Pictures: http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/2688277/1/Hanoi%20Rd.%202?h=d2ba24
Even though my last blog implies a simplistic routine life, the last month has been anything but. Although teaching is rather routine, I was able to take a trip to Hanoi to meet up with my good friend Geoff, his girlfriend Jessica, and our mutual friend from High School, Megan. Hanoi, Vietnam was the most logical place to meet since it was where Megan was headed, was within 24 hours reach of where I live, and Geoff and Jess could fly there with relative ease. I had highly anticipated the trip and couldn’t wait to see my childhood friend again, Geoff.
I had picked up my passport, all squared away with a new Vietnam visa on a Monday. I was leaving on a bus for the border of China and Vietnam Thursday night so it was perfect timing. What wasn’t perfect timing was my body’s decision to come down with giardia all night Monday and all day Tuesday. I was sicker than a dog and was depleted of every ounce of energy that I had. I some how mustered up the strength to teach my three classes Wednesday and give an extra speech Wednesday night. The speech was on ‘American Lifestyle’ and was agreed upon sometime in advance; some timing. I had an audience of about 70 students from all different fields of study at the University. Despite my illness, I gave a killer presentation on our nation’s culture and our way of life. It was an honor to represent the US in this manner and I can’t tell you how thankful I am to be an American citizen having lived in China for six months now. With my Wednesday’s marathon of tasks complete, I returned home to rest.
Although I didn’t sleep much, I made it through my Thursday classes despite having to sit because of my weak body. I had to; I would be missing all the next week for this trip to Hanoi. After I was completely finished, I headed home to wrap up packing. I was also able to pick up some leftover medicine from a friend of mine who had had the same symptoms that I had just recently suffered. That really helped in my decision to go on the trip at all. With my medicine and pack all ready, I made my way towards the bus station. I got there plenty early and was excited to get out of Kunming for awhile. When I boarded, they lady warned me of theft on the overnight bus. This was something I was no stranger to as I constantly remember my iPhone being stolen right off of me in broad daylight. It’s a shame too because every Chinese person is a thief to me now; they have to be otherwise you get jacked. I always split my money up into different places so that it is never stockpiled in one jackpot location. I try to take all the precautionary actions one can take. It was about 7pm when we left the bus station. It was a beautiful day and I was just grateful to have a settled stomach with medicine on the way.
We arrived into HeKou at o’dark early. The border doesn’t open until 8am so I had some time to hang out and enjoy the fresh rain that had just rolled through. I was grateful to see both of my bags and possessions there. As I walked towards a nice spot overlooking a small river (which is the geographical boarder between China and Hanoi), I thought it might be good to double check my passport. My passport was fine, but I discover my wallet had been cleaned out and my secondary stash of cash had been wiped as well! I couldn’t believe it!! Even after being warned and safeguarding my things for the night bus, I was still robbed during one of my brief moments of sleep! I furiously marched back towards the buses, but what could I do? I still had money left in my third stash but I was hit pretty hard. Everyone had disbursed and I was SOL. There was one man that I locked eyes with and had a good long stare-down as his bus left the station. I had wondered if he was the one who jacked me and if his glare had meant something of it. I had little patience for this sort of thing but have learned not to dwell and unfortunate situations; shit happens.
I crossed the border and caught the 9:45am train into Hanoi. A nice, older, British lady sat next to me on the ride down. It’s funny how almost every older person that I’ve met traveling has given me the same story. They all are out on some epic 6-month to 1-year adventure trying to make up for lost time. Every one of them had wished they’d traveled sooner but have lived a full life instead. By the time I come in contact with them, they’re usually retired or have finally gotten their last child out of the house and now have some time to get out and about. Sarah was no different. She told me of her children and ex-husband; she was one of those people who share too much, but I was willing to listen. It sure beat just sitting there in silence since we were the only two westerners in the car. It’s encouraging to hear this story over and over again since I’ve taken a different approach than most people and have embarked on this adventure at a younger age. We made the 11 hour ride down with no problems. When I got in I was able to make my way on foot to the hostel, this time having a more in depth knowledge of the city streets. Megan showed up shortly after I did and we got all settled in. After a quick bite to eat and some time catching up, we got to bed early in anticipation of Geoff and Jess’s arrival the next morning.
