Get me Hue outta here

Nothing a cold beer and Pho wouldn't fix:)

"I've had it just about up to here," as I motioned my hand over the top of my head as Shawn sat across from me, and agreed. "I'm really tired of all the harassment and scams everywhere you turn." Of course I'm venting now. Was it the "taxi driver" who ripped us off in Hanoi by charging us triple what we paid for the same ride two days prior? The constant harassment of motorcyclists, cyclotaxis, and taxis pestering you to take you somewhere...anywhere..and usually not the place you want to go at that. The same guys turning into drug dealers at night and following you down the street trying to sell you anything and everything, even after refusing 5 times! Or the local bus that charged us 5x what they should have because they figured they could get away with it...then we got kicked off the bus because we stood up to them, in the middle of nowhere! Or just the general bartering for everything you buy, and still getting ripped off, even if it's a bottle of water? *sigh* Ok, take a deep breath, there has to be some genuineness in this country, surely?! And trust us, there is! We're just learning to pick our battles and take it for what it is. So we decided to cut Vietnam short, enjoy the rest of our time here, and not sweat the small stuff. None-the-less, Huy ('h-way') was a pretty place and had some neat attractions to see. A few days here and we're off to the pretty UNESCO town of Hoian for some R&R;)

Renting a motorbike in Hue gave us a chance to escape the hassles and independently tour into the countryside to see the sites. A great get-a-way day!

Adventures on Cat Ba Island

You know how they always say it's the journeying that is to be remembered as much, if not more, than the destination itself? Well, this journey was definitely one of those. Not so much the "wow, that was amazing" type of journey but rather "glad that's over" sort of memory. Likely due to anyone of these factors: the yelling and hand flicking of the very "friendly" driver towards foreigners, the little plastic stools that were pulled from under the seats to accommodate for those who weren't fast enough to grab one of the last remaining seats on the bus(for the 3hr trip), or maybe it was the continuous honking at 10 second intervals that made the trip so memorable. Eitherway, the 5+ hours on the bus, bus, boat, bus journey were worth the hassle.
This is Cat Ba Island-a calm and quite oasis compared to Hanoi (see previous post).

View of the bay in the centre of town from our hotel room.

Not bad for $10 a night!

Vietnamese coffee AKA motor oil

Day one we spent on a full day Chinese Junk boat tour of Lan Ha Bay Islands (the less crowded and more scenic of the famous limestone islands) and a small portion of the famous Halong Bay.

A local family riding past the floating villages and fisheries in Lan Ha Bay

Yours truly and the infamous man.

Our boat on a verrrrry slow, calm cruise thought the inlets.

Our chef preparing lunch for the 9 tourists on board. One of the best meals we've had in Vietnam yet.

Another Junk Boat cruising past.

Stop at the limestone cave on a small island looking onto Halong Bay.

Creepy small tunnel climbing out of cave. Did I mention I'm a little claustrophobic?

Friends chilling outside the cave.

Next stop: floating village of kayaks. After our delicious lunch on the boat here, we grabbed the kayaks and slipped into the water to get a closer look at the bay. Too bad it was so polluted...

We put tippy in the back. 

It's a good thing we stayed in the kayak too 'cause you wouldn't want to fall into the garbage piles floating around the inlets. Such a shame for such a beautiful place:(

Taking it all in on the top deck. I think we managed to fit in 3 naps...

Wake up! It's time for a swim!

This water was a little more promising...

...except the snorkelling was very disappointing. One fish spotted and a few dull pieces of coral.

Guess that's what you get when you combine over fishery and pollution:(

But still, a very beautiful and peaceful place.

Swimming to "shore"

"Hello, hello. You buy something? Hello?"

If I had a dollar for everytime I heard this line...

Stopped at a floating 'fish farm?' to see the fish...

This guy stands guard.

Day 2-rent a scooter and tour Cat Ba Island. 

This is the only helmet that fit big head.

Pretty sure they are just for show...

The rain didn't stop us from having a good time.

A stop at the Hospital Cave. 

This cave was build in the 60's as a hide out during the war. The limestone cave is complete with patient rooms, kitchen, bathroom, movie theatre and swimming pool.

Our guide took us through with flashlights and we were shocked at the size of the 3 level hideaway. 

It started thundering and pouring buckets while we were in the cave so we tried to wait it out. In the meantime, the lights in the cave came back on and we received round 2 of the tour;)

Purchasing .50c rain jackets from the cafe we waited out in while drinking Vietnamese tea and coffee turned out to be a fun experience. Does one size really fit all?

After an enjoyable morning/afternoon on Cat Ba Island, it was back to Hanoi madness on the 5hr bus, boat, bus combo to catch our overnight train to Hue.

Hanoi. Insane, intense, intoxicating.

Two days in Vietnam's capital felt like a full week. Exciting, exhausting, non-stop hustle, overwhelming, loud-there's just no way to describe this place other than total and utter insanity.
Shawn said its like his head was an oscillating fan the entire time. While we were walking along the streets taking it all in (ladies carrying large sticks with baskets of food attached to each end, men on small stools outside of shops drinking draft beer, ladies bumping into you purposely to try to sell you donuts, pineapple, and other tasty treats; chickens running loose, people cutting fish and other meats right on the street, garbage collectors ringing their loud bells, and people trying to sell you anything they had from a large bamboo baskets), we were also trying hard not to get run over by the hundreds of scooters whizzing by. Oh and some cars, taxis, bicycles, tuk tuks, and cyclos (pedicabs) too! The constant honking of horns was enough to make any foreigner go running back to their hotel for an escape from all the madness. So that's exactly what we did at least once during the day, resting up just to do it all over again. One word-exhausting!
This city is not for the faint of heart but it's definitely one place you'll NEVER get bored.

Total and utter chaos on the streets of the Old Quarter. There's just no rules here it seems. Crossing the road is the real challenge. Basically we learnt this; step out into traffic while maintaining a steady but swift pace, walk, DONT run, and traffic will go around you. Once this is "mastered" you can pretty much do it with your eyes closed.

Going to market.

Sidewalks are reserved for scooters. Pedestrians walk on the road!

Just a little bit of everything.

Local market in the Old Quarter was an adventure in itself. 

More people and stuff in one place then we've every seen in our lives. 

Resting up in our $20/night room incl. breakfast. Yup, Vietnam is definitely affordable;)

Pho for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Vietnamese national dish.

Dollar beers. Cheers to that!

$.25 beers? Maybe there's a reason they are so cheap...

Delicious Korean pancakes at the weekend night market. 

Wartime Propaganda poster shop. 

Visit to the Temple of literature. A little calm in all the insanity.

Hanging out in the gardens of the Temple gave us a chance to catch our breath.

The famous and much loved leader of Vietnam. Uncle of the people AKA Bac Ho (Uncle Ho) lead North Vietnam until his death in 1969. You can now stand in long lines at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex to see his body...

One Pillar Pagoda designed to represent a lotus blossom. 

@ Ho Chi Minh Complex

Military museum. 

This piece of art was made from all the wreckage pulled from the Vietnam war and previous wars. 

Many planes, fighter jets, helicopters and tanks were left in Vietnam after the wars ended.

Vietnam certainly has a long history of war. Not just the Vietnam War or "American War" but the years and years of wars throughout Vietnam's long history...