bye bye Halong and hello Danang

Sunset on Halong Bay

Christmas morning and after only a few hours sleep, it was time to get up - could not quite figure out the obsession with raising and lowering the anchor. Everyone else seemed to sleep fine, so may it was just me being all sensitive

Sunrise on Halong Bay

Everyone did tai chi and I did my yoga and then we were off to a nearby island. We climbed to the top for the views of the bay. It was not an easy climb and a lot of the kids and people were fairly rude, following too close, passing, not making way. The views were worth it though.  

The Canadian had brought their suits and all took a swim, which most of us thought was a bit crazy. They said it wasn't too bad once you go in and they didn't really look cold, but the water did not look inviting.

We had Christmas brunch when we got back. I had a traditional Vietnamese breakfast of Pho - noodle soup. I had chicken with great blobs of hot sauce and peppers, and it was so good I went back for another bowl, but this time had beef with great blobs of hot sauce and peppers. They were both good, but the beef was better. A bit more time on deck, and it was time to leave Halong Bay.

We got back in the bus and retraced our steps from the day before. We stopped at a pottery place, one of the Canadians bought a ceramic 'pipe.' And then we went onto the 5 star happy rooms and had lunch in the restaurant. It was preordered for us and decidedly average - we had fried spring rolls, fried chicken and fried noodles.

Back in Ha Noi, we went to the airport and said goodbye to Quyh. Our flight was slightly delayed. Once through security, we all scattered. I went off and bought a beer and a noodle soup for $4. I shared a table with a Vietnamese guy who gave me a welcoming smile and then went on to slurping his soup. For a long while, all you heard was slurp, pause, slurp.

Once on the plane, we had an hour flight and it was packed. I sat next to one of the Philadelphia Four and a very tiny guy that sat cross legged in his seat and did not touch me; he promptly fell asleep.  

Before we knew it, we were in Da Nang and it seemed like a completely different world. Whereas Ha Noi had this - we-are-going-to-start-all-over feeling, Da Nang had personality and our new guide, who asked us to call him Dan because that would be easier for everyone, was very vocal (positively) of the influx and influence of the American soldiers during the war.

Blog note: I am blogging next the the ocean in a giant wicker basket suspended from the porch ceiling, drinking white wine and eating fried peanuts. It doesn't seem necessary to fry peanuts, but I have to say they are so so good - and you can't hate happy hour two for one.