So long Halong!

After the sensory overload of Hanoi we decided to take a break and head for what is probably Vietnam's most reknowned tourist attraction - the spectacular limestome formations of Halong Bay. While we generally prefer to try and explore places on our own we knew this would be difficult in this case (we are carrying everything except a boat), and so we booked ourselves onto a two-day junk tour. For $58 each this would turn out to be spectacular value and one of the best decisions of our trip so far.

Our trip began with an air conditioned bus ride through the rice paddies to the south of Hanoi to Halong city where we checked in at an enormous dock full of junks and picked our way through the porters and supply canoes to find our boat.

On board we were very pleasantly surprised with the quality of the accomodation with our private cabin boasting a nice ensuite which rivalled most of the hotel bathrooms we've seen so far. With so many boats belching diesel fumes we were initially a little worried about how crowded the harbor itself would be but as soon as we pulled away we found ourself in open water and began to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Lunch was the second very pleasant surprise of the cruise and set the bar for the next 4 meals all of which included several beautifully prepared seafood dishes and as much rice, bread, coffee and fruit as we could eat.

The only slight disappointment of the trip was the weather though the steady drizzle did mean that we got to visit two enormous limestone caves and a floating fish farm which I think most people would have opted for over the scheduled swimming (jellyfish dodging) and sea kayaking anyway.

After cruising away the rest of the afternoon and circling through the remarkable islands we put the anchors down and settled in for a great evening of seafood and local wine with our fellow passengers including 2 very interesting German guys, an American girl about to start her PhD at Berkeley and a young English couple who got married just a fortnight before us.

The second day was more of the same though this time we did break out the sea kayaks and, once we found a jellyfish free area, had a quick dip.

From Halong city we headed back to Hanoi for a break before our next expedition. We used our first afternoon to get our final suit fittings and headed out in the evening in search of some short ribs which had been recommended by our new German friends. Fortunately the restaurant also served copious amounts of our beloved Bia Hoi and when we'd finished dinner we found ourselves drinking next to three local guys - a train conductor, a younger chap who worked for LG electronics and a guy whose main roles seemed to be to grin widely, shake my hand every ten minutes or so and ensure that no-one was ever, ever without a beer. The language barrier was difficult to surmount and while occasionally frustrating it also worked to our advantage when we mistook the frequent toasts to sainted national hero "Uncle Ho" as being to "Alcohol!" and responded enthusiatically in kind. We ended up talking and gesticulating long into the night and learnt that the younger guys' dad fought and lost a leg in the war. As Megan mentioned though it was clear to us though that not only were they not upset to meet Americans (or American residents) in their country, they were grateful for the opportunity to demonstrate that, whatever lingering resentments older generations may harbour, younger Vietnamese care only about the future.

By the time our new friends finally had to weave away on their scooters we had run up a sizable bill but to our amazement they insisted on paying for everything including our blow-out dinner which we'd finished before we even met them. Not wanting to offend them by refusing their generosity we felt we had no option but to thank them profusely and hope that an opportunity presents itself to pay their kindness forward.

Unfortunately the next day was to be the hottest and muggiest of our two stays in Hanoi but, determined to press on, we dragged ourselves off to the Museum of Ethnology via the mercifully air-conditioned and very cheap local bus system. We thought that as we had decided to head to Sapa in the far north of the country next, this would be a good introduction to the 'minority peoples' (the Vietnamese PC term) that make up much of that area's population. While the exhaustive (and in the heat, exhausting) exhibits contained too much information to process in one visit they made clear what an incredible patchwork of ethnicities, languages and ways of life we had to look forward to. It also served as a reminder of just how many modern national boundaries are Western constructs with little impact on the groups of people they are supposed to divide. While some of the tribes highlighted number only a few thousand, others can apparently be found, with their distinct traditions and cultures, throughout Indochina. Our favorite exhibits were the 'romantic' wood carvings (life size versions are on flickr if you're into that kind of thing) and the reconstructed houses showing the diversity of not-only construction techniques but also social organization.

By the time we left I was a sweaty mess and with a long trek to the train station ahead of us and no shower in sight we began to fantasize about the air conditioned sleeper cabin on our overnight train. Would we have it to ourselves? Would there be a basin where we could sponge off and change clothes? Would we be able to get a good night's sleep and arrive in Sapa bright-eyed and refreshed? Sadly, the answer was no on all counts - but that is another story....