Day 8 – Saturday Dec 14, 2013 – Hanoi

We took a taxi to SGN airport and departed for Hanoi, the northern capital of Vietnam with my dad’s best friend and wife (Uncle Dee and Aunt Mylo). We were greeted with rainy gloomy weather. We met with Ngoc and Fung, two university students from Hanoi Kids that would take us around the city and give us a free tour to practice their English. Starving, Ngoc took us to a noodle shop only to find they sold out. So instead, we had street meat sandwiches. It was pretty good but I wanted more meat.

We started the tour with some light rain and got to see the Hoàn Kiém Lake, Ngǫc Sơn Temple and One Pillar Pagoda and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum before it started pouring. Ngoc and Fung gave me some background information on the sights as well as life in Hanoi. We ended the tour early due to the rain and we went back to the hotel.

We freshen up and then went to Bún Chả Hàng Mành and ate northern Vietnamese noodles. It was very different from the type I’ve had in Canada but it was delicious. The pork was very flavourful paired perfectly with the light noodles and fresh herbs. Their fish sauce was also unique with mango pieces. We roamed the streets shortly after and went to the night market. It was mostly clothing and souvenirs. Before ending the night, we went for “Chè Trôi Nước,” a vietnamese ginger dessert soup with glutinous rice balls. It was delicious.

Day 9 – Sunday Dec 15, 2013 – Ha Long Bay

Unfortunately, the rainy weather was suppose to last for the next two days. Boooo, I really wanted sunny and dry weather for my Ha Long Bay 3 day 2 night cruise. On our way to the port, we stopped at an interesting rest stop that showcased Vietnamese crafts. My favourite was the embroidery paintings. They were gorgeous but pricy.

The gloomy weather persisted when we got to the port and boarded our cruise. The Pelican cruise was beautiful and very well serviced. We ate a buffet lunch and then boarded a smaller boat for Sim Soi Island, where you can climb to the top and get a beautiful view of the bay. It was a pretty tough hike that started with steep stone steps and then just mud, rocks and dirt. It was well worth the trek once we got to at the top. I only wish we had more time to take in the view and more sun but we lucked out that the rain stopped.

Our next excursion was through a bat cave via a small row boat by local people. It was very peaceful and a good opportunity to see the islands up close.

We went back to the cruise to watched a cooking demonstration on how to make spring rolls and have dinner. Today is also my 27^th birthday. I shared my birthday with Aunt Mylo. The cruise provided us with a cake to share and it was quite tasty and light.

Day 10 – Monday Dec 16, 2013 – Ha Long Bay

It was still raining. I didn’t know what to expect today and was getting more worried because the itinerary was to go explore an island, kayaking, swimming etc. I didn’t want my parents or aunt and uncle to get bored or drenched in the rain. I started regretting picking the 2 nights cruise, as one night would have been enough since the activities on the additional day didn’t suffice the cost or time. *sigh nothing I could do about it now. My parents were still chipper and said it’ll be a good day just to relax.

We ate breakfast and then boarded a smaller boat to transfer onto a larger “day boat”. This day boat was actually very cozy and nice. We got to see more of the bay, but it did start to all look the same after a while. Our first stop was a Pearl farm, where we got to see how pearls were cultivated. I never knew that actually existed… They put two oysters pearls in a clam, with some food (which is another piece of dead oyster) and then let it sit in the sea for 3-5 years. The success rate is only 30%.

Our second stop was to see a local fishing village via a small wooden rowboat. This village was very interesting and eye opening to see how people lived on the waters in Ha Long Bay. Apparently, it only costs $5 a month to live out here. They have a floating school, community area that they use for weddings and temple in the hill. This is the only spot in the bay that never gets affected by typhoons.

We lucked out and didn’t get any rain during this time but it started to get cold and rainy for the rest of the day. We had lunch and the option to kayak but I opted out since the waters were very rough. We sat in the lounge and chatted for rest of the afternoon before transferring back to the larger cruise.

Back on the cruise, we had about another 3 hours to kill before dinner. I just blogged and my parents got some sleep. Dinner was different from yesterday for the 3D2N guests. It was too saucy for my liking. Exhausted again, I passed out around 9:00pm.

Day 11 – Tuesday Dec 17, 2013 – Ha Long Bay / Hanoi

We finally woke up to clear skies. It was a shame that this was our last day. I started the morning with some tai chi on the sundeck at 6:15am. It was the perfect way to see the sunrise while listening to some traditional instrumentals and stretching my limbs.

I watched the hills light up and glow under the warm sun. I only wish we had this perfect weather the past two days but at least I got to see Ha Long Bay in different climates. We ate a light breakfast and took a smaller boat to Hang Sot Cave “Surprise Cave”. This cave was unlike anything I’ve every seen before. It was hidden up in the hills (over 100 steps) and was very spacious. It made me want to go cave exploring in the newly discovered largest cave in Vietnam.

We went back to the cruise, packed and had a buffet lunch before departing the ship. I finally had the chance to see Ha Long Bay with clear sunny skies.

After another 4 hour van ride, we were back in Hanoi. Once we settled in our hotel, we started walking towards this Bánh cuốn, pork-filled Vietnamese rice rolls restaurant that I had researched. We saw lots of shops along the way and I was starting to master crossing the roads here.

The restaurant, Bánh cuốn Gia Truyen was delicious and amazing value. Bánh cuốn is one of my favourite Vietnamese dishes and this place did not disappoint. The rice roll was so thin, soft and fresh. The dish only cost about $1.75. My parents were also impressed with their Bun Trang, chicken vermicelli soup.

After dinner, we picked up some custard apples and chè ba màu (3 kind of bean dessert) to enjoy before bed. I’ve never had custard apples before and they are not anything like north american apples. The fresh fruit was juicy, sweet and simply delicious… but annoying to eat with the seeds.