Welcome to part 2 of our holiday in Vietnam. R is still suffering with his cold and, miraculously, I am still managing to avoid it. Yesterday morning, I had a runny nose accompanied by a headache, and was convinced that that was the start of it ....... luckily, by lunchtime it was gone!
Saturday 11th April
After an early breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and, leaving our cases to be collected later, took a Grab car to Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum. The whole complex is a tribute to Vietnam's revolutionary leader, housing his preserved body, his modest stilt house, museums and gardens. The mausoleum's towering granite structure, surrounded by ceremonial guards, attracts thousands of visitors annually, including Vietnamese paying tributes to 'Uncle Ho'. On the day of our visit, multiple school trips were taking place. The children were adorable in their uniforms with matching red neckerchiefs. They were very keen to wave and say hello and we enthusiastically returned their greetings.
Despite his wishes for a simple cremation, Ho Chi Minh's preserved body is on display in a glass sarcophagus in the bowels of a monumental marble edifice. Modest dress and no hats are required to enter and photography is understandably prohibited. The queue was enormous but quick moving, and we were in and out before we knew it. 'Uncle Ho' looked as if he was just sleeping, and I found the whole thing a strangely emotional experience. It was only after we exited that R mentioned that he had left his correct glasses in the rucksack back at the hotel. It had all been a bit of a blur to him!
A humble, traditional stilt house was Ho Chi Minh's residence from 1958-69. It sits in a well tended garden overlooking a carp-filled pond and has been preserved just as Ho left it. Visitors can walk along the Mango Path where he used to go for a walk everyday.
Given the number of school trips queueing up outside, we decided to give the museum a miss. R did, however, enjoy looking at Ho's cars, which were on display in another part of the grounds.
We quickly popped into the gift shop - mainly to hear this lady skillfully playing a bamboo xylophone:
Leaving the mausoleum complex, we took another Grab car to Truc Bach Lake (scene of John McCain's parachuting after being shot down in 1967) and the Tran Quoc Pagoda. The pagoda was established in 541 CE along the Red River. It was relocated to its current site in 1615. The 11 storey tower houses multiple statues of Buddha.
Crossing the road from the pagoda, we popped into a small cafe to cool down. I enjoyed another soya milk mango smoothie and R treated himself to a Tiger beer. Feeling a little peckish by this time, we took another car to a vegan restaurant near to the hotel. We shared a vegetable curry (not the best to be honest), accompanied by some potato wedges (very nice indeed!). My virgin mojito was a little on the sweet side - we had noticed that the Vietnamese do have rather a sweet tooth - and R was a little perturbed to discover that his passion fruit juice hadn't been sieved and consequently was like drinking gloopy frogspawn!
After eating, we walked back to the hotel to collect our cases. Aiden was waiting for us with a small gift - a tote bag with a typical Vietnamese scene on the front. It was an incredibly sweet gesture, and it now hangs proudly on the desk chair in the hall, ready for market/library trips.
R had booked our car to Halong Bay before we left home (an unnecessary bit of planning on his part, although we didn't know how easy and efficient the Grab system was at the time). Unfortunately, the car went to another hotel of a similar name and was waiting for us there. R wanted to call the driver to explain and the ever helpful Aiden took the phone from him. Thinking Aiden was going to talk to the driver, R handed it over. Without knowing we had prebooked well in advance, Aiden then pushed the button to cancel the car and, in doing so, cost us the fare to Halong Bay. It was an innocent mistake, and we tried to look on it as a gift to the cancelled driver - he had just made a tidy sum without having to leave Hanoi. It was easy enough to book an alternative ride and, after saying goodbye, we drove the 2 hours to the Hyatt Hotel in Halong Bay, ready for our mini cruise, due to start the following day.
Arriving at our hotel, we were again greeted with a welcome drink and were then informed that our room had been upgraded to a suite - get us! The suite was large - a little bit too large, as we kept losing each other! The 2 Japanese toilets were a welcome addition though, as was the sheltered balcony with a large seat, and the bath with a view! There was a coffee machine with pods provided in the room. When we ordered some soya milk from reception to try it, they were a bit on the stale side. Honestly, we were living like savages! :O).
