November 27th A decent morning with clear skies and a temperature of about 20C. The breakfasts here are no match for the hotel in Hanoi but filling and tasty nevertheless. We have decided to spend another day with Truong visiting a variety of sites. This time he charges us 49 USD due to the longer…Continue Reading “Ninh Binh …..a second day of touring”
November 26th A late arrival in Hanoi followed by an early departure as we have a quick breakfast anticipating the arrival of our ride to Ninh Binh… the Ninh Binh Excursion Limousine Bus. A rather short journey today of 100 km and about 2 hours… At first sight, Ninh Binh is a rather unpretty town…Continue Reading “Hanoi to Ninh Binh……then a tour of the temples & pagodas”
November 24th A solid breakfast and around 08:30 we started cruising under overcast skies to Cong Dam… ….on arrival, we were transferred via tender to the island where we walked up a small hill which provided some great views… …..then visited a cave….. ….and kayaked through the hidden lagoons and geological park in Cong Dam…..no…Continue Reading “Bai Tu Long Bay Cruise …… Days 2 & 3”
November 22nd Early breakfast and an early departure as the “limo” is scheduled to arrive at 07:30 and so it does. We say our goodbyes to the staff and the head receptionist gives us each a hug, thanking us for staying at the hotel and reminding us to give them a positive Tripadvisor report. It…Continue Reading “Sapa/Hanoi/Halong Bay….then Bai Tu Long Bay Cruise > Day 1”
November 20th The day dawns grey and foggy, we pound back breakfast, stow our luggage at the hotel and with our overnight packs head out to the Sapa Sisters Trekking Adventures office …. ….where we meet our guide. Interestingly, this is the only female and Hmong-owned trekking company in Sapa and in their own words…Continue Reading “Sapa ….trek with Sapa Sisters & Overnight at Zoa’s Homestay”
November 18th We are up bright and early for a 07:00 departure to Sapa…The road covers 315 kilometres and at Lao Cai almost touches the China border. The journey will take roughly 5.5 hours and hopefully, the driver will not be too crazy. Everything we have read points to a certain level of insanity on…Continue Reading “Hanoi to Sapa……north to the highlands and “ascent” of Mt. Fanispan”
November 17th After breakfast we decided to complete our walking tour of the Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake is close to our hotel and the famous Ngoc Son Pagoda (Temple of the Jade Mountain) which sits on an island and is reached by a footbridge. It was built in commemoration of the 13th-century military leader…Continue Reading “Hanoi …….Old Quarter walkabout”
November 16th, 2019 We actually slept pretty well and woke up feeling remarkably gung-ho!! The hotel is well located to visit the Old Quarter > a nice though not luxurious room, comfortable bed…with lots of hot water…Cad 55 per nite including a copious breakfast and super pleasant staff Pretty decent breakfast and with the…Continue Reading “Hanoi…..our first steps and a nighttime street food tour”
November 13/15 Our plans for a fall journey were only firmed up in the fall and formal planning started in October ….so it is a shorter trip than other recent travels with a duration of 32 days….the goal is to visit Vietnam visiting the country from north to south, hitting what we hope will be…Continue Reading “Vancouver B.C. to Hanoi, Vietnam”