I love the Hanoi Backpacker’s Hostel, if nothing else, for its free breakfast. For $6 a night, you get a decent bed, hot shower, and free breakfast; I say deal! It’s merely bread, noodles, bananas, and coffee or tea, but you can have as much as you like. After filling up and checking out, Meg and I set out on a public bus for the airport. My anticipation grew as the flight's arrival time came near. We got to the airport right around 9:45am and walked about looking for them. Finally we walked down to the lower level and spotted the two fish-out-of-water with their matching back-packs. It was a great moment… we gave each other big hugs and had smiles from ear to ear. We were all excited they had made it and we had all connected seamlessly.
From the airport we headed back into town to get some lunch, set a plan of action, and caught a bus to Halong Bay. Normally you book a tour out to Halong Bay through one of the hotels or hostels, but we took a more adventurous ‘fly by the seat of your pants’ approach. The public bus we took out there made great time, but dropped us off on the side of the highway. They knew where we wanted to go, but we had no idea. We picked up a taxi who we thought would take us to the right place. One guy tried to scam us but we got a price bidding war going between three taxi’s and got the local price from one guy who was super cool. It was all good until he dropped us off at the market in Hon Gay which was the town across the bay from where we wanted to be. From there we set out walking around trying to find a ferry to Bai Chay, the place where most boats leave from and where we wanted to be. While searching for a ferry, we found an outfit instead where we were able to rent a boat for the night. It couldn’t have worked out more beautifully. We loaded up with cheap wine and set sail on a most beautiful ‘Junk Boat’. It was just after 6pm and sundown when we cracked open our first bottle of wine to celebrate being all together. Not but a few hours off of a plane and my friends were headed out with me into one of my favorite spots in SE Asia. I couldn’t have been happier to be with them!
We enjoyed a nice seafood dinner served by our crew of five and one chaperone. We drank wine and ate like kings while catching up and sharing stories. After a few bottles shared between us, we were all feeling very happy. The girls eventually jumped in the water once we had reached our destination for the night. Despite being overcast and cooler than usual, the water is still pleasant and fun to jump in and swim around. We all crashed hard but wouldn’t sleep much that first night.
The next morning I had woken up for the sunrise but was disappointed to see a thick fog settled among the bay. It made for a very beautiful, mystical scene, but I would eventually like to see the bay under the light of sun (the last time I was here it was foggy and overcast the whole time as well). I tried to get back to sleep but just couldn’t. Geoff and I decided to take a little dip ourselves this morning. Nothing is better than waking up and rolling off the side of a boat into the ocean… ahhhhh, it was refreshing! Some other tourists on another boat were watching us, probably wondering what the heck we were doing. We were having a blast just like we always do! Once the crew was up and moving we ate some breakfast then headed for a unique cave to do some exploring.
Halong Bay is known for its picturesque scenery of rolling pinnacles that jut out of the water. They are covered thick with greenery and provide numerous caves, bays, inlets, and even beaches for which to explore. I had stayed on a beach before but I was excited to see the caves. The particular one we went to was ginormous. From the water, it looks like a simple outcropping in the rock; but when you hike up to it, you realize how massive the cave really is. Years of Mother Nature's work has carved out a hole in this particular pinnacle nearly two football fields deep and at least a hundred feet high. Inside are stalactites and stalagmites alike from the seeping water. Colored lights are put up everywhere for the tourists but the effect they create really highlights the contours of the cave wall. Wind Cave National Park in S. Dakota is still my favorite cave site but this place comes in at a close second. The sheer size of it is miraculous. After spending some time walking through and awing at its immensity, we hiked back out and down to the boat. From there we made our way back towards the city. On the way we had lunch and packed our things so that the crew could get the boat ready for the next day’s guests.
Just like that our Halong Bay tour was over and we were on a bus back to the city. We were all very tired and slept most of the way back to Hanoi. We checked back into the hostel and grabbed a quick bite for dinner before turning in for the night. Everyone was excited to check into the Metropole the next day, courtesy of Megan’s Dad who we owe a million thanks.