We lay on the balcony seat for a while admiring the view and listening to the traffic honking below - the Vietnamese are no stranger to a horn; I think it's a 'my right of way' signal.
After a while, we sallied forth to find somewhere to eat dinner. The Doidep Restaurant opposite our hotel had vegan options. The waitress made some suggestions and we dined like kings on soup, pineapple fried rice, sauteed cabbage and a veritable mountain of tofu! Then it was back to the hotel to take a bath with a view and read until bedtime.
Sunday 12th April
As well as the usual buffet style breakfast, the staff had made us some special vegan and gluten free treats, which were much appreciated:
R went for a swim in the infinity pool - I wasn't keen as I had seen it projecting from the side of the hotel the previous evening. Our balcony had made me feel a little wary when I realised that it too projected out into nothing. The pool was a step too far for me! We then took a Grab car to the quay to catch our boat.
Here, we met a slight problem. Apparently, our payment for the cruise hadn't gone through - R, who had all the booking information, was convinced that it had but, before being allowed to embark, they insisted we pay again. This was more than a little problematic - the internet connection was very poor and the booking firm urged him to use PayPal. Neither of us had used PayPal in years, so remembering the necessary passwords was difficult. I kept asking if we could just pay the cruise firm with a credit card. This they initially refused to allow. By this point, our cases had been put on board, the rest of the passengers had embarked and the ship was leaving. I was more concerned about our cases than missing the cruise itself. I was already beginning to have second thoughts about it - more about that later!
Eventually, after several attempts - only to be met with PayPal's message declaring that the transaction hadn't gone through - they allowed us to use a card and we were on. Incidentally, it turned out that our initial pre-holiday payment had gone through, as indeed had the attempts to pay at the quay! We had therefore now paid 4 times for the cruise! Several angry emails and phone calls to the booking company and Paypal were necessary before we finally got our refund!
As some sort of recompense, there now came one of the best bits of the cruise. Because the other passengers had left some time before, we were put on a speedboat and zoomed through Halong Bay! It was brilliant - almost worth the embarrassment of having to enter the dining room in front of everyone, just as the welcome talk was finishing. I decided that we could either slink in or style it out. I went for the latter, raising my welcome drink in laughter, wishing everyone 'Cheers!' and asking if we'd missed much. A man on the next table summarised it nicely - 'Wear your lifejacket!'. I raised my thumb in acknowledgement and we sat down.
Lunch immediately followed. Our waiter, Darwin, had been warned about our dietary needs and we were told that we would be served separately. He also said that we could help ourselves to the lunch buffet and walked us round, informing us which bits were vegan and gluten free. We were off to a bad start as the broccoli and potato soup which was supposed to vegan was most definitely not! Darwin also asked our American neighbours if they had any dietary requirements. Having overheard our conversation with him, the wife smirked before declaring that no, they weren't 'fussy', they ate everything. Remember this comment for later! :O)
As the food began to arrive, we realised that there was going to be a slight problem. Everyone else could help themselves to as much, or as little, as they liked from the buffet. Because our food was being made especially for us (which was incredibly kind of them), we had no control over the quantities involved ...... and the quantities involved were HUGE! Owing to my stomach issues, I have to be careful with the amount I eat (especially if I have plans for the following day!), otherwise I would spend all my time on the loo - too much information?! :O) The amount of food put in front of us for lunch daunted even R. Sweetcorn soup, was followed by an apple, vegetable and onion salad, mini spring rolls, tofu curry with rice and potatoes, followed by a fruit platter. As they had made it all specially, we felt obliged to plough our way through it all. We tried having a quiet word with Darwin, requesting less food for the other meals. Unfortunately, we never really achieved this, and the kitchen continued to be Gung Ho with the quantities! Anxiety + excess food = stomach ache for me, and I was very worried about the regimented timetable, early starts and availability of loos on the day trips!
We finished lunch and rolled our way out of the dining room in search of our cabin. R had done himself proud when booking. Our cabin occupied half of the rear of the boat with dual aspect windows, a large balcony, massage chair and jacuzzi bath.
Despite the obvious advantages, I was feeling very glum. I couldn't see how the regimented timetable, combined with ridiculous quantities of food was going to pair with my gut. They had handed us a cruise schedule and I really wanted to do the activities and trips but couldn't see how it would be possible. R tried his best to reassure his tearful wife. He informed me that we didn't have to do any of it, we could just lie on the loungers on our balcony, read our books, relax and admire the scenery. The problem was that I wanted to do it all and it didn't seem fair for R to miss out either. The cruise was one of the most expensive bits of the holiday. We had been looking forward to it, we just hadn't thought it all through. As well as the gut issues, we had blithely ignored the fact that we tend to suffer from people overload. Too many people in a confined area, many making the most of the boat's 'Happy Hour', was not our idea of fun. Still, it was a learning experience - we now know that cruises are not for us!
Having calmed down somewhat, we changed into swimwear and headed off to participate in the kayaking and swimming scheduled for the afternoon. Here we watched with inner glee as the American lady and her husband (remember, the ones who weren't 'fussy' and ate everything) set off in front of us, only to have their kayak sink under their combined weight. They had to return to the boat for a more substantial sized one. I innocently asked if it had sprung a leak, and the husband claimed that they weren't built for 'normal sized' people. I smiled sweetly.
I don't usually post photos of myself, but R had the camera in the back and I think that these are suitably anonymous!
Heading back to our boat in the distance:
The kayaking and swimming were absolute heaven. The scenery was spectacular and the water blissfully warm - my local lido will never be the same again. It was only later, when R was standing on our balcony, that he realised that someone had flushed a nearby toilet and the effluence had discharged straight into the bay where we had been blithely swimming. Halong Bay (Dragon Bay) is supposed to be tidal, but there were an awful lot of boats and I'm sure that we had just been going through the motions as it were!
Afterwards we lay on the sun-loungers on our balcony. I read my book and R had a little nap. We decided that neither of us wanted any dinner, but that didn't stop the staff from knocking on our cabin door wondering where we were. They were very sweet and offered to bring food to our cabin, which would have defeated the purpose somewhat. We explained again about the quantity of food and apologised for our absence. They showed us the prospective menu for breakfast and we opted for pho - 'Yes, just the pho please. No, nothing else, just the pho. Really, just the pho!' After showering, the evening was spent listening to a book on Audible.
Monday 13th April
After a beautiful sunrise, we miraculously managed to get away with just the pho for breakfast. Darwin tried his best to force other items onto us but we held firm. I claimed a stomach ache from too much food the day before - a matter not entirely untrue. Breakfast was early at 6.30 am, given that the day trip to Cat Ba island set off at 7.30. Lunch was to be on the day boat and the staff were keen to know if we planned to go on the trip so that they could make arrangements for our food. I felt terrible explaining that I didn't know yet - I needed to wait and see how my gut was faring! They failed to comprehend the problem so, in the end, we told them to assume that we were going, but not to make any special arrangements regarding food as we were sure that we had eaten enough to survive until dinner.
Wanting desperately to go on the trip, I loaded up on Imodium and off we set. A small water taxi transferred us to the day boat (loos on board!), and we began a 2 hour cruise to Lan Ha Bay (shaped like an orchid) and Cat Ba Island. R and I shared a big chair - a bit like the one on the balcony at our previous hotel. It was very relaxing and the scenery floated by. I may have had a little nap!
Arriving at Cat Ba Island (Women's Island), we were given the choice of transport to the local village - either by bike or a small electric buggy. R and I chose the bike and tried not to be offended when the guide had difficulty hiding his surprise - the other cyclists being distinctly younger! The bikes were 1 gear but the ride was only about 5kms, so it was relatively easy going. There was one hill with a 1:10 gradient. Luckily, most people got off to push at this point! The views were beautiful and, given the high temperature, the breeze cycling along was very welcome. We parked our bikes on the outskirts of Aroma Viet Hai village. It was tiny with a very small population. The young children are educated on the island, but when they reach secondary school age, they head over to the mainland to live during term time. The locals thus rely heavily on tourism to provide money for the children's accommodation, otherwise they are forced to remain at home and help with the farming.
We wandered into the village and sat in the shade, listening to a talk about the island by our guide. There were different types of wine to be tasted, ranging from tamarind (which was supposed to be good for the hair) to snake - yes, it did actually have a snake in the jar! - which was allegedly good for manhood! R tried some, but the heat was making me feel a little light headed, so I stuck to water. Apparently, it was very strong - more like spirits than wine.
People were then given the opportunity to have a fish massage - remember the phase a few years ago when people paid to sit with their feet in a tank of fish whilst the fish nibbled at their toes? I think they lost popularity after it became clear that there was a risk of infection! Anyway, it was that sort of thing. It was popular with the other members of our party but R and I decided to pass. We wandered along the main street admiring the houses and gardens. I particularly liked the veggie patches, edged in glass bottles.
Given that I was feeling the heat, I decided to take the option of the electric buggy back to the boat. There had been a lot of downhill on the way there and I didn't fancy the trip in reverse. R was going to come with me, but I encouraged him to ride - he does enjoy cycling. I held onto the rucksack and made my way back in style. Apparently, the ride back was just as easy as the ride there, so I needn't have worried. I was glad to have tried the little buggy though; it was fun.
Back on the day boat, lunch had been prepared. Despite us telling them not to go to any trouble over us, they hadn't taken us at our word and masses of vegan, GF food appeared. So much food!
After lunch there was more kayaking and swimming. Caves were explored and crabs, eagles and jellyfish oohed over. There was also a small island to explore, complete with a shrine, coral galore, and an unidentified skull on the beach. It was fascinating and completely clean from the tide. I wanted to bring it home as a souvenir but R thought it was too weird.
View from inside the cave looking out:
Me, beachcombing by the shrine - again, suitably anonymous! :O)
After our swim, it was back to the day boat and a quicker hour long cruise back to our ship, Mon Cheri.
Back onboard, we were immediately pestered about our dinner requirements. R chose from the menu and I assured Darwin that more pho with tofu would be perfect for me. We passed the time before dinner playing with the massage chair (actually quite uncomfortable, not at all like the ones we had enjoyed in Japan), watching the scenery go by and doing some more on my travel knitting. There was also a cookery demonstration on deck - Vietnamese spring rolls. We gave rolling them a miss, owing to the meat in the filling, but picked up a few good tips regarding their preparation: Place the wrappers on a damp cloth to wet them easily before filling and rolling, and place them under the hot fat with chopsticks - this prevents them dropping in, reducing the chances of splashing hot oil. It was a bit of a health and safety nightmare with children all round the table and a pan of hot oil bubbling away unprotected!
Dinner was again lots of food. I stuck to my pho as they brought course after course to R. We sat next to a nice couple from Australia. The man had had a knee replacement recently and had apparently damaged it when one of the members of staff tried to help him into a kayak, pulling on his life jacket as he sat down and twisting his leg. He was limping quite badly and worried about the rest of the trip.
It was only after a while that I realised that we were letting the side down sartorially speaking. Planning to try out the jacuzzi bath after dinner, we had just had a quick wash and turned up to eat wearing the same clothes that we had worn all day. It was only after I noticed all the other women looking particularly glamorous, that the penny dropped and I remembered that you are supposed to dress for dinner onboard. I was mortified but R found it quite funny. I wouldn't mind but I did actually have dresses packed - not posh ones, just summery ones - but they would have been better than the scraggy shorts and shirt that I was wearing!
As there was no vegan dessert, Darwin had been told to offer us any alcoholic drink on the menu instead. Not fancying alcohol, we both opted for another mango smoothie. I got the impression that he thought we were both total abstainers, not the case at all. He also tried to give us sugar syrup to add to our soya milk smoothie - apparently it is normally made with 'condensed' milk (we think he may have meant evaporated) and is therefore sweeter. We declared it sweet enough and perfect.
We left it as long as we could, but everyone else was lingering over their desserts, so we were forced to do the walk of shame exiting the dining room. I like to think that nobody noticed/cared about our dishevelled appearance, but I caught the odd look. As I said before, we're not cruise people!
To top it all off, I tried the jacuzzi bath, which took ages to fill enough to cover the nozzles. I hopped in, turned it on and the noise was so loud that it made me jump, thereby dislodging the plug and lowering the water below the jets again. I gave up, had a normal bath and headed for bed and my book.
That's all for part 2. Part 3 will follow shortly.
Toodle pip for now. x
