Nam

(Tuesday) I haven't been in the mood to write for almost a week now. This is not my finest, but it's an update! Today was Blair's 21st birthday. Some of us girls pitched in to get her a silver bracelet. Inside "We love you kaa" was inscribed. Although it's supposed to be kha, the meaning is the same for us. I'm so glad we could celebrate with her. She is an amazing girl who is definitely going to do good things for this world. She has so many admirable qualities. We all decided to have breakfast together and ordered pancakes with sugar and lemon. Of course there was plenty of hot tea to go with. Afterwards, we all got cozy in a room, lit a fire and watched tv. For lunch, our whole group met at the restaurant of our guest house. We sang Happy Birthday, and ate a delicious lunch. While sitting there, the curtain of clouds finally opened. We all rushed to the patio to enjoy the mountain caps and a glimpse of sunshine. Moments later, it was gone. The clouds gave way a few times throughout our lunch. These moments created much happiness as we eagerly watched the mountains and village come to life. Sapa is a beautiful mountain town, and it's unfortunate the clouds have masked it most of our stay. However, these small moments create a sense of appreciation. There was a bit of giddiness for some including myself. Our giantly delicious burgers made the moment even better.We left Sapa and took another night train to Hanoi.

(Wednesday) Two bus and two boat rides later, we were at Halong Bay. I was in complete awe. The limestone islands were absolutely breathtaking. The water sparkled beneath as we rode to our private island for the evening. It was semi-private actually. There was another group of eight travelers on the island. They were very pleasant. We stayed at a beach camp in little huts. Anna and I were lucky enough to get one with a bathroom. It almost looked like a honeymoon suite with our big bed and frilly mosquito net. Before lunch, Anna and I walked across to a smaller island where a boat was turned to be fixed. The tide was low so we were able to walk easily. While walking we saw a starfish and the imprints of many others. We also saw some crabs and what appeared to be a sea cucumber.
For lunch we had fresh seafood. It was soooooo good! After we settled in, we went sea kayaking! It was my first time ever kayaking. Isabel was my partner. We had such a good time. The group went around for a couple of hours. About half way through, Isabel and I sank into some deep conversations. Our kayaking pace turned into a leisurely pace so we could talk and take it all in. My arms were so sore, but it was a great way to spend the afternoon. I was hoping the sun would come out to play, but it never did. Still the air was warm. After a hot shower we sat outside drinking coffee and tea while waiting for our dinner. Hillary brushed our hair for us. It was so nice! I forgot how relaxing having my hair brushed is. Mom, I'm sorry for always shooing you away when you touch my hair. Lesson learned. You can brush my hair whenever you'd like :) Dinner was so delicious. There was grilled squid, steamed clams, chicken, pork, salad, friend rice and the most amazing garlic French fries! I was so full and ready for some sleep.

(Thursday) I woke up to the sound of the tide breaking against the sand. It was calming. I had woken up in the middle of the night and scared myself thinking the gibbon would come into our hut. Our kayak guide said the gibbon would come inside if we left food out. Ever since we visited the gibbon sanctuary in Thailand, I am fearful of them. They are vicious!! I also had another crazy dream last night. The malaria pills have made me dream up some crazy things that are nightmares to me like kids and marriage!
Breakfast was served outside before we boarded another boat. We were taking that boat to go kayaking and then transfer to a larger boat known as a junk. We stopped in the ocean for some members to kayak. I voted against it today . I was very content with reading on the sundeck despite the lack of sun. Again, the air was warm and the rocking motion was very relaxing. Half our group stayed on deck, and we played games and had a nice afternoon. A few times the "7-11 boats" came by to sell snacks and drinks. I like the concept of having small paddle boats come and bring you food and drinks. When the other half of our group arrived we continued our ride. However, we stopped before transferring to the other boat. There was news that a boat had sunk the previous evening, but no other news was provided. Eventually we learned that they were not letting tourists stay on boats overnight due to this tragic incident. Unfortunately, 12 tourists died in the early evening. My heart goes out to them and their families.
Plan B brought us to a hotel where we had a group dinner. Some of us went for dessert afterwards. We heard some Modest Mouse playing so we decided to grab some there. The music was better than the dessert. We tried to order ice cream and chocolate cake. They brought out packaged ice cream cones that we politely declined. Then came the cake which looked like a twinkie with chocolate syrup. Although there was no filling, the cake was the same consistency with a hint of coconut. Oh well, we tried.

(Friday) In the morning we had breakfast before heading to a national park. Wee had breakfast before heading to a national park. We hiked up to a gorgeous look-out tower on top of a mountain. From there we had an unobstructed view of the mountain range. It was absolutely stunning. Abundant green mountains expanded as far as my eyes could see. The cool breeze felt nice against my sweaty body. There were no sounds but those of our own voices. The hike was worth every step and stair. My legs are also thankful. We stopped at a Hospital Cave as well. There's literally a hospital built into a cave that was used during war. It looked like a scene in a Saw movie, but it was brilliant at the same time.
We took another speed boat in the late afternoon and after a two hour bus ride returned to Hanoi. The city was alive. We checked into our hostel which was the Backpacker's Hostel. It was awesome! it's new and absolutely great. There were so many travelers and twelve of us shared a room. They were clean, spacious and modern. There was a pool table, computers, dart board, movies, etc. For dinner a few of us dined at a street cafe we had noticed earlier. There were a ton of locals every time we passed which is a good indication that the food is worthwhile. We sat down, ordered some beer and then the beef. They brought out hot skillets and raw seasoned meats and vegetables. There were giant pieces of garlic mixed in. We used one set of chopsticks to cook our food and the other to eat. The food was so good. The meat was tender and seasoned so nicely. They also made us sauces with lime, seasonings and chilles. We ate everything.
There were 2-for-1 cocktails at the hostel afterwards where we tried some Mango Leg Openers? When the bar closed the entire hostel headed over to another bar. About six of us girls went out. It was Gill's last night, and we were ready to dance. Although the music was obnoxious, we loved every minute of it. Everyone was into it. There was a great dance party going on upstairs. What a fun night. We stayed out until 12:30 which is super late for us! It's nice to be a part of the city night life again. I almost forgot what that felt like :)

Game face for our uphill bike ride

This is how dense the fog was when we rode our bikes

Sapa

Halong Bay

Hospital Cave