1/14 Saturday Hanoi to Nihn Bihn

Before leaving Hanoi we strolled along the lake paths on our way to pick up laundry. We were surprised by streets with No Traffic – closed for pedestrians on weekends. Kids motor cars were for rent and we were stopped twice by people wanting to practice their English or interview tourists (in English).

We checked out of the L’opera M Gallery Hotel, had a light lunch and took at cab to the Hanoi Railroad station and were able to sort out when to board and which train to take in plenty of time in spite of the language challenges. About 2 hours later we arrived in Nihn Bihn and took a taxi to our guest house/hotel which turned out to be in the town of Tam Coc instead of Nihn Bihn – but it didn’t matter.

Our lodging is at the end of a narrow town road with views of mountains, a river and rice fields (not yet planted at this time of year). Quite beautiful!

We walked about a kilometer to a open air Vietnamese restaurant and enjoyed Pho dinners as well as the company of an interesting young women who works remotely for a company in Bangalore and travels where she wants- a digital nomad. This month she is enjoying various locations in Vietnam.

Tomorrow we plan to visit a few local sites…

1/13 Friday-Halong Bay-Hanoi

Our day in Halong Bay begin with a tai chi session prior to a field trip to unique caves on Cat Ba Island in the bay. We took the smaller boat to an island dock and were bused to the start of ancient cave used for many purposes including for families hiding during the American war in Vietnam. The cave is extensive and beautiful.

We retuned to our ship, packed, had brunch, and then chatted with a family from Australia and got travel tips for next week before we all returned to shore. On the way I played my ukulele for the 6-year old and let her play too. Fun!

We returned from our lovely boat adventure and then spent some time setting up the next part of our journey which includes two trains, 3 hotels and some other travel modes TBD. I also gathered clothes for a laundry not too far away. We can pick up clean clothes tomorrow morning for 140,000 dong ($6.00)! Then we headed south two hours to our next destination via train – Ninh Binh.

Thursday 1/12 – Halong Bay

We signed up for a tour of Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island for today. After a rough nights sleep – still not adjusted to time zone – we had breakfast, packed luggage and were picked up at 9am for a 2 hour drive to Halong Bay which is east of Hanoi.

At the marina I met two women that traveled on the fabulous looking boat in the photo above and loved it’s historical vibe. However today’s trip is on a different boat which is pretty stunning to me. Built 2017 it echoes the boats built in French Colonial era.

After taking a smaller boat out to our grand boat we enjoyed an excellent buffet while we cruised around the numerous limestone karsts everywhere in the bay.

Later there was an outing- either kayaking or being a passenger in a rowboat and traveling a cave opening to small.

During our water travels we enjoyed a few other smaller vessels.

Prior to dinner was a lesson in making spring rolls and we all were able to try our hand at it. The chef gave us their dipping sauce recipe- I’m looking forward to trying it once we get home!

1/11-Wednesday in Hanoi

After breakfast we sorted out our next destination and booked an overnight boat trip to nearby Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island. I’ll take some Dramamine tonight just in case there are rough seas.

And then, for maybe 4 hours, we walked around some different districts (areas) of Hanoi. Dirk was looking for the somewhat historic Railroad Cafe and I wanted to check out the Dong Xuan Market which I thought would be an interesting craft market.

As usual we didn’t quite find what we expected but enjoyed all the different sites along the way.

We continued toward the market and the area got increasingly more crowded with motorcycles and people. Crossing streets became a game of “you wouldn’t really want to hit me…” as we dodged the vehicles and got braver. We came to streets dense with outdoor markets made more so by the coming New Year celebration.

The Dong Xuan market was not as expected – it’s in a large 3-story building and seems to be mainly a wholesale marketplace – but still interesting to see so many similar items being sold in the same area by many sellers. It is huge!

We were ready for a good lunch and found a local restaurant that also serves vegan meals – that was a treat. (I have to remember to take some food photos!) The name of the restaurant is Cai Mam Vietnamese Restaurant.

The walk back wasn’t quite as energetic and we rested a bit, did some errands, and took it easy. That’s about it for second day/third night in Hanoi.

1/10 Tuesday Hanoi

After traveling 26 hours from Boston to Saigon to Hanoi we arrived at our hotel tired but fine around 10am last night. I did manage to take one photo before showering and heading to bed.

Today we headed to Hanoi’s Old Quarter which begins about 15 minutes from our hotel and contains both historic tunnel homes and other small museums, streets and sidewalks packed with motorcycles and small markets, old temples and street food. We walked along the small Hoag Kiev Lake as we headed to and from the area as well.

Being a bit tired from our journey we managed a half day of exploring before heading back. Dirk was amazed at the narrow streets with buildings practically touching each other. I thought it lucky that we avoided colliding with a motorcycle given the somewhat random way they weave in and out the streets.