This post is a little bit delayed but life happens! I have lots of pictures to help tell the story and I hope you enjoy the journey. If you need a recap of ‘Vietnam: South to North’ check it out here.
Leaving Hue, I boarded an overnight train in a sleeper compartment. I learned the hard way to always try for a bottom bunk. Not only do you have views out the window but it’s also easier to get up and out if need be. I slept like a baby and arrived into Hanoi about 5:00am. I had booked a bus out of Hanoi to an island called Cat Ba. It wasn’t leaving until about 9:00am so I had some time to kill. One gets bombarded by taxi driving and it is overwhelming. I got into a taxi to go the 2-3 miles and quickly realized that the meter was rigged as it was jumping in price. Yes, this happens especially in the bigger cities. In spite of my good nights sleep, I didn’t handle this very well. I waited till I knew I was fairly close to my destination and told him to let me out…..NOW! I told him off royally, later laughing at myself that he probably didn’t understand a word I said but I think he got the message!
It was a 3-hour journey to Cat Ba by bus and ferry. The reason I choose Cat Ba over the more popular ‘Halong Bay’ was that it was said to be much less touristy and crowded. I had a nice couple of days in spite of the pouring rain. I did a day boat trip/tour which included visting different bays, (including Halong Bay), fish farms and kayaking through caves. It was a fun day.
I’ve discovered when traveling in Asia, there’s always some unexpected adventure. I had booked an overnight bus to Sapa. I went to the tourist center at the destinated time for my pick-up. The time came and went and I was assured that the bus was coming. I kept persisting and was told the same thing. Suddenly, (45 minutes late) a car pulls up and I was quickly gestured into the car and we sped to the car ferry to catch my bus. I think we made it by 10 minutes max!
Overnight buses are an adventure in itself. They have compartments, much like a capsule, that you lay in and they are truly designed for the Asian population……small! Once again I arrived in the wee hours of the morning and was surrounded by lovely Hmong women (one of the local hilltribes in Sapa) wanting me to book a trekking tour and a guesthouse. Prior to arriving, I had booked a 3-day tour with an organization called Sapa Sisters and a place to stay so I was all set.
I loved Sapa. The air was clean and the mountains green and amazingly beautiful! I had one day to relax and explore Sapa and did quite a bit of walking on my explorations. I started my 3-day tour and had my own private guide named ‘Little Chi’. She was fabulous and I enjoyed every minute of the trek. I even enjoyed trekking in the pouring rain and having to wade through a road that had turned into a river. I learned so much from her about the local Hmong people as well as surrounding hilltribes. I stayed in homestays along the way and had one lunch at a local house which was very primitive. It was interesting to see how they lived, cooked and what they used to sustain their everyday life. Sapa was definitely a highlight in Vietnam!
I had another adventure getting from Sapa to Hanoi. This time I wanted the luxury of an overnight train and the possibity of a good nights sleep and booked ahead for it. Well….nature had other things in mind…..the heavy rains prevented the train from running that night so I boarded another overnight bus. For some reason the bus wouldn’t go all the way into the Old Quarter of Hanoi and let us out in the pouring rain in the middle of nowhere at 1:00 in the morning. I was so thankful for my ‘Grab’ (like Uber) app and a very flexible check-in time at the Airbnb that I had booked.
I didn’t expect to like Hanoi but I found that there was a certain charm and energy there. I stayed near the area called ‘Westlake’ and it was fun to get up in the early morning and go to the lake to exercise with the locals. Yes, I got stared at quite a bit but it was fun. The Vietnamese are extremely active in the early morning.
I wish I had done ‘The Hanoi Food Tour’ at the beginning of my Vietnam adventure because I learned so much about the food and culture. I opted to do a private tour because I wanted to focus on vegetarian and mostly vegan. Thank goodness it was a walking tour because I ate so much food and it was all fabulous! Now I know exactly what and how to order Vietnamese food that’s vegetarian and/or vegan.
My month in Vietnam came to an end and I headed to Thailand for the next installment of ‘My ButterflyTour’
Wishing you all much love and good health,
Antoinette
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love reading about all your travel ……….envy
Dear One, what an amazing adventure. You are an inspiration. Sending you lots of love! Christi