Good Morning Vietnam

Good Morning Everyone! We have had quite the eventful few days in Vietnam. After flying into Hanoi from Luang Prabang we quickly discovered that Vietnam roads are full of motorbikes, cows, and kamikaze bus drivers. We were instantly exhilerated yet terrified by the streets of Hanoi. But the Backpackers Hostel we stayed at made everything okay. We got delicious food at Little Hanoi (the original not the copy-cat) and booked ourselves on a possible booze cruise to Halong Bay. The trip to Halong Bay ended up being a delight, minus the 3 hour drive there which was like a path to hell. But once we were on board and handed sombreros we knew we had booked on the right boat. Halong Bay can only be described as mystical and enchantingly beautiful. The weather is almost always hazy so the 3,000 karst islands pop out like something you would read about in a fairytale storybook. We had a fun group of characters which really contributed to the overall experience. We kayaked, spelunked, feasted, and treated ourselves to many Hanoi Vodka cocktails. After two days on the Bay and another car ride from Hell we returned to Hanoi for some divine street food and a 14 hour overnight train ride to Hoi An, which we shared with a nice smelly French couple.

Hoi An is another UNESCO World Heritage Site like Luang Prabang and we enjoyed it to the fullest. Hoi An is famous for its tailors and we took full advantage of their services. We each had two winter coats made to our measurements for "Cheap Cheap" and they look like something out of a J.Crew catalog ("Same Same...But Different" as they say in Southeast Asia). We are so pleased that we want to come back with the actual catalog and have everything copied for a fraction of the price. Not too sound too fatty but the food is amazing and Hoi An's specialities are just as good as we had heard. We feasted at the Blue Dragon, which not only has scrumptious grilled fish wrapped in banana leaves, but also gives a portion of their proceeds to programs for street kids. By happy coincidence we were in town the night of the Full Moon which meant we enjoyed a Lantern Festival on the river. Lucky us. Our second day in Hoi An we rented bikes and cruised down to a secluded beach and enjoyed our first dip in the South China Sea. We picked up our jackets which, we can't wait to show off back in the States, and boarded a bus that took us around the block and put us on another bus (typical Asia) which was our overnight bus/chariot to Nha Trang. The bus consisted of rows of three bunk beds across with pods for our feet. To give you a mental image, neither of us could fully stretch our legs and it felt like we were lying in dentist chairs. As characters of all different kinds packed into the bus we handled the situation by cracking open some beers, munching on some Ritz crackers and Oreos and peanut butter, and setting up shop in the aisle with our cards. We were continuously interrupted with new guests but halfway into the 12 hour tumultuous bus ride we picked up a permanent "aisle mate," an adorable Vietnamese boy who literally slept in the aisle in between us. We were nice enough to give our blankets to him to use as a pillow instead of the water bottle he was currently using. Still wasn't a comfortable ride for any of us, but we made it in one piece, although Lauren wasn't sure she would be able to wake Trish out of her drug-induced slumber. We are now in Nha Trang "the Cancun of Vietnam" and going to take a nap on the beach before we book ourselves on a night train to Saigon, and more importantly, to Ms. Caitlin Blodget.

All in all Vietnam is wonderful and we can't wait to spend the second leg of our journey here with Caitlin. We plan to treat ourselves to a few days on Phu Quoc Island before exploring the Mekong Delta and heading to Cambodia. Now time for breakfast and beach naps.

Xoxo,
T&L