It reminded me of a smaller Ho Chi Minh City, but much better. We spent one day walking around by our hotel to a very pretty lake in the middle of the city. We also went to the Hoa Lo Prison or the Hanoi Hilton, which was very interesting. Lots of pictures of John McCain when he was held there! We ate some great Mexican food at a place called Al Frescos which was started by an Australian. Jeff had fajitas and I had quesadillas, which was a much needed break from noodles. We came back to stay another night to Hanoi after Halong Bay and we did not do too much. I have been trying to get over a slight cold so we spent most of the time lounging in the hotel room. We only went out for dinner that night.
Halong Bay, Vietnam
We took a private driver to Halong Bay was which is around 4 hours northeast of Hanoi. The boat we were on was beautiful! Only 6 rooms so it was nice and quiet. They served us gourmet meals which consisted of about 4-5 courses every meal. Our room was basically all windows and it had a private balcony. The first night on the boat we had cocktails on the top deck to watch the sun set and had a beautiful dinner. I had lamb and Jeff had beef! After dinner we went back up to the top deck by ourselves and sat under the almost full moon and the stars…it was beautiful. The next day we did some kayaking into caves and some swimming. The service on this boat was amazing and everyone was so wonderful. I didn’t want to leave…it was great to have such a peaceful experience in the middle of such beautiful scenery after being in the hustle and bustle of the other cities. This will probably be one of my favorite parts of our trip!
We have now made it to Koh Phangan, Thailand! This an island on the east coast of Thailand, near Ko Samui. I am looking forward to the rest of our trip on beautiful beaches!
Halong Bay
Jeff and I Kayaking
Sunset from our boat on Halong Bay
Sunset from our boat on Halong Bay
Our boat
Halong Bay