Vietnam

Arriving around 5 am to the bus station a little ways outside the heart of Hanoi was chaotic. This was obviously heightened due to our long and unpleasant journey and that we were running on little to no sleep. As soon as we got off the bus we were swarmed by locals trying to get us to go in their taxi or to their guesthouse. It seemed even when we replied that we were not going anywhere for the time being, that we were going to sit until we woke up a little before deciding where we were going to go and therefore to please leave us to ourselves, that they were not going to accept that answer and rather continue soliciting us. We finally decided on a guesthouse and it turned out it was a good call. The balconies on our rooms overlooked the small, winding alleys/roads where the locals lined both sides selling anything from fresh produce to underwear. Walking around with all the traffic and vehicles began as a challenge and turned into second nature. The trick is to walk into the traffic without speeding up or slowing down your pace and the vehicles just go around you. Believe me, when you first experience it you would never believe you could make it across the road in one piece, but somehow it works. Hanoi is a big city that can seem very fast paced, but at the same time is very relaxed. We stayed in the Old Quarter which is a short walk from many museums as well as Hoan Kiem Lake which is a great place to chill, play badminton or get a coffee. The first evening there Tovah, Tom, Anna, and I went to Bobby Chins restaurant that Tovah had been wanting to go to before we even got to Vietnam. It was really expensive, especially on our travelers budgets, but definitely worth the splurge. We decided to do a 3 day 2 night tour of Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island the morning after we arrived in Hanoi. It was a great trip where we spent the first day and night on a boat in Halong Bay. It was beautiful and relaxing and a nice change to be sleeping on a boat rather than a bus or hotel room. The next day we got off the boat and moved into a really nice hotel on Cat Ba Island (seriously it was so luxurious that the rooms even provided you with disposable toothbrushes, combs, soap, and nice towels). That afternoon we got to go kayaking on the beautiful China Sea. What I found really cool was the floating houses built on rafts in the water. You could see the people that lived in them go about their daily routine of chores, and if they wanted to visit with neighbors they would take a boat to their house/hut. Our last day took us by boat back to Halong Bay where we did a short but not easy trek. Before the van took us back to Hanoi, we were given lunch at a restaurant on the pier. This lunch turned into a nightmare. Anna is very allergic to seafood/shellfish. Despite her confirming which food was vegetarian and alright for her to eat, she was misled and told a noodle dish was vegetarian. Well after stuffing our faces I all of a sudden realized that there was a piece of squid in my noodles and alerting everyone to what I found (I was hoping it was only that one piece that by mistake got there) others confirmed that they too found squid in their noodles. To make a long and scary story short, as I sat outside with Anna she told me once symptoms, that at that stage she wasn't experiencing, set in she needs to get to a hospital within 20 or so minutes cause her heart can stop. We decided to go to the hospital and wait it out incase any symptoms occur, and so I got our guide to tell him. As I was angrily telling him that as our guide it is his responsibility to make sure that the allergies he is made aware of are looked after, especially since Anna's were brought to his attention numerous times and she even explained to him the severity of it, Anna said her tongue was beginning to swell which is one of the symptoms. I told our guide to get us to the hospital and he said the van wasn't there that he would call a taxi. As he is wasting time on the phone I saw a taxi across the street and when he said yes, that he was trying to call and flag that one down, I turned into aggressive Wendy and yelled "so run across the f*&#ing road and go get it" as I pushed him (yes, I did physically push him which is very out of character, but I felt panicked as I was trying to help Anna to stand). Anyway, once at the doctors, she was given injections and medicine that made her feel as good as new aside from being exhausted from the traumatic event. I too was exhausted, and even hours after I was still feeling the effects of my nervous adrenaline. The very next day in Hanoi brought my second visit to the hospital but with Tovah this time. Tovah was having pain in her esophagus like there was either something stuck in her throat or something had cut it. It hurt her to swallow and even to breathe. So we went to the hospital where she underwent an EKG, an xray, and then was left with the decision to follow the doctors advice and be put under local anesthetic to have a microscope put down her throat. After weighing the options she decided not to go ahead with it and instead we got a thermometer that I made her check her temperature every hour with as a temperature means something more serious that would require an immediate trip back to the hospital. She was given meds as well...unfortunately for Tovah, unlike my trip to the hospital in Mauritius or Anna's in Halong Bay, she had to pay for hers. From Hanoi we took the overnight bus. Our travel crew split up for a day as some headed to see the tunnels in Danang, others to another small town Hue, while Tovah, Anna, and I went straight to Hoi An (the town of a million tailors ). I loved it in Hoi An. The town is really cute and small enough that I got to become friendly with some of the locals selling stuff on the streets. In addition, Hoi An has a beach as well as a river that is lined with restaurants and bars. There are street vendors and food and craft markets everywhere, and then there are the endless tailor shops that kept us busy for most of our stay. The first night that the three of us were there we met a really nice couple from Canada, Wendy and Neil. We met them on the balcony of our guesthouse and I knew I liked