Halong Bay. It is iconic Vietnam. I had been looking forward to kayaking through the labyrinth of soaring limestone cliffs ever since I knew I would be in southeast Asia. It was just as spectacular as I had hoped. Though the tourism in the area is a bit disappointing, in the way development tends to be, It was never the less very worthwhile.
Hanoi greeted us with cigarette smoke, rain, chaotic motorbikes threatening dismemberment, and the sweet fermented scent of beer drifting through the streets. We had made it to Vietnam.
Hanoi is the throbbing epicenter of the north, chaotic to say the least. Many find it overwhelming, but no one would deny that this city makes you feel alive. Even if that’s because crossing the street is often an adrenaline pumping affair of blind faith.
One last stomach-turning six hour trip through the mountains brought us back to Luang Prabang, a city we were not anticipating seeing again for many years. It felt good, to step foot back in a favorite city where no map was needed to navigate, it’s as close to a homecoming as we can get abroad.
Plus, we were granted a clear (well, mostly) day to visit the waterfalls we missed out on last time. It was well worth the wait, the clear weather allowed us to swim in the turquoise swimming holes and traverse the muddy terrain with mishap. That is, until it did rain. But we managed to beat it for the most part, and in the rainy season that’s about all you can hope for. At least we’re accepting rain does not assure a ruined day, it simply means you might have to wait under an overhang for a bit until it stops. Continue reading
We knew when we were in Bangkok our plans moving forward would likely change. And thus far in every country we’ve either subtly or dramatically altered our plans. Laos in particular has been nothing like we expected. We had planned to bypass Vang Vieng, but we’re glad we didn’t. We were going to go to the capital city of Vientiane, but after travelers reporting it was really quite boring we opted to head instead to the Plain of Jars in eastern Laos. The plan was to then take the road to Vietnam. We knew it wood be arduous, but weren’t prepared for the complete lack of information or even conflicting information. If we weren’t on a tight schedule through Vietnam we would probably just go for it. But we want to optimize our time in Vietnam. The trade off is security at the sacrifice of some serious funds and likely a few tours/activities. It was the hardest decision we’ve made on the trip so far, and we’re still a bit sad about it. Both because we blew nearly a weeks worth of funds on the overpriced last minute tickets, but also because we felt like we were copping out. We were spending money instead of being adventurous when in all likelihood it would have been fine. We just don’t have good luck with busses, and didn’t want to risk it. And although it’s bitter sweet at least we get to go back to Luang Prabang, our favorite city in Laos and maybe get a second chance at seeing those waterfalls we missed last time! Continue reading
Colliding With The Earth 