Halong Bay, Hanoi, overnight train and Hue

Once we got into Hanoi, we immediately left the next day to Halong Bay. We did a package that was 2 days/1 night, including transportation and all meals. The food was really good! Multiple course meals and yummy. The drive to Halong Bay was about 3.5-4 hours....a little long. But the boat (they call them junk boats) was nice. Our guide's name was Duke, and he was super nice. Too bad the weather was overcast, but it felt great to be out there. The water was super blue once we got to some of the rocks/islands, and I could only imagine how amazing it would look if it was sunny! We ended up kayaking one morning, and that was fun. We got to go into some of the grottos. Quite a work out! Got to see some of the floating villages as well. Some of the locals would paddle their little row boats with their feet! Funny. Also, there are vendors (with drinks, goods, etc.) that would paddle up to you to sell you stuff.

Women really do wear the conical hats here! Hanoi was super busy, but we walked around some, ate some good food. I had a sandwich from this one shop near the lake that had steak, onions, egg. It was really good....the bread in general here is really good. Very light and delicious. They also sell bao here, just a slight variation on the filling. For New Year's, Lily and I ate at this restaurant called Quan An Ngong. A lot of locals eat there, but some tourists as well. Really nice, but still cheap! We got four dishes (vegetable dumplings, Hanoi pancake (sweet potatoe with shrimp fried up), egg noodles stir fry, and rice paper rolled with shrimp and pork), and it cost about $9 total. My favorite was the Hanoi pancake. After dinner, we walked around the lake...they light up lanterns and let them float into the night sky. Then we grabbed some drinks at a bar called the Golden Cock, or GC for short. We met a really nice girl from London named Jade....we are almost on the same itinerary!

The next night, we took an overnight train. Quite an experience! We had been told that we have to get a soft berth sleeper car, which we did. Let me just say it wasn't the cleanest. But, we did end up sharing the car with this nice couple from London/Hong Kong, Daniel and Eunice. It took our minds off the train and we talked for a long time.

Arrived in Hue yesterday morning, and it has been raining non stop since we got here. It has put a damper on our mood, and we have just been chilling for the most part. I'm also getting a little sick, so I have to get better! We ate a Hue pancake...which was sooooooooo good. It was a fried pancake folded over (looked like a chulupa) filled with pork, egg, and bean sprouts. Dipped in home made peanut sauce, it was been one of our favorite things we have eaten on this trip.

Ok, now off to a 3 hour bus ride to Hoi An....we are quite excited, as we have heard great things from fellow travelers, and we can get things tailor made and possibly take a cooking class.