Exploring The North

The motorbike ride was amazing. We travelled all around Hué, stopping at a local market as well as a little shop where we learned how to make hats and incense. After that we hopped on a dragon boat and visited a pagoda.

 
The following day we left southern Vietnam and crossed the border into the north. After a bit of a drive, we arrived at Chay Lap Homestay. Here we went for a kayak as well as a dip in the pool. The next morning it was off to a national park to see some caves. These were incredible! It was like you had entered a different world. 

 

               

After the caves, we caught the overnight train to Hanoi and arrived there the next morning. Wanting to get the most out of our time there, we quickly freshened up and headed out to see the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh as well as some government buildings and a few museums. The afternoon was spent exploring the local shops, drinking egg coffee and sitting on train street.

  

 


Da Bat was the next stop on our list. We stayed with another amazing family who welcomed us warmly, and showed us a little bit of their culture through dress, dance and song. 


Unfortunately we could only stay one night, as the next morning we got up and went on a great hike down the mountain. Once we arrived at the bottom, we were off on a boat ride to the other side of the river. The water was calm and the sun was out. That day was one of my favourites.

 


This morning we left Hanoi for Halong Bay. It’s probably one of the most photographed spots in Vietnam, so I’m excited to see it in person. We’re staying over on the boat tonight so maybe I’ll even get a few evening shots. 

I can’t  believe I only have two days left in Vietnam. On Friday I’ll be off on a jet plane again. Any guesses as to where?

~Ms. C


Comments

  1. Mlle Baril30 October 2019 at 03:52

    Awesome Mrs C. Are you going to Thailand?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown30 October 2019 at 05:02

    Hi Ms. Olivia said she likes your new glasses. Alex, Hunter and I are jealous cause we would like to be there. Have fun!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Southern Thailand

Image
Khao Sok National Park was our first stop heading towards the south of Thailand. Once we got settled away, we quickly made plans to go tubing down the river. It was such a great time! Lots of laughs and some bumps and scrapes. Reminded me a lot of tubing down the Humber River, just with different scenery - there were snakes and monkeys in the trees. After tubing, we decided to go on a night safari through the woods by foot. It wasn’t what I expected. There were a lot of geckos and some other insects. We did see what looked like a big weasel though, which was neat. The next day we went on a hike through the park then hopped on a bamboo boat to go to a hidden lunch spot. To cool off, we spent the afternoon swimming and learned the “real way” to wear a life jacket, according to the Thais.  The following morning we went to visit the elephants again. After my first experience, I’m not going to lie, I was a little scared. These creatures are just so massive!! But they truly are gentle g...
Read more

The Trek to Machu Picchu

Image
The Inca Trail is probably the most well-known hike that leads to Machu Picchu. However in actual fact, there are many different treks that also take you to these famous ruins. It all depends on what you're interested in. Some treks are culture focused, some incorporate excursions such as zip-lining and thermal baths, and others are more physically demanding. After doing some research, Erin and I decided to do the four day Salkantey Trek. This hike covers a distance of 52km and reaches a summit altitude of 4630m. After seeing the 26km description of what Day 2 would entail, we knew that this trek would be tough. But we felt up for the challenge. The first morning was an early one, heading out around 5:30am to drive the two hours to our starting point. Our spirits were high and we felt ready to conquer this mountain. After a few hours, we made it to Humantay Lake. The scenery all along this hike was amazing, but the lake itself was breathtaking. The pictures do not do...
Read more

Attitude of Gratitude

Image
"Your attention please, in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, please remember to..." The day we travelled to Cape Reigna was a hard one and subsequently so were the days that followed. Up until this point, we had not really been phased by the impending "Coronavirus", as we were confident we could just wait it out in NZ as we had planned to be there for around four months. However, once we learned that our health insurance had been reneged and that hospitals were refusing to treat foreign nationals, (with Corona symptoms or otherwise), we knew it was time to book a flight home. Trying to get an airline ticket was not an easy task, however we thankfully managed to secure a spot on a flight in three days time. Grateful to have purchased the flight, we dropped Jenny off to catch her original flight home and headed to Coromandel to try and take our minds off the stressful situation. However with each new day came additional worries. When we finally made i...
Read more