Waking up in Vietnam!
Finally hit the hay here at the Rising Dragon Hotel at 1am VN time (after a 20 hr. transit marathon and 27 hrs. with precious few snatches of sleep) – whew! The hotel’s nice and quiet, and woke to my first official, authentic Vietnamese PHO!
Still fighting an acky head cold, but ever so relieved to *finally* be here in my new adopted home.
Stray bits ‘n pieces:
I now have my itinerary nailed down for the next 8 days here in the North. It pays to do the digital research as I knew what things should cost. So when bartering w/ the hotel for Ha Long Bay tours, train reservations to Sapa, and plane to Saigon, I was able to strike a good bargain for all. Special kudos to “David” at the Rising Dragon – ever so helpful and I believe his recommendations will prove excellent.
Street view from in front of my hotel
Meanwhile, I have the day to just explore – first stop a pharmacy for some drugs for this cold, then a stroll around the Lake, buy tickets for the famous Hanoi Water Puppet Show for tonight. Then tomorrow I’m off to Ha Long Bay for 2 nts.
(TECHNO ACK NOTE: Much seems to be haywire here – can access Twitter and this blog but not Facebook (compliments of the Great Fire Wall) . Might have to use an intermediary to post on fb for me once in awhile – until I can figure out how to disguise my IP address. Also, I seem to have lost a bunch of my iPod apps in the translation/latest sync so who knows what that’s all about…
Already in love with the Pho and the Vietnamese coffee (can you spell S-T-R-O-N-G and S-W-E-E-T???)
SUPER wifi here in my room at the Rising Dragon – woo-hoo! THAT alone is worth 20 bucks!
Temps in Hanoi today in the mid 70’s – perfect!
About the Author
Dyanne Off-the-beaten-path travel is my passion,and I’ve always lived life “like-a-kid-in-a-candy-store” – eager to sample as many flavors as I can. Indeed, my life motto has long been: This ain’t a dress rehearsal, folks!
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Off-the-beaten-path travel is my passion, and I’ve always lived life “like a kid in a candy store” – eager to sample as many flavors as I can. Indeed, my life motto has long been:
@fourletternerd – hard to say what to pay as each traveler is different in their budget/druthers. But I can tell you that I paid… I believe it was about $220 for a 3 day/2 night (on the boat) excursion including the single supplement (and of course rt transport from Hanoi, all meals, etc). Indeed, a very nice boat with a/c, wifi, etc. I booked it through my Hanoi hotel, and surprisingly it was cheaper than had I booked it online.
It was a bit of a splurge for me on my budget, but well worth every cent. Also, I highly recommend doing a 2 night excursion as it’s such an incredible locale and what with transport to and fro one overnight hardly gives you time to savor the experience.
Your posts are a delight. If I didn’t already hold a ticket to Hanoi. I’d be looking into it. You mentioned “It pays to do the digital research as I knew what things should cost.” Mind sharing the Ha Long Bay info?
@Raymond – thanks for the “welcome” (I think…), but the truth is – I’m finding Hanoi FABULOUS! Yep, bountiful toots, no doubt – but there seems to be a light “French” touch here – not at all the jarring honks I’ve heard in many other parts of the world.
Seriously. I’m now back in Hanoi (and yes, yes, Halong was incredible!) waiting for the night train to Lo Cai (Sapa), and… I must say, Hanoi is far more lovely than I expected. Love all the trees and the crumbly buildings, parks everywhere (shoot, much like my own beloved Seattle), and the people – fantastic!
Well welcome to the land of horns and chucking crap out the window!Hope you are enjoying Halong Bay!!
That previous anonymous comment was by Carolyn!
Wow–you’re really there! Thanks for taking time to blog along the way.
I’m following your every move. Can’t wait for updates on classes and beginning work. Happy voyage!
Mary
This is awesome! I look forward to many travel tips and adventures!
Thanks for the welcome, Ruth – indeed, it’s good to *finally* be here! I look forward to meeting you in person when I get down to Saigon.
Thanks also for the techno tips. Looks most interesting, if a bit daunting. It will take me awhile to get everything working smoothly.
Welcome to Vietnam! 😀
You’ve started on the right note with delicious, delicious pho already (I still eat it at least every other day).
For facebook sorting (and it’s only ever facebook that’s blocked), I used these tips: http://www.travelfish.org/blogs/saigon/2011/05/16/accessing-facebook-in-vietnam-for-windows/
PS. I love that you’ve now changed your sidebar ticker to how long since you arrived!