An opportunity to manage a tour to tropical Indochina arose and I could not resist! The passengers on this tour were from MIT Alumni Travel Program and the AIA, Archaeological Society of America. Our study leader, Dr. Joyce White has worked in SE Asian archaeology since the mid 1970's and currently directs a field based archaeological research program in northern Laos that focuses on the history and prehistory of the Mekong Basin. We could not have asked for a more perfect study leader!
After a very long day or so of travel I arrived in Hanoi and made my way to the Metropol Hotel situated conveniently close to the French Quarter. I met my sister, Faith Lumsden, who would also be one of my tour members on this trip! We stepped outside into the sultry evening and found the poolside bar.
Our first day was a catch up day and after meeting up with my local guide to review our itinerary, Faith and I set off to explore the environs. We took in the Hanoi Women's Museum and then walked around the lake,
Hoàn Kiếm Lake. During our walk around we saw a variety of little cars and trucks for little kids to drive. The streets around the lake were blocked to cars, so everyone was enjoying the partial sunshine.
Women's Museum
After a rest we decided to try out one of the restaurants recommended on my list - The Red Bean, http://www.redbeanrestaurant.com/ - Excellent! We enjoyed an interesting menu and top notch service. The waitress even got recipes for us for our favorite dishes! Here is a sample:
and then back to our lovely room at the Hotel Metropol for a good night's rest!
Next day we met our pre-extension group and headed off to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum with our Hanoi guide, Mr. Anh. Anh was born in 1978. He provided us with a comprehensive history of Ho Chi Minh's impact and his legacy. We were able to get to the front of the line, which was huge at the complex and then headed to the palace grounds and botanical gardens for a pleasant walk. Important to see the famous Mango Road and the HCM statue. It is also where we could find clean bathrooms! :-)
Our wonderful, cheerful, slightly jet lagged group with our guide, Anh.
On our way out of the Botanical gardens we met a group of students who wanted to speak English with us and had lists of questions to ask. It was so fun to meet these young energetic people and chat with them!
Next stop was the Hanoi Hilton - the prison where American GI's were held during the Vietnam War. This would be one of several very sobering sights we would see on the tour.
The remainder of the morning we enjoyed touring the Confucius Temple of Literature and a lovely lunch at a restaurant, KOTO. After a rest back at the hotel we had an exciting Cyclo ride through the French Quarter and the Old Quarter with a tour around the lake. Our last activity was the famous Water Puppet Show - kind of touristy, but still fun.
That evening was Faith's birthday - I won't say which one... so our welcome dinner at the Club Oriental was especially festive!
Barber shop - see me in the mirror taking this photo!
On a hot day, this tastes good!
The traffic was exciting!
Water Puppet Theater
Club Oriental
Quite a busy first day!
Day 2 we traveled to Halong Bay, stopping along the way to see a Fresh Market and to visit a Pearl Factory. Once at the bay we boarded the very beautiful ship, Paradise Elegance - https://www.paradisecruise.com/paradise-elegance