Ruby's posts with tag: hoi an
|  | My ultimate travel adventure in 2007 with buddy Lu Yi --- Vietnam from the tip down to its tail.
HANOI --- We didn't expect much from Hanoi but we fell in love with its Old Quarter. Busy, noisy and full of character, it is a street photographer's delight.
SAPA --- This place in the highlands of northwest Vietnam is like Sagada but with loads of costumed ethnic minority people. We did the Sapa Market. We trekked with the Black Hmongs. Went on a day-trip to BAC HA and gawked at the colorful people. Sapa/Bac Ha is my 2nd fave, after Halong.
HALONG BAY --- We realized that to cruise Halong Bay, one can either go budget (under US$50, with a million other people in the boat) or high end (over US$100). There's no mid range. We searched the length of Ma May Street in Hanoi for a suitable cruise. Following a lengthy deliberation, we, the backpackers with credit cards, finally decided to splurge on a 2-day cruise onboard a stylish junk that fits only 6 stylish people. Nyaha! Halong Bay was stunning, unbelievably serene view... and my pics are awful. Halong Bay tops my list of favorite Vietnam places.
HUE --- One can never really plan for a perfect holiday. Flooded streets welcomed us to HUE! But still, we were able to enjoy the sights of this pretty town.
HOI AN --- I love Hoi An old town! Ancient, dusty, not to mention -- flooded, but I still loved it. I wanted to rent a bicycle to see the countryside but I was, unfornately, traveling with one of the few Chinese people that didn't know how to ride a bike. So we hopped on the back of motorbike taxis and tried to enjoy the hair-raising ride and view. Hoi An is my 3rd fave.
CAN THO --- Visited the biggest floating market in the Mekong Delta (the Cai Rang Floating Market) and rode the slow boat along the canals.
SAIGON --- Lu Yi and I planned to split somewhere in VN and then meet up after a few days. I was to go to Mekong and she'd spend a few days in the Dalat area. That did not happen. So on our last stop, SAIGON, we decided do something like that. We explored Saigon separately. I went on a US$4 tour group to the Cu Chi Tunnels and she did the city walking tour as suggested by the guidebook. We regrouped only at night to exchange stories and pore over each other's photos. The following day, I said goodbye to Lu Yi for she had an early flight back to Shanghai and I did the city walking tour --- in the rain!
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| | Planning for this Vietnam trip involved many nights researching on the net. The Vietnam forums are full of warnings about scams. I have not felt so anxious about a trip, especially that we were traveling independently.
I flew into Hanoi where I met with my intrepid travel buddy Lu Yi. Together, we traversed Vietnam from the north on the border with China, down to the south where Cambodia is a few paddles away.
The warnings I read about turned out to be true. We experienced a couple of them. But they were easily outweighed by the great experience we had and by the helpful local people we met along the way. Vietnam is a beautiful country with smiling, hardworking people. No wonder people go over in droves to visit. I've not seen so many travelers since Bangkok.
I'm still sorting through the gazillions of travel photos I took. For now, I thought I'd post the ones with our faces in them as there's not that many =)
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