The Metropole is a very high-class, French hotel prominently consisting of businessmen, the wealthy, and retired foreigners. Therefore it was decided that my grubby looking self would not be checking us in. Instead, Geoff and Jess snuck me in the back door and I immediately felt uncomfortable. I’m fine around such environments, but I was literally stared at and judged half a dozen times before getting through the back lobby. Never in my life have I ever experience prejudice personally, but the weight of eyes on me that day had never been so heavy. But because I was a foreigner, I guess it wasn’t too far fetched that I’d be there. A hotel like this in the US would have kicked me out immediately with the way I looked.
We would finish our short visit primarily hanging out at the Metropole’s pool. Who wouldn’t when they bring around ice cream cones every two hours and cater to your every whim? We did get out to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, but his body was closed for viewing after 12pm so we didn’t go in; I wasn’t disappointed. The girls indulged in the spa and chocolate buffet while Geoff and I took to the pool. We ‘legally’ only had three people staying in the room and at one point we thought we were busted. Geoff and I were sitting in our lounges at the pool when a couple of the waiters started talking about us and pointing. We thought they had finally caught on which made us nervous. We waited for about 15 minutes until one of the men finally pulled me over to the side. I thought, “No problem, I can talk myself out of this one with ease!” It came to my surprise when he asked me if we had ordered a pizza. I was flustered expecting a stern line of questioning. Relieved I told him we hadn’t but that we would delightfully take it. It turned out that the girls had ordered it for us as a surprise. We never did get caught but the thought was never far from my mind.
We walked around the city doing some shopping on our last night in town. Like China, Vietnam has numerous shops from which you can buy almost anything. They have a lot of great art work and I was happy that Jess was able to add to her international collection. We also picked up some DVD’s because they’re just so cheap and ended up watching one that night. The following morning Megan and I said our good-bye’s to Geoff and Jessica as they were headed for Beijing on a 10am flight. We were all nervous about them not having Chinese visas but it worked out in the end and they were able to make their connection all the way through to the US. Megan left around 1pm for her afternoon flight and made her way to Laos A-OK. I had the privilege of waiting around for my overnight train to the border. At this point I was tired, feeling sick, and had a massive headache. I relaxed at the hostel while waiting and socialized with the many foreigners that pass through there. My favorite part of traveling is meeting people from all over the world, and the Hanoi Backpacker’s Hostel has just that. I talked with a German guy for a good amount of time while enjoying a grilled hamburger. Then it was time to go.
I tried hard to work a deal for a sleeper train but didn’t have the cash to upgrade (thanks to being jacked on my way down). Instead, it was the all too familiar hard-seat. That night I laid my jacket out on the dirty floor and tried to sleep under the seats just like the rest of the Vietnamese. Unfortunately it didn’t work so well and I ended up getting sick. When we arrived the next morning, I made some quick moves to get across the border in order to catch the first bus back to Kunming. Unfortunately some jackass- Chinese guy cut me off on the Vietnam side of the crossing in order to let three Chinese diplomats (or something of the sort) pass through. This set me back a good 15 minutes which was crucial. Then the Chinese wanted to search my books to make sure I didn’t have a Lonely Planet-China. They don’t allow them because they tell the truth about places in China, and the last thing that Chinese want spreading around is the truth about their backwards nation. It’s sad how much of China is simply for show and a cover of the way things really are. I was furious by now but was finally free to leave now 15 minutes late! Fortunately, I knew a guy at the bus station, Mr. Li, with whom I exchange money with. He was nice guy who was able to have the bus wait while motoring me out to it on a motorbike. I was most grateful for it meant arriving in Kunming 2.5 hours earlier than if I hadn’t made that bus. I was appreciative to have made it. I set back and snuggled in for the long ride back to Kunming. I broke out in fevers but was able to fall in and out of sleep the whole way back. I was completely exhausted, had a throat so sore it hurt to swallow, and couldn’t do a thing about it. It’s not an easy trip to make, but I’m glad I had made it. When a best friend travels half way around the world just to see you, you make the effort to meet him no matter what. It sucks getting sick when you’re in a foreign country, but nothing comes between true friends. Geoff got sick during and after the trip as well, but those are the sacrifices we make. I’m thankful to have such a great friend in Geoff and was happy to be surrounded by familiar faces and good friends once again. Thanks for a great time guys!
