Sapa

After the all the drama and re-organizing it took for my father and I to finally get to Sapa, I was worried that I would be disappointed... yet, if anything I underestimated how beautiful it would be here. This is definitely the most beautiful place I've been in Vietnam -- perhaps even in the world! It is definitely in my top five...

 Due to our re-arranging, the hotel my dad and I had booked was full the day of our arrival. The manager offered us a two-day trek through the countryside, complete with a homestay in one of the villages nearby. Since we were planning on spending most of our time trekking anyways, this seemed like a great opportunity. In fact, it was probably the highlight of our trip! We had a private guide from one of the ethnic minority groups who was very knowledgeable and friendly. She also had a great sense of humor which made the whole experience even more enjoyable! Another perk was that she was almost eight months pregnant, so the pace was nice and slow giving us ample time to soak in our surroundings. Though the trek was quite tame, I was very impressed that she was able to do it all carrying around a miniature person inside her!

Our guide, leading us through rice fields -- watch your step!

Traditional wear of one of the many ethnic minorities
living in the Sapa valley

Another perk of doing the two-day hike was that our deluxe room was upgraded for free to a VIP room! Actually, the whole trip was quite on the VIP side -- private tour, great train, and the room! Much more over-the-top than I'm used to:

The only other activity to do in Sapa is shopping. I had been looking forward to seeing all the beautiful hand-made products available here ever since landing in Saigon back in September. While perusing the souvenir shops all over the country, I found myself time and time again attracted to the items that came originally from Sapa. I had been holding back on making any purchases, knowing that I was going to be able to buy from the artisans themselves once I was in Sapa. I was not disappointed with the beauty of the array of hand-made scarves, bags, pillow covers, jewelery... I was unprepared for the tenacity and perseverance of the women selling their items however. Reminded me of my PO days, just keep asking and keep asking and finally someone will buy! It was their lucky day, I was that someone and I bought a lot!

Cat Ba Island

In every country you visit, there's always that "one place" that you simply "must see". For Vietnam, this place is Halong Bay. It is a bay with hundreds of small islands that are ideal to visit by kayak and that are great for climbing. I decided to forgo the usual route of joining a boat cruise. These are usually two day, one night on ship affairs where you follow your group around on the schedule of your guide. Since I had a few days I decided instead to go and stay on Cat Ba Island, the biggest island of Halong Bay, and my stay was a great rest after all the drama that had awaited me in Hanoi!

Cat Ba Town itself is quite ugly, lots of hotels rising high along the harbor front. However, from the balcony of my room, the view was incredible! I enjoyed many evenings sitting up on the 5th floor watching the sun go down and playing my ukulele.

The island itself was gorgeous and I spent a great day exploring it by motorbike. The roads were deserted and the scenery was ever-changing and also beautiful. The locals were very friendly and were especially happy to try and communicate with me as soon as they figured out I knew some Vietnamese! However, I have to confess that the Northern accent is totally different from the Central accent that I've been learning a it was a struggle to understand even the simplest of sentences!

The highlight of my stay was the day I spent on a boat tour of Halong. There were only six of us in our group and four of us were solo travelers which made for great conversation. Included in the day tour were a short hike, a quick swim, a couple cave tours, and a kayak paddle time that was much more torturous than I thought it would be -- apparently my arm muscles have completely vanished from disuse during my time in Vietnam!

Dangers and Annoyances

Though not my favorite section of the Lonely Planet, I always make sure to read the "Dangers and Annoyances" column before venturing to a new place. I feel like it's better to be prepared and a little paranoid instead of regretting it later. I have to admit that I've been very lucky in these departments over the years, and I'm very thankful for that fact... However, this past week has definitely been a big challenge. Buckle up folks, this is not going to be a fun post!

My first encounter with the "Dangers and Annoyances" was a bite on the base of my spine. What exactly bit me is still undetermined, but it is most likely a spider. The bite itself was only slightly painful and over the next hour or so swelled up just enough for me to notice it. I didn't really think anything of it until I got a glimpse of it in the mirror. Instead of a little red bump as expected, there was a small squarish black thing. Weird. Still, by bedtime it hadn't grown so I wasn't too nervous. I slept fine until around 1am when I woke up because I was itchy all over. I mean everywhere, my toes, my elbows, my back, my stomach, my cheeks... It was so bad that I decided to try to shower in case there was something on my skin. It didn't help. I spent the rest of the night trying to sleep and realizing I was successful when I woke up with bloody nails from scratching! Eeekk.

