Moon Festival

I did not realized that I have many old colleagues working in the Taiwanese Embassy in Hanoi. They kindly invited me to attend the Moon Festival party organized by the local Taiwanese chamber of commerce this Sunday.

It was hosted in a private recreation area for fishing and BBQ. The BBQ included chicken, pork, vegetables, and a whole baby cow. The baby cow beef tasted more tender and juicier than chickens, and went together with Vietnamese sauces. People sang karaoke after dinner. Some vices made me ran away from the singing hall, regardless the AC was comfortable there.
　

My stomach bothered me so much that I had to leave earlier. The traffic was very busy in town due to the festival. A 30 minute cab ride back to my hostel was extended into over an hour while I felt severe pain in my stomach. I have above average pain tolerance, but this one was hard to bare. The louder the celebration on the street, the Harder to contain the pain in my stomach. Finally, i vomited out all the food I had that night, and I regained temporary peace with my body. Although I had to fight for my health by myself, I did not feel alone. My friends in Hanoi were concerned and supportive.

Hope I will feel better before I jump on an overnight bus tomorrow evening. Health is my biggest wealth and I cannot wait to have it back.

Tour Hanoi city

I wondered around the city for ATM, and headed towards open green areas to check out the city. It is relative cool and pleasant today. Whenever I needed a break, I just walked into a 5-star hotel to enjoy the AC and free wifi. Most restaurants and hotels offer free wifi.

It was Sunday morning and many couples had their wedding photos taken around the town. Like in China, some people sang karaoke and danced in the parks as well. Like in china, most intersections in old town have no traffic light such that you had marsh forwards and pray that the car and motorbike drivers would avoid you. I am getting used to venturing across streets this way.

Many backpackers use Lonely Planet to travel. One friend mentioned that there are counterfeits in Vietnam at prices 20% of the legitimate copies. I even saw some at 10% and wonder about the print quality. Electronic versions are more realistic for hikers, but I am concerned about power shortage issues in India such that I may not be able to read files on my I-pod touch.

Part ii on Monday

I made my way to the most expensive residential area, west lake. Hanoi's real property values stay high after foreign investment withdrew. An old house in a poor neighborhood can cost as much as a brand new unit in Nanning, China. I also visited two temples In the west lake area.

I stopped by dong xing market before the west lake. This market looks just like the traditional market you can find in south America. The major difference is that the vendors in south America are not as eager to sell stuffs to me.

The landmarks of Hu chi ming shrine and museums are right south of the presidential house. They reminded me the mall in Washington DC yet at a much smaller scale and less colorful.

Seafood buffet and water puppet show in Hanoi

I met with an old friend's brother for dinner right after my Halong Bay tour. The photos of the seafood Buffett speak for themselves. I tasted sea bass, crabs, shrimps, clams, local cuisines, Vietnam BBQ, fruits, etc. it was like rain after a long time drought. I could smelt the street foods during my 1st night at my hostel dorm room in Hanoi and i fell into sleep with my stomach crouching. Then I did not have much to eat during my 2-day Halong Bay tour.

I mentioned to my dinner host the unique water puppet show near hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter. We decided to walk in the 8 pm show right after dinner.

The water puppet show was entertaining and unique. The puppeteers work from behind a screen in waders, standing in the water. Some of the puppets are up to 15 kgs. I enjoyed the traditional music and songs even more than the puppets.

Halong Bay near Hanoi

It literally means "descending dragon bay" and is a UNESCO World Heritage.

It took about 3 hr bus ride from Hanoi to the Bay. The 1st thing I did after jumpping on the bus was to greet the tour guide and asked for the seat with the best view for the Bay. He yielded his seat to me but i soon realized that the seat was on the sunny side of the bus and has no curtain on the window. Half side of my body was baked for 3 hrs.

I could barely understood my tour guide's English and was disappointed by the shitty look of our boat which was quite different from the one shown by travel agent. Worst of all, the toilet on the boat had no running water. I felt relieved that there is running water for shower in the rooms.

The Bay was peaceful and gorgeous among thousands of limestone islands. We visited floating villages, one cave, kayaked, swam in the Bay, had dinner, and then slept on the boat.

Locals have been living in these floating houses for many generations as fishing is still the villagers' main income. Some communities offer home stay and on-board chef for fresh seafood.

I teamed up with an Australian gentleman to race with his two grown up sons to see which kayak passed via a hole in an island featured on a Vietnamese bill. The water was warm and comfortable to swim in. I was not sure about the depth of the ocean so I swam with an lifejack on. Some people jumped and dived from the boat.

The evening on the top deck was relaxing, tranquil and beautiful. I felt almost like a fetus in a womb.

I was tempted to stay one more day to hike in the national park on the Cat Ba Island, but I has arranged a dinner with a friend in Hanoi on the second day.

I woke up 5 am to wait for the sunrise. It was foggy but I saw the oringe sun rising above the peaks of an island and took a few photos. I lay on the chair on the top deck to read after breakfast and then retreated to the seating area when the sun got hot.

I later learned from one fellow passenger that the hike was just 1 hr long to a peak of an island and the hikers were left to wonder around on their own on the small area. Based upon the photos, I did not miss anything worth while on the hiking trip I failed to take.

Hanoi, Vietman 越南

I woke up early to prepare for border crossing. When I jumped on the public bus I ran into my new friend taking train ride together into Pingxing. I took the last room available in my hotel so he went to another hotel. He was born in Nanning and came to the border to pick up some items to sell in nanning.

He got me another motor bike driver to take me to the border after the bus and we finally said goodbye and good luck.

The border area is also a resort so I took some photos and exchange some Vietnamese money.

On the Vietnamese side, I was lucky enough to share shuttle ride with a Vietnamese family and a college student who studies in China. We made food stops and bathroom room breaks during the 4 hr ride anytime as we wished. They were kindly enough to treat me breakfast, lunch, and coffee. The lunch was free range chicken cooked in four ways. I am getting better in spotting and engaging with people of my kind: friendly, open- minded, and curious.

My college friend loaned me his iphone to make calls. He even found me his taxi driver friend to drive me to the open ticket bus company to buy all tickets I need in Vietnam then my hostel in old town Hanoi. I feel so much at home to stay in a hostel and mingle with other backpackers coming from all parts of world.

I checked in my 4 USD per night dorm room and booked a 2-day-1-night boat tour to halong bay the next day. I only know how to say thank you in Vietnam, and still cannot remember the word restroom. People in oldtown Hanoi speak English so I can get by for now.

I am taking heat better now. I like the south hemisphere better this time of the year. Hanoi is as hot as nanning, but wifi everywhere and they have sitting rather than squatting toilets! I do not understand why china is much more advanced in terms of economic growth but lag behinds on some aspects than Vietnam. Hanoi reminds me of 20 yrs ago Taipei. I will check out its new town to further compare these two "communist" countries.