Whilst I found Hanoi welcoming and honest, but a bit rough around the edges, Ho Chi Minh city (or Saigon still to many locals) is like that good looking friend who shows off a bit and your not quite sure if you can believe everything they say.
In Hanoi rests the body of Vietnamese revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh in a large mausoleum in the centre of Ba Dinh Square.Uncle Ho, as he is affectionally regarded by supporters, led the revolution against the colonial french and governed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) from 1945 to 1969. Continue reading “Ho Chi Minh (the man, not the city)”
Our last day of cycling is upon us and we are heading back into Hanoi. One thing we have not explained is that each of the viliages we visit specialises in some sort of farming or production. For example the villiage we stayed at on our first night specialised in weaving, others in rice wine, corn, sugar cane, etc.
I have been a bit quiet on the food front lately, because I haven’t really been eating much but rice. Bit of a tummy bug. But today I am back in the game and just in time for a seafood lunch on board our cruise through Ha Long Bay. Continue reading “The real fresh food people”
Poor Simon didn’t stand a chance today when Huang told us we were going to Ha Long and our first stop was a pearl factory. Pearls are my favourite, and whilst Simon has already bought me a string of them and a bracelet to match, you can’t have too many – right.
Today was thankfully a bit more relaxing, starting with a one and a half hour boat ride through Tam Coc, sometimes called inland Halon Bay. The river system snakes between, and under, limestone mountains, and our trip took us through three low lying caves. Our guides where a husband and wife team who row tourists along the river five days a week.
An interesting little tid bit from our day in the National Park. The signage within the park is very creative and often in the form of a riddle.
Before jumping on the bikes today, we drove back over the mountains we had come over yesterday to a junction in the road about an hour and a half from where we stayed. Continue reading “Cycling, Day two”
How many spring rolls can a foodie eat, so far I am up to about twenty!
They are delicious, way better than any I have had in Sydney, including my regular Surry Hills Vietnamese haunt. Continue reading “One for the foodies”
Well we have arrived! Safe and sound. Although I must say there is nothing like stepping out of an airport into a foreign country to remind you of your vulnerablity. Continue reading “Hurrying through Hanoi”
PeopleWhoDoStuff - Blog 