Hanoi & Halong Bay
I always thought that the streets in China are really chaotic, as you always have to pay attention not getting hit by a taxi or by bikes in the back when crossing the street. Well, in Hanoi you just have to survive hundred of motor bikes coming towards you, even if they have red light :). Just a view days ago somebody told me that the traffic in Saigon is ten times worser than in Hanoi...I wonder how this works...I will find out :).
Besides the heavy traffic on the streets the people in Vietnam are unbelievable friendly. They even say sorry when they jostle you on the street. Which I am absolutely not used to anymore after six month in Shanghai. Nobody says sorry there > First comes first serves. I was just about to say: "No Problem. Just do it again!" - Just to hear the sorry again :).
Many, many motor bikes...are making crossing the street quite a challenge :)
On the lake in Hanoi
A street market in Hanoi
A little boy on the streets
Very interesting in Vietnam, you can see a lot of buildings like this: In the front not very wide but very long in the depth.
Halong Bay
After a day in Hanoi I went on a two day trip to Halong Bay. Halong Bay is very famous for its three thousand little islands.
The first night I stayed on the boat...but our boat was right on the end. It is quite difficult to climb several boats with a 15 KG backpack on the back....an experience with muscle sore as result :)
Halong Bay
The "Surprising Cave" we visited on one of the little islands
The view outside the surprising cave and me
Little market on the water
In the afternoon we went Kayaking next to one of the millions fisher farms in the bay. To get to the kayaks we had to balance aaall the way to the other side :). Luckily they were not growing any sharks there :).
The next day we went hiking on Cat Ba Island
On the top...yeahhh :)
Besides the heavy traffic on the streets the people in Vietnam are unbelievable friendly. They even say sorry when they jostle you on the street. Which I am absolutely not used to anymore after six month in Shanghai. Nobody says sorry there > First comes first serves. I was just about to say: "No Problem. Just do it again!" - Just to hear the sorry again :).
Many, many motor bikes...are making crossing the street quite a challenge :)
On the lake in Hanoi
A street market in Hanoi
A little boy on the streets
Very interesting in Vietnam, you can see a lot of buildings like this: In the front not very wide but very long in the depth.
Halong Bay
After a day in Hanoi I went on a two day trip to Halong Bay. Halong Bay is very famous for its three thousand little islands.
The first night I stayed on the boat...but our boat was right on the end. It is quite difficult to climb several boats with a 15 KG backpack on the back....an experience with muscle sore as result :)
Halong Bay
The "Surprising Cave" we visited on one of the little islands
The view outside the surprising cave and me
Little market on the water
In the afternoon we went Kayaking next to one of the millions fisher farms in the bay. To get to the kayaks we had to balance aaall the way to the other side :). Luckily they were not growing any sharks there :).
The next day we went hiking on Cat Ba Island
On the top...yeahhh :)
kreim - 4. Apr, 12:43
Adam Smile (guest) - 22. Oct, 10:10
So great
Gorgeous spot. Great photos. Another world from where you are now.
Tommy (guest) - 17. Feb, 02:27
So amazing
Hanoi & Halong Bay so amazing but U should experience Ho Chi Minh tours to get a full sense of Vietnam
Wonderful trip to Halong Bay Vietnam
Halong Bay is also one of the most beautiful places on earth, which is why hordes of tourists hop on junk boats made to look old and they cruise those islands, stopping hither and yon to explore caves and mountains. You can imagine how good the seafood is — and you’d be wrong. It’s even better. True, the life on land isn’t so pretty and the town is a bit of a pit. But you’d be hard-pressed to find better crab or shrimp or saltwater fish than what you’ll eat every day in Halong Bay.
If you get your hands on December’s issue of Gourmet, you can learn more about Halong Bay in my feature, “On the Waterfront.” I haven’t even seen it yet (it takes a while for my copy to get here, and the issues on the shelves around here are always at least two months old). If Halong City is ever on your itinerary, be sure to try the local seafood restaurants on the street heading uphill, around the corner from the post office. Cross the bay to the “other” Halong City to check out the seafood market.