots of Lakes and they keep reminding me of the chalet. We're also by the mountains at the moment and that reminds me too. Love you. Margaux- I got two pairs of Hollister shorts today- for 30p each!!! HAAAA.
Zack - Mum, Dad and Kits, I will email you all soon. Is Bec there now Mum? What are their plans for this Summer? What is Henry doing? I bet Dad is looking forward to the end of Summer Camp! When are you off to Croatia again? It is weird to think that we have only been here for 14 days and that we have so long left! We have done so much already it's unbelievable! Bit weary but a couple of days by the beach will remedy that I'm sure! A refreshing Tiger Beer will help too! Miss you all loads, hope you are enjoying the start of Summer!! Abi - great news about the shirts but don't get them yet ok? I'm going to see if they will do them in Hoi An for me and if it is cheaper I will get them there. I second the congrats to you Claire!! You must be sooo excited!! Jamie - yes I have done surfing but not much, don't worry about me keeping up with you though! Love you all loads, happy travelling so far, xxxx