them right away when I saw they were playing a board game and offered us a drink....how could we refuse? We ended up sitting and chatting with them for hours until finally we all decided to get some dinner. They ended up taking us for dinner to this restaurant where we continued talking, eating, drinking and playing connect 4 (haven't played that for years) until we were all exhausted from our long day of travel. We really couldn't get over how kind and generous they were to 3 girls they just met- traveling allows you to see the best of humanity sometimes. Our time in Hoi An was occasionally spent at the beach or chilling on the river at a cafe, but by and large most of the time was spent at Tony's. Tony is the tailor we decided to go with out of the millions there. Pretty much everyone we were traveling with ended up going to his shop and so most days we would pass each other while flipping through magazines to find a style we want, getting measured, or for our fittings. For me this was a good thing as I could always use the extra help when it comes to fashion. Anyway, most of us left Hoi An with another whole suitcase of clothes that we bought for the price of one fancy dress at home. I mean we got business suits, blouses, dresses, jackets, pants, shoes, bags, kamonos, 3-piece suits (the boys got awesome suits and jackets made). You can get anything made. I even found dresses online and printed out the picture and had them make it for me. Aside from Tony's our next most frequented spot was Miss Ly's, a restaurant we ate at three nights in a row. After almost a week there we headed father south to Nha Trang. As our bus got into Nha Trang it stopped at a guesthouse and the man who ran the guesthouse got on and walked straight back to where we were all sitting and told us we had rooms reserved there. Huh? Maybe it was too early in the morning, but we could not imagine what he meant until he pulls out Charlie's (he left for Nha Trang 2 days before us) passport saying he was staying there and reserved rooms for us. Unfortunately we just got to say a quick hi and bye to him since he was catching the morning bus farther south. Nha Trang was a cool town with a lot going on. There's a beach that was great for running in the morning (yes, we did make it up for an early run one morning). We also brought the hula hoops we bought to the beach for some lessons from Anna. From Nha Trang we carried the hula hoops with us everywhere we went through different towns and countries. I will tell you this, they are a great conversation starter and good exercise too. In Nha Trang we went on Mama Lins boat cruise. It was kind of like a booze cruise but a little less rowdy. We cruised around the many islands and at one point when it was the floating "open" bar time, we all jumped in the water and were thrown a raft. Then we had to swim to this floating bar to get mini cups of really strong wine (had to be something else). After the cruise we decided to meet up with the people we met on the boat for drinks later that evening. Now, Tovah and I have been pretty mellow and have not been partying much at all, so this whole day and night really took a beating on me. I finally felt sober enough to drink again after eating, sleeping til we were to meet up with everyone and showering. This lasted about 1 second when bar staff kept coming around pouring shots in our mouths...you'd think we were in Cancun. Anyway, it was a really late and crazy night with lots of dancing (even on the bar), and ended around 4:30 am when we had to take a motorbike taxi back to our guesthouse. All I know is I spent most of the next day sleeping and recovering and I have no idea how Tovah and Nicola made it up just a few hours after getting back to catch the bus south. Oh yeah, Tovs and I wanted to see different things and so we split up for a day and were meeting back up in Saigon (aka Ho Chi Minh City or HCMC). Anna came with me to HCMC and we arrived early in the morning with our backpacks, an extra bag each with everything we had made in Hoi An, and now also with 4 hula hoops. After finding a place and resting a bit we ventured out to find the Sheraton Hotel where my parents were staying for the next 2 nights. There was a message waiting at reception for us to meet them later for dinner. It was so nice to see them as it has been 6 months. We had drinks at the lobby bar and caught up a little. We tried to teach them the card game we have all been addicted to, "shithead", but were asked to stop playing. Apparently in Vietnam you cannot play cards in public as it is considered gambling. After dinner we managed to get a few games in back at there room before heading back to the cheaper, backpackers area where we were staying. The next morning the others arrived and we got to see them for breakfast before Anna and I went on the Cu Chi Tunnel tour. The tour was really disturbing and eye opening. We had a guide who actually survived the war and then was imprisoned by his own people for having been on America's side. The tunnels were so intricate and small. It is amazing that people lived and prepared for battle there. After the tour I was dropped off at the War Remnants museum where I met up with Paul, Tovah, and Tom. I made it most of the way through the museum but was so nauseous from what I saw and read that I had to leave without seeing the entire thing. However, I did feel it did a good job of portraying the war from both sides. That evening Tovah, Paul, Anna, Tom and I met my parents for dinner. It was so nice to spend time with them and for them to be able to get to know the people Tovah and I have been traveling with who have been like our temporary family. They took us to a nice restaurant and we spent hours eating and catching up. Even though it would only be about another month or so until I would be seeing them, it was still sad to say goodbye. The next morning Anna and I left for Cambodia while the others stayed for another day since they had just arrived. It was a long and hot trip that made you stick to your plastic seat, and need to cover your nose and mouth with a cloth to keep the dust from entering anywhere it could. Despite the discomfort, we were happy to arrive in Phnom Penh before sunset.