Kayaking to Monkey Island!

We stayed the night on Cat Ba island. The next day we took kayaks and went kayaking among the karsts.

Well, Rohan did most of the kayaking while I focused on sunbathing. It was a gorgeous place to go kayaking.

We had a break on Monkey Island, yep that's right, and saw some cute little monkeys. 

Kayaking back to Cat Ba island we passed floating fishing villages where people live in floating houses and live through fishing.

Halong Bay was stunning and it would have been nice to be able to spend more time there. Unfortunately we had a boat to catch.

Back in Hanoi it was time to say goodbye to our tour group. 

The Vietnam tour was coming to an end. Most of the others headed to their home countries the next day, but Rohan and I still had one more day to spend in Hanoi. 

Perfume River

In Hue we also did a dragon boat cruise on the Perfume river. On the way there we stopped to see some more of the local handicrafts. 

The boat trip was nice and relaxing with beautiful views. We stopped to have a look at a pagoda that was the tallest in Vietnam. It is one of the oldest and most famous religious buildings of the country.

We took yet another overnight train to Hanoi, where we would arrive early in the morning. 

Hoi An part III

Next day we did a bike ride to the countryside. We visited a small town in the country and a museum where an old lady showed us how the farm work was done in the old days.

In Vietnam, in the old days, black smiles were considered healthy and beautiful. It was believed that only demons and animals have long white teeth. Dark teeth are the result of chewing betel. Betel is a mild stimulant and it is chewed like tobacco.

We left our bikes by the river and jumped on a boat. We stopped for lunch by the river, and then took the boat back to Hoi An as the sun went down. 

Later we went to a bar by the beach for some buckets. 

The next day it was time to move on again...

Relaxing in Hoi An

We spent three nights in Hoi An, relaxing, small riverside town in Central Vietnam. It is famous for its tailoring, and all the other travellers had some clothes custom made. With its quiet streets, pretty, wooden buildings, nice, relaxing atmosphere, not to mention a gorgeous beach, Hoi An felt like a haven from all the hectic Vietnamese cities. 

We had a nice hotel room with a pool as well. 

Wandering around the busy local markets was always interesting. Fresh veggies, herbs, fruit, live chickens and ducks! And cheap food, of course.

In Hoi An the pace of life seemed slower than elsewhere in the country, and I would have loved to spend more time there. We did a boat trip, a bike ride to the countryside, a cooking class and we even had some time to enjoy beach life, but I'll leave that until next time....

Mud Bathing in Nha Trang

After the boat trip it was time for dinner and drinks. I was still stressed about my lost backpack that still hadn't made its way back to me. In Vietnam, especially in the less touristy areas, you are expected to cover your knees and shoulders. I didn't have many appropriate pieces of clothing to choose from at all, so I really missed my backpack.

We went for some buckets to a bar where there were some Westerners working as well. 

The next day it was time for soaking in a mud bath! It is supposed to have magic health benefits. It is very good for your skin and can heal different conditions from rheumatism to tuberculosis... Or at least that's what they say. There were hot springs and pools as well to swim in.

When leaving the baths, I forgot my camera on a bench in the middle of hundreds of local and overseas tourists. I didn't realise it until we got back. Our tour guide made a phone call to the mud baths, and what do you know, to everybody's surprise, it was safe! LUCKY?!!

The same evening we took another overnight train to Hoi An. This time, we only got a small bottle of vodka...

Boat trip in Nha Trang

After another day in Ho Chi Minh City we took an overnight train to the beach town of Nha Trang. Overnight train in Vietnam was a fun experience. We had prepared ourselves for it with a huge bottle of cheap vodka.

The vodka did its job, and it remains a mystery where or who from I got this train conductor uniform... Apparently I had stolen some poor guy's clothes. But looks like we had fun!

We arrived in Nha Trang early morning. We couldn't check in at the hotel yet, so we decided to go and cure our hangovers with some local pho for breakfast. Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup, often served with beef or chicken, herbs and lime, and traditionally had for breakfast. I absolutely loved it, and had it most mornings.

After breakfast we went to see the beach, which looked stunning in the morning sun. The same day we went for a boat trip to the nearby islands. We soaked up the sun and visited an aquarium, where we saw some pretty ugly fish!

On the boat we had entertainment, the local Backstreet Boys were performing. Or that's what they said.

The highlight of my boat trip was definitely when everybody jumped off the boat with blow-up rings and they had a floating bar. With FREE drinks! I could hardly believe it since more often than not, the Vietnamese like ripping off tourists. But this time there was no catch, the sun was shining, music was playing and drinks were flowing... Good times!

Nine Dragon River Delta

In Vietnam we did a 15-day small group tour by Intrepid. From Ho Chi Minh City we headed down to the Mekong Delta.

When we got to the river, we boarded a small private boat and cruised along the vast waterways and small hidden pathways. 

Coconuts are everything at the river.

Coconut candy, yum!

We visited some local industries on the way.

We had a yummy lunch, delicious dishes one after another! I was starting to love Vietnamese food. And they sure know how to make the food look nice too!

Life on the Delta revolves around the river and many of these villages are only accessible by boat. 

We stayed at a local home, dorm style with basic facilities. Very basic for us, but luxury for the locals.

The family took good care of us with heaps of yummy food again, not to mention the entertainment! Everybody was friendly even though we didn't often have a common language.

From the home we did a bike ride to a small village, where I got to carpet weaving. If I was Vietnamese, I most likely wouldn't be in the carpet making business, as I wasn't very good at it. On the way back we got some rain.

The next morning we took a boat back to HCMC, where we would be catching an overnight train to Nha Trang.