As it often is, in the light of day, I thought that I had been exaggerating the whole thing. But as the morning wore on (after some urging from my mother) I realized that I really should go see a doctor. My now a rash had appeared on my lower back, red and bumpy and itchy. Off to the hospital for me! I went to the General Hospital of Hue and that visit in and of itself was stressful. Add in a spreading rash and you can imagine that my heart rate was pretty high. In all fairness, the people working in the hospital were very friendly and helpful. I was entrusted to a first nursing student who brought me to the emergency department, they referred me to the dermatology department who then sent me up to the foreigner's department where I got a new escort. With her we visited a few other departments before ending in the skin and allergy department where I got my final look from a doctor. (Doctors in all the departments checked out my rash before sending me somewhere else, I was very happy that it was in a spot that was easy to show!)

By the time I got back to my hotel with many pills and creams, the rash had swollen and taken over my upper back and arms. The drugs made me drowsy so I put on some gloves and slept. I did this for a couple days, and the rash slowly got better. It's not swollen anymore but it's still around even today, about a week after I got bit!

Now, if all that wasn't enough, I was hit once again by the "Dangers and Annoyances" in the form of my laptop. On the day I was leaving for Hanoi, all was well. I was checking my emails when all of a sudden my laptop just decides to shut off. The battery was full, it was plugged in, but no, no power. Hum... The little lights on the outside wouldn't even turn on. Worrisome. Still, I was scheduled to leave for Hanoi so I packed up and headed to the airport.

Hanoi. I actually really enjoyed the city, much more than Saigon. The roads and small and crowded, but the traffic is a lot less daunting. There's a beautiful lake in the Old Quarter, and I had a nice walk around it after dropping off my laptop to some dodgy guys with very little English skills. Perhaps I was still a little loopy from the allergy medication I was still on, or perhaps I got a little to comfortable leaving in a safe city like Hue, but I was definitely not on top of my game. I was getting a weird feeling but was unable to pinpoint why. Then I knew, bam! Another hit from the "Dangers and Annoyances" the top pocket of my backpack was raided and off went my wallet and cellphone! Arrrgh... That certainly put a damper on things and made me very paranoid! I spent the rest of my time in Hanoi double and triple-checking everything and worrying at what else might go wrong...

Still, it seems that bad things come in threes and that the universe is done with me for now. I also want to say that being in Vietnam made some things much easier. For instance, in Canada I would never have been able to fix my laptop for the great price of 30$ (which I'm sure was double if not triple the "fair price", but for once I was glad to pay a tourist price). Moreover, if I had needed to see specialists back home, we all know the deal with that. Referral, waiting list, referral, waiting list, etc. Even though I'm sure the doctors in Canada would have actually done more than glance at my back, I was happy with the quick service! As for the theft... well, even I can't put a positive spin on that!

I'm off to Cat Ba Island now, in Halong Bay. I'll hopefully get some kayaking and snorkeling in and perhaps even some climbing! Good times ahead, I've earned it!

Spicy!

Before arriving in Hue, I was told that the food here was delicious but spicy. I'm no stranger to spicy food (though in my family I'm known as the wimp, among my friends I can hold my own), so I wasn't too worried. I had survived in spicy Malaysia after all! Plus, so far my experience with Vietnamese food never approached the too spicy range. However, upon my arrival, Mr. Phuoc (my boss) brought me to breakfast and taught my first Vietnamese words in Hue: không cay, meaning not spicy... which made me a little more nervous. When our breakfast arrived, the famous bún bò hue (spicy beef noodle soup), I realized that there was no exaggeration in the description of Hue food: the broth was rich, tasty, and even this "non spicy" version that Mr. Phuoc had ordered for me made my eyes water and my lips tingle. 

After almost two months of living here and sampling the local cuisine everyday, I never forget those two precious words: không cay! The locals find me hilarious, my friends tease me and say that I have the mouth of a baby, and I can't argue with that. This week I was invited by Mr. Loan's wife to eat bánh canh cá lóc (fish noodle soup), which has recently taken up the spot of my favorite Vietnamese soup (that's right, it's beaten out phở which I've loved forever!).  Also usual, I politely tried to explain that I couldn't deal with spice and asked for the kid's non-spicy version. She accommodated me with a smile and I received one of the best bowls of fish soup I'd ever had:

Despite being the kids' version, when I drank the broth carelessly I was still attacked by spice-induced coughing and teary eyes. The pain is completely worth it though, the fish is incredibly tender, the noodles are some kind of extra-chewy rice noodle perfection and the broth is crazy rich tasting. Then I glanced at my friend Yen's bowl:

She obviously didn't get the kids version! She then added even more chilli to her soup! I don't think it would even be physically possible for me to eat that... Though the extra color does look good!

And now, a completely frivolous addition: a picture of our cook with the best vintage glasses I've ever seen (this is an authentic Vietnamese hipster ladies and gents):