Back in North Nam

We arrived to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam ready for the chaos that always encircles the capital. Hanoi is considered the cultural centre of Vietnam but we also found it to be the centre of great shopping, fabulous eating and constant noise. We stayed in the famous old quarter which is comprised of hundreds of streets all specializing in a particular trade like silk, coffins, incense. At the beginning of 20th century Hanoi consisted of around 36 streets, most of which are now part of the old quarter. The street names still reflect these specializations and this makes for some enthralling shopping opportunities!

Hanoi is also home to Ho Chi Minh mausoleum which is a huge tomb (modeled after Lenin's) which houses his embalmed body. To the Vietnamese Ho Chi Minh (referred to lovingly as "Uncle Ho" by the people) is regarded as a God and really worshiped as one. His picture is plastered in every corner it seems of northern Vietnam. Uncle Ho was revolutionary who later became the Prime Minister of Vietnam and was responsible for leading the independence movement, establishing communism in 1945 and defeating the french empire in 1954 (he also spoke over 8 languages!). The people really, really love him and guard his body like a jewel. To see it was quite the procedure included several security checks (you had to give up your camera, cell phone and be padded down), marching in lines of two and not talking, laughing or pausing at the body. The body was quite eerie to see and looked like plastic. Someone must have risked their life to take a picture since I found the following online:

Next we took off for a three day boat tour of the spectacular Halong Bay. I had been looking forward to this since leaving Canada and the views did not disappoint. The bay consists of 1,969 (to be precise!) limestone islands all covered with thick jungle vegetation. Many of the islands also have extensive cave systems in them and we were able to walk through one of them. The cave had a paved, lite walkway several kilometers through it and was illuminated with different colors of lights. Not exactly the way mother nature intended but it did dazzle the eyes and stir the imagination. We also enjoyed kayaking around several islands, hiking and motorcycling around Cat Ba island. The views were breathtaking and besides the crappy, cold and rainy weather we were tickled pink with the tour.

Back to Hanoi where we boarded a night train for a 10 hour ride north to Lao Cai on the China/NW Vietnam border (was a very bonding experience wasn't it Air, haha :)). From there we took a bus ride to Sapa, a hill station on the Hoang Lien Son mountain range. It has some of the most picturesque views...or so we heard! Unfortunately the town and surrounding areas were covered in such a dense fog that we couldn't see two feet in front of us let alone the mountain range! Sapa was very damp and cold as well so we bundled up with several coats, leggings and pants, mitts and touque (or beanies as the Aussies referred to them!) and paid a small charge to have a block heater put in our room which had no heat (and we could see our breath when we talked in the room!). The town was incredible and had tons of villagers from surrounding hill tribes walking the streets in their traditional outfits. The women were fascinating and dressed in colorfully embroidered skirts, shirts, hats and leggings combined with huge silver hoops and necklaces. There is no schooling for them and the women typically marry at the age of 13-20 by arranged marriage. We walked to the Cat cat waterfall near the Hmong tribe village with Suzy and James (previously mentioned in last blog). Really incredible to get a glimpse into their everyday lives. Their huts were very open with corn and other food drying in the attic and open fire to cook meals. We took an amazing hike several kilometers past the village and enjoyed the serenity of something we hadn't heard since coming to Vietnam; silence! No traffic horns or people shouting, only birds chirping occasionally or the rustling of leafs. The children were adorable despite being covered in a thick layer of mud and most missing their pants. Although the weather and fog was disappointing, Sapa was one of the most memorable stops in Vietnam and one that I would love to repeat to climb the famous Mount Fansipan (which we never did see :)). I included two pictures from the internet of what Sapa looks like with no fog and a few of my own.

We returned to Hanoi for one more day which was spent collecting a few more goodies for home and living the lavish life in the greatest splurge of the trip: a fancy hotel room. We felt like a king and queen and was a perfect mellow end to an amazing journey to southeast Asia. Aaron and I shared a tear filled goodbye as he continues his journey for another 1.5 months into Laos and Indonesia and I head back home. How lucky was I to be able to travel for two months with my brother?! Experiences shared and memories gained which will last a lifetime. Travelling truly makes you appreciate what you have and I am truly blessed to have a very tight knit and amazing immediate and extended family of which is very lucky to call Canada our home. I appreciate both my family and country more than ever. I absolutely loved Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam and am really sad to leave but at the same time I am excited to return home to do several things: eat a home cooked meal, brush my teeth with tap water (and better yet to drink tap water), wear a seat belt, buy things at a set price and not have to barter for an hour for a fair price, void in a proper sit toilet (no more squat toilets!), see trash in a garbage can and not all over the roads and in the rivers, sleep on a mattress (not foam), catch up with family and friends, go skiing in the gorgeous Rockies and lastly to FINALLY unpack my unbearable heavy backpack for the last time!!