Last Stop: Hanoi
Finally, we have reached the “last episode” of my Vietnam Travel Tales where the last pit stop: Hanoi ended it all.
Hanoi is the 2nd largest city in Vietnam and some said it has more charm than Saigon. Hmmm, I kinda agree with that because Hanoi’s main tourist attraction, “The Old Quarters” is definitely a colorful and fun area to visit. In fact, our hotel is situated right in the heart of the Old Quarters.
As for our hotel, Hoa Linh Hotel is a family-run enterprise and so, it gives a homely kind of feel. Everyone in the family helps out in the hotel, be it cleaning, cooking or basically lazing around in the reception area.
I only paid 30 USD for 2 nights’ stay for a moderately size room, huge toilet but unfortunately, with a view to a garbage site! Nonetheless, I still found it to be good value for money ALTHOUGH I encountered 2 blackouts in 2 days??!! The 1st blackout only lasted for about 30 minutes in the evening, so that wasn’t so bad. However, the 2nd blacked out happened at 2 am while I was still watching TV, and suddenly ZAP! No TV, No lights and NO AIR-CON!
Thinking that the black-out would only last for 30 minutes or so, I decided to just join my snoring Boyfriend… … and sleep. But I woke up again at around 4.30 am to a stuffy room and electricity was yet restored. Feeling irritated from both the heat and having my sleep disturbed, I woke my boyfriend up and was getting dressed to stomp down to the reception area and scream at whoever was on duty.
And guess what, after spending 10 minutes dressing up and combing my hair and was just about to open the door, ZAP! Electricity was up and running again! (Did they have a hidden camera or what??!) ARGH!!!!!!!! PISSED… … so, I woke up for nothing. Boyfriend gave me a goofy grin and hopped right back to sleep and began snoring in less than 2 seconds!
Besides the Big Black-Out, which happened while I was in New York, this twilight black-out episode in Vietnam was the next most eventful. An experience worth describing because in Singapore, black-outs seldom happen!
Another enjoyable experience in Hanoi: eating out. And I mean that literally where you will go to road-side stalls and sit along the roads (while the motor-bikes are honking away), on those little stools and tables (stolen from the near-by kindergartens?) and order wanton mee or Vietnamese pancakes (called Banh Xiao). Never mind that the food did not look very clean but they were absolutely delicious!
The next day, we joined a day tour to visit Halong Bay, a beautiful bay with many little islands. It was like the Guilin in China, but of course, of a smaller scale. You can even choose to stay overnight on one of those Junk boats for a “complete” Halong Bay experience.
That concluded my trip to Vietnam. It was fun and extremely cheap, especially with such cheap fares from Tiger Airlines.
Guess what…? I will be going to Taiwan for 6 days during the last week of December! Yoo Woo! More travel tales to update!
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
3rd Stop: Hue
Hue is the ancient capital of Vietnam, and it is at Hue where you will see the “mini” version of the Forbidden City. I have not been to the one in Beijing, so I cannot draw any comparison. However, I believe the palace in Beijing must definitely be grander and better preserved. It is sad to say that the government of Vietnam did not put in much funds or effort to preserve Hue’s Forbidden City nor its ancient tombs of the dead emperors.
The highlight of Hue was the Motorcycle tour that we took. Each of us hopped on the backseat of the motorcycle where our guides zipped us through the city and into the villages in the near-by countryside. Along with the villages, we also visited the ancient tombs, as well as some war bunks.
It was a lot of fun! Although during the 1st few minutes on the bike, I was wondering whether I would make it back alive. Our guides were driving like Michael Schumacher in a F1 race… Haha, what an experience!
I definitely highly recommend the motorcycle tours instead of the boat tours along the Perfume River. (You will need a strong heart though!)
Hue was not as charming as Hoi An, in fact, the city had nothing much to offer. So, after two nights in Hue, we packed our bags and flew to Hanoi, our last destination of our trip.
Hue is the ancient capital of Vietnam, and it is at Hue where you will see the “mini” version of the Forbidden City. I have not been to the one in Beijing, so I cannot draw any comparison. However, I believe the palace in Beijing must definitely be grander and better preserved. It is sad to say that the government of Vietnam did not put in much funds or effort to preserve Hue’s Forbidden City nor its ancient tombs of the dead emperors.
The highlight of Hue was the Motorcycle tour that we took. Each of us hopped on the backseat of the motorcycle where our guides zipped us through the city and into the villages in the near-by countryside. Along with the villages, we also visited the ancient tombs, as well as some war bunks.
It was a lot of fun! Although during the 1st few minutes on the bike, I was wondering whether I would make it back alive. Our guides were driving like Michael Schumacher in a F1 race… Haha, what an experience!
I definitely highly recommend the motorcycle tours instead of the boat tours along the Perfume River. (You will need a strong heart though!)
Hue was not as charming as Hoi An, in fact, the city had nothing much to offer. So, after two nights in Hue, we packed our bags and flew to Hanoi, our last destination of our trip.
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