05/01/2012 10:27 AM
So day two in Vietnam; woke up feeling a bit off. Thought I was over my jet lag but apparently not. Woke up around 7AM, went down to the dining room in the hotel for some coffee and breakfast. Breakfast was so-so but its free so I'm not complaining. I found a nice little cafe that is literally next door to my hotel with real Vietnamese coffee. Their coffee is perhaps the best in the world. Its almost like espresso but with a fuller taste. It drip coffee, but it’s a supper slow drip resulting in a fabulously strong and mellow taste. Its then mixed with sweetened condensed milk; think I'm getting addicted to it.
I picked up a new Lonely Planet book yesterday from a street vendor for a tenth of the price that I would have paid for it back home; pretty sure it was a fake copy, but its got coloured pictures and everything so I'm not complaining. So I spent about half an hour reading that. With a quick stop back at my hotel I then took a stroll around the lake, such a nice walk. Finally took the camera out to grab a few shots of the temple and surrounding lake. Upon return to my hotel I`ve planned out my next week in Hanoi and the surrounding area.
Tomorrow I`ve planned a tour around Hanoi by mini-bus to see all the temples and museums, culminating with a one hour tour by cyclo of the Old Quarter, something I was planning on doing today on my own, but given none of the drivers speak English, nor really know the streets all that well as none of them live in the city, I opted to have my hotel organize it for tomorrow afternoon after my city tour.
The day after tomorrow I'm headed off to see the Perfume Pagoda, not entirely sure what it is, all I know is that it involves a paddle boat ride as well as a cable car ride, should be interesting. After that I'm headed to Halong Bay on the 9th for two nights. I paid a bit more than I wanted, but I could imagine sharing a tiny room with a complete stranger, so I opted for my own cabin. The weather is supposed to be good, however, it will still be cold. Its a bit warmer today, yet still not quite what I was expecting.
Havnt decided on how long I will stay in the North. After Halong, where I will be from the 9th to the 11th ive booked four more nights in my hotel. After that I will head up to Sapa in the Northeast. I`ve heard some very mixed reviews from people that ive met in the last few days, but I wont be in Northern Vietnam again, at least for a while. They say climbing the peak is nearly out of the question, due to the freezing weather and fog. Originally I had planned to spend about four or five nights there, but it seems more likely that I will only spend a couple nights there as this is not the prime season to visit. I think after Sapa I will begin to head south. Hanoi is an amazing city, but there is much to see and even more to do, so I will push on the Hue I think. I`m considering either flying or getting a car to take me, both very cheap options as domestic Vietnamese flights are very inexpensive.
06/01/2012 10:20 PM
So i just got back from my night out; Met up with some friends that Caitlin put me in contact with; Had an awesome time. Found a really cool bar on the second story with a balcony over-looking the lake. Chilled there for a while. We were all still pretty jet-lagged so we called it an early night.
I think I learnt a lot about traveling in general. I met up with them at their hostel which was my first lesson. Hostels are awesome and supper cheap. They are paying $6 a night for a shared dorm. Their budget is $20 a day, which is very little compared to mine. I was planning on downsizing from my current accommodations, but I was never intending to go that cheap. But what hadnt realized, is the atmosphere and the ability to meet people at them. After my stay here, I am definitely going to downsize, both for cost and the atmosphere.
Definately need to downsize things, if I did, I could stay here for a year!!!! How cool would that be!! As for my next question, What am I going to do for New Years! Not sure yet, but apparently its huge!
I`m tired, been a long day but supper happy to be here! Tomorrow is my Hanoi city tour. Gnight!
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