So our new annual traditional of taking a long weekend to celebrate Buddha’s birthday (aka Vesak Day) found us in Vietnam this year. After a welcoming Mom back from some marathon work travel, (by giving her 7 whole hours in the apartment to repack)- we headed on a short flight to Hanoi. We worked our way into our hotel in the Old Quarter- and then found a delicious Vietnamese restaurant- highlights being pho, fresh spring rolls and a Hanoi specialty called bun cha (three types of pork – pork belly, pork neck and mince pork grilled over vermicelli noodles balanced with a herb salad and a spectacular sauce). They even brought out a flaming drink after the meal. After taxing through the city a bit, we battled some extreme heat (40- and we mean C not F) to see the Temple of Literature. This was the oldest university in Vietnam- consisting of several awesome temples, very interesting statues with goofy hats, golden turtles and a giant drum. The most interesting items were giant concrete slabs on top of turtles into which the names of folks who had passed the grand exam were carved- oldest ones dating back to ~1300. These stones were such national treasures that during the Vietnam war they were buried in the sand to prevent any damage. Next up, we needed a cold drink- so went to the very cool bar in the Sofitel- a colonial hotel previously known as the Metropole. Then we walked around Hoan Kiem Lake to the Temple of the Jade Mountain, located on an island in the lake. (Quite a few more turtle statues – relating a legend where a scared turtle gave a warrior a scared sword which helped him to defeat invaders and become king- then the turtle asked for it back cause you never know when you might need a sacred sword- hence Hoan Kiem Lake- or “Lake of the Restored Sword”)
Our last stop during the day was the Thang Long Water Pupper theater for an awesome show. Accompanied by local Vietnamese instruments and music, the puppets danced and swam, had water fights and the dragons even shot fire out of their mouths. Stories telling the tails of fishermen, working the rice paddies (the inspiration for the water puppets), the phoenix, more turtles and royal processions. Very cool!
But we soon found out that the best way to see Hanoi, was in the evening, the temperature drops but the party really starts to heat up! We worked are way to a roof top bar for great views and drinks- followed by a small restaurant- more spring rolls, bum cha and a special pumpkin dish where beef was roasted inside the pumpkin. After playing a game of real life froggert to get across the motorbike filled streets (Jay struggled with this game, just proves Crossy road is not good training for the classics), we found the night market- for a few souvenirs – including Ben’s pineapple and strawberry pants and Jack scoring big by finding a reasonable quality rubiks cube (meaning it hasn’t broken yet!) for the equivalent of $2. On our way out of the market, we saw a huge concert ending- and Dad even got a small shove from one of the 50 security guards protecting the star who must have been the Justin Bieber of Vietnam from his adoring teenage girl fans…. Then just as we were about to end a busy day, Ben begged us to hit up another roof top bar for some live music!
After our big day in Hanoi, we caught an early morning car for a 3 hour drive out to Halong Bay. After the obligatory stop in a crazy gift shop (some really nice paintings and sculptures…and more importantly ice cream bars)…we arrived at the port- bustling with people waiting to get on their boat cruises. We had selected the Dragon company- for a 3 day, 2 night cruise in the more off the beaten path part of the Halong Bay know as Bai Tu Long Bay. We lucked out as we shared the boat with only one other couple – a navy helicopter pilot and a piano teacher living in Hawaii. As we left the port, we saw the private yacht of the owner of the Totenham Hotspurs- really huge! Then after that we got our 1st glimpse of the awesome karst islands that make the area famous…Over 1600 limestone islands in the turquoise blue water. Many with rough jagged edges, others that make the shapes of whales or turtles floating in the sea. When we ventured far enough out we got to try our luck kayaking- a 2+ hour paddle that included kayaking through a cave and a stop at a cool beach that we had all to ourselves for a much needed swim. Back on the boat, we had some wonderful meals, Jack got his time to solve the cube under 3 minutes and Ben played some excellent chess and Monopoly Deal! Nightime greeted us with a spectacular sunset and then an even cooler “moon rise” as the water glowed red as the full moon came up. We got to sleep on our beautiful bunks with cool porthole windows as the boat rocked on through the night.
The 2nd day of our cruise featured a morning stop at Thien Cahn Son cave. This one we walked up to- (halfway up one on the karts rock formations)- followed by a few stray dogs. Inside, we had 2 large room of stalactites, stalagmites and pillars all to ourselves (well and the dogs). After our cave hike, we returned to the beach to meet up with Mom who had found the coolest little sand crabs. Another kayaking trip await and we glimpsed the perfect shaped “Whale Rock”…we called him Ismael. After some more cruising, with plenty of board games and Jack getting his rubiks cube solve time to 1 1/4 minutes…we pulled up for our beach barbecue. After some great swimming, we were treated to grilled prawns, fish, chicken and beef- right on our own little beach! Back on the boat, a few more rounds of boards games were followed by a cooking classes, where we mastered the art of making spring rolls (well at least Jay, Bee and Mom did..Dad’s spring roll was a bit lopsided). The highlight of tonight’s dinner (other than our spring rolls) was the presentation- beautiful fruit carvings of cranes and even a ship done by the talented chef! Really awesome!
On Day 3 in the boat, we took a trip to a fishing village, Vong Vieng. This is a local fishing village centuries old where the houses, community center and supply sheds are all on stilts right in the bay. Villagers fish all day and then go to the mainland to sell their catch! We got a ride in a cool little rowboat, saw a toucan in the distance and even went under a giant rock arch. Afterwards, we got a very cool lesson on how pearls are grown – from selecting the right shells, slightly opening them to seed the pearl, allowing them to grow and seeing both the high quality ones and the pearls with more unique structure. Mom picked out a “perfect” imperfect little pearl for a new necklace. Back on the boat, it was time to pack up, have one last light lunch, take our last pictures of the marvelous islands – today making darker silhouettes against the cloudy sky- and then head to the mainland. We then caught our glamorous 70’s style van (wood veneer interior and all) over to the airport. After a last bowl of pho, we caught our flight back to Singapore. A marvelous weekend of eating, cruising and exploring awesome sites in northern Vietnam!
