Mountain Bound

So after a day in Hanoi, I was sick and tired of all the people and cars and honking horns. So I was happy to get on a bus heading out to the incomparable Halong Bay.

This place is incredible! Even though I was on a package tour (something I normally despise), I thoroughly enjoyed the trip. The bay itself is spectacular, you're surrounded by these massive limestone outcroppings that soar high above and around you and the whole place feels surreal. We did a too-brief (45 min) sea kayak and visited some small lagoons within the islands, as well as a cool cave (a place that you step into and think: "Oh great, another tourist trap," then you round a corner and are blown away by the massive opening that stands before you, complete with candle-wax pillars and tiny underground lakes).

It helped that our whole group got on great, we all jumped off the roof of the boat for a swim in the surprisingly warm water (like 20 degrees) after sunset, then settled in for a night of cards and beers. All the other dozens of tourist boats are anchored around you, which isn't as lame as you might think, since they're attractive vessels and are all lit up at night. Lots of fun, great food, shitty bus trips, but well worth the $40 (although most people paid $30-35, I was lazy and booked through my hotel, never a good idea if you want to save money). In future, I think it might be worth looking into a charter trip (assuming I had other people with me) to go and visit some of the less touristy parts of the bay, but however you visit it, Halong Bay is well worth your time.

Afterward, I grabbed the night train to the Chinese border and wound up in the small town of Bac Ha. This place is really off the map, tourists show up on Sunday mornings for the over-rated market, then head back to their resorts in Sapa. One thing I will say about the markets, when you get away from the kitsch sellers, it is kinda cool, I've never seen people selling live pigs in a sack before, or puppies trussed up like chickens (dinner, anyone?) But the true joy of Bac Ha was walking out to the tribal villages and up to a mountain pass for some spectacular views. While up there, I met a farmer who was leading his donkey back from the markets. Without any English, he invited me to his farm for lunch. Not an amazing meal (just rice and cabbage with chili sauce), but the fact that this total stranger who must be amongst the poorest people in the world invited me back to his small, isolated farm for lunch was simply an incredible experience. I gave him a few dong, and gave his kids some candy (which they devoured immediately!) before walking the long trek back into town. On the way, I passed some tourist buses parked at the bottom of the hill and couldn't help but think that these people were missing out on the true experience that their tour could only approximate.

But yeah, Bac Ha is kind of a boring town (there are like 3 restaurants and no other travelers to hang out with), so today I caught a bus to Sapa. Beautiful city. Sure it's touristy and busier, but perched on the side of a mountain, with incredible views at every turn, it is an awesome place. I spent today just wandering the town, booked a trekking tour for tomorrow, plus my train and plane tickets to Hanoi and onward to Laos (I'm meeting up with Dean and Crish there for Christmas). I've been pretty lucky with the weather: although chilly at night and in the early morning (though not as cold as Hanoi, surprisingly), when the sun comes out and burns away the haze, it actually becomes T-shirt warm outside. I really like it here, and I'm glad I skipped the beaches down south to visit some places that are truly out of this world.

Long post and no pictures to break up the monotony, but if you've made it this far, well, thanks for reading and if I don't get another post up in time, have a Merry Christmas!