Ha Long Bay and Ha Noi
Today, we enjoyed a 5 hour cruise excursion on Ha Long Bay which included a stop at Hang Sun Sot (Cave of Surprises). Following the tour, we had an almost 3 hour drive to Hanoi. We checked into the May De Ville Hotel for the remainder of our stay. It is by far the best accommodations we have had in Vietnam. We were on our own in Hanoi. So, we headed to the Night Market to see what was happening there. We were not disappointed as the streets were swarming with people doing shopping for the Vietnamese New Year. It was a lively, entertaining evening.
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| Ha Long Bay |
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| Ha Long Bay Fishing Boat |
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| Our Excursion Boat |
Our tour group had the entire boat to ourselves which was nice since we didn't have a crowd and were able to enjoy a wonderful meal on our way back to the marina after touring Hang Sun Sot (Cave of Surprises). Our boat seemed to meander through many of the bay's beautiful islands. After about an hour, we arrived at Hang Sun Sot for a tour of this incredible, massive cave. We have been in many caves in the past in the USA but we can't remember ever being in a cave of this size. Unlike most of the caves in America, this cave did not have colorful wet walls with stalactites or stalagmites. Rather, the walls were for the most part dry and light limestone in color. We had a very tasty lunch including fish soup, sprng rolls, fried squid, shrimp, fish, french fries, steamed rice and pineapple. We sat with a couple who grew up in Saigon during the Vietnam War and emigrated to the USA several years after the war ended. They were amazed at how much Vietnam has changed and will be visiting relatives for the Vietnamese New Year. Ha Long Bay is crowded with tourists now and will get much worse in the near future due to the extensive resort development that is underway.
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| Han Sung Sot (Cave of Surprises) |
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| Lunch on Ha Long Bay |
During the drive to Hanoi, we saw many farmers busy planting rice. Road side stands selling produce or prepared food frequently appeared along the highway. Business appeared to be brisk due to the up-coming holiday. Small kumquat and peach trees were for sale. They are put in the Vietnamese homes much like Christmas trees for our holiday. The blossoming peach tree wards off evil spirits and the kumquat brings prosperity in the new year. Our guide told us the average Vietnamese family spends 20% of their income during the New Year holiday season. The trees are a major expense and some families actually rent the trees because they cannot afford to buy them.
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| Kumquat Trees |
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| Peach Trees |
Our evening walk through Hanoi was amazing. The weather was perfect and the streets were lively. We headed to the heart of the city where the Night Market was underway. Some streets were blocked to traffic and vendors set up stalls in the middle of the street. Many of the businesses along the streets had elaborate displays in their windows. Street lamps had festive light fixtures attached to their poles. Street musicians entertained the passers by and street food vendors were everywhere. We sampled some Vietnamese ice cream which was served on a wooden skewer stick. We celebrated Janet's birthday with Domino's Pizza (her choice). A particularly exciting feature of the night was watching the dragon dances. We finished our evening with crepes along the shores of Hain Kiem (Lake of the Restored Sword). Once again, it was another wonderful day on our RTW tour.
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| Dragon Dance |
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| Collecting Tips From The Crowd |
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