On the move for 24 hours

From Cat Ba to Laos proved to be quite the ordeal. First, we took a van back to the harbor, where we sailed for about 2 hours until we made it back to the mainland.

We had lunch, then hopped on a bus which took us to Hanoi. Once there, we were ushered into a travel agent's office where we waited 10 minutes, until we were told we needed to walk a few blocks to meet our taxi (keep in mind that we were hauling all of our belongings, and it was rush hour).

Our taxi finally arrived and after some confusion, dropped us off at the bus station. Zoe and I were exhausted and our journey had only truly begun. Our bus left Hanoi around 7pm, and we made it to the Laos border around 5:30am. Immigration didn't start processing until 7, so we waited around slept.

When the office did open it was a slow, but steady process. I'd heard horror stories of 3 hour processing times, but it took 1.5 hours tops, to exit Vietnam, secure our visas for Laos, and be on our way.

We left the border, hopped back on the bus, and arrived in Vientiane around 5pm, a full 32 hours after we departed Cat Ba! 

Halong Bay

From Hanoi we moved on to Cat Ba , which proved to be a long and complicat. journey. It took 5 hours, and involved 3 different buses and 1 ferry. We did eventually make it though, and it was gorgeous as advertised.

Halong Bay is famous for its archipelagos. we did our usual beach lounging. We also visited Cat Ba National Park where we hike to the top of Ngu Lam Peak to take in the beautiful view.

My favorite day there however, and one of my favorite of the trip thus far was our 1 day cruise around Halong Bay. We spent a day on a boat taking in the sights. We had the opportunity to swim, kayak, and snorkel in the ocean. We also had a delicious lunch prepared right on our boat which was cooked by our captain/guide! We enjoyed fish, spring rolls, vegetables, and of course, rice. It was a great day, one that I'll remember for quite some time.

Unfortunately our 1 month in Vietnam was coming to and end, and if we didn't want to overstay our visas it was time to move on. The original plan was to do Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. However since we started in the south of Vietnam and worked our way north, it made more sense geographically, and financially to go to Laos.

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Hanoi

From Hue, we took another bus further North to Dong Hoi. Dong Hoi was pleasant, but there is literally nothing to do but lay on the beach, which we were quite happy to do. After a few days of resting we purchased train tickets for Hanoi. After seven hours on a sleeper train we arrived in Hanoi, and it was every bit as busy and bustling as HCMC.

As soon as we stepped out of the train station we were bombarded by motorbike taxis, and after some stiff negotiating, got a ride to our hotel. While in Hanoi we explored the usual tourist sites. We were really excited to visit the HCM Mausoleum, even though I think its a bit weird to have a body permanently laid out for public viewing. Unfortunately the mausoleum is closed until December, for renovations. We did, however, get to visit the HCM Museum, as well as tour his former residence. I know that I was in Vietnam, so I wasn't exactly getting an unbiased opinion, but HCM seemed like an alright guy, and the people genuinely seem to like him.

Me and Uncle Ho

The Hoan Kiem Lake was another great attraction in Hanoi. It was always full of people dancing, exercising, and chatting. One night Zoe and I sat by the lake drinking, talking, and people watching. I also went for a run around the lake our last day in Hanoi.

Of course Hanoi had its share of historical war sites. We pretty much had our fill in HCMC so the only one we bothered to visit was the Hoa La Prison, bka "The Hanoi Hilton." This is the infamous prison where John McCain was kept, they have even kept the flight suit he was captured in. The prison was a bit funny, only because of its clear propagandist purpose. Multiple exhibits showed America and its harsh treatment of Vietnamese prisoners. Meanwhile, they have pictures of American soldiers playing basketball, celebrating Christmas, and generally looking like they were having a grand ole time. As despicable as I find McCain and his politics, I believe his version of Hanoi Hilton.

McCain's flight suit

All in all Hanoi was cool, but I think I liked HCMC a bit more. From Hanoi we decided to move on to Cat Ba, which was to be our last stop in Vietnam.

Hue

After Hoi An we moved on to Hue, the base for the Nguyễn Dynasty, which ruled from 1802, until 1945, when Emperor Bao Dai abdicated in favor of Ho Chi Minh.

There wasn't anything in particular that we were interested in doing or seeing in Hue. Hue does have the Imperial Citadel, which they fancy as a smaller version of the Great Wall/Forbidden City, but I've been to Beijing twice and once you've seen one wall you've seen them all. Our first day we rented a motorbike and lazed about on the beach. The next day we decided to join a tour and go see Phong Nha Cave.

It was a long, (about 8 hours travel round trip) but rewarding experience. The caves were a bit touristy with their wooden walkways and lit up rocks, but our guide was hilarious and we met some cool folks.

We rested up the next day, celebrated the Jewish New Year, and I finally found a torrent of the On the Run HBO Special. The next day we headed to Dong Hoi, in what was to be our last stop before Hanoi.

Hoi An

After our time in Da Nang came to an end we continued on to Hoi An. Hoi An was a short 45 minute bus ride from Da Nang, but had its share of shenanigans. Hoi An is a bit touristy, but quaint. The whole city is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The main attraction here is the Old Town. Unfortunately as I mentioned, tourism has changed Hoi An. It's now full of restaurants, art galleries, and tailors selling low quality cheap suits. Zoe and I biked through the old town, and enjoyed visiting all the historical sites in town.

We spent the next day lounging on the beach. Hoi An was nice and definitely worth a visit if you're traveling Vietnam, but after two nights we decided that it was time to move on.

Black People

I can count the number of them I've seen in a month on one hand. The ones that I have seen have been African. Where are all my black American travelers?

On a totally unrelated noted Zoe likes, Blackish... sooo there's that.

Da Nang

After Nha Trang it was off to Da Lat. Da Lat is in central Vietnam and quite mountainous. Unfortunately when we went, it rained the entire time. There isn't much to do in Da Lat, and the rain spoiled what few activities we had planned. I can say that the people were nice, and the food was good. We recharged and left after two days.

From Da Lat we journeyed on to Da Nang, a coastal city further north. The trip took 16 hours. We took a sleeper bus, which was not made for my 6'4 frame.

 I got no sleep on this sleeper bus.

Sleeper Bus

Anyhow, we made it to Da Nang, and it ended up being my 2nd favorite city in Vietnam, behind Halong Bay. Our hotel was a short 5 minute walk from the beach and we were able to rent a motorbike for $5/day to get around the city. Traffic was much more civilized in Da Nang, so no accidents here.

Other than lounging on the mostly empty beach, we hiked up Marble Mountain. More like a mountain/park/cave we were able to stop and look at different Buddha statues and shrines on our way to the top. As you can see the views from the peak were absolutely gorgeous.

 

View from the top of Marble Mountain

We also rode out to the Linh Ung Buddhist Temple. Built in 2010, this temple featured a 67ft statue of Quan The Am, which was visible from the beach. We ended up spending four days here, and it was time well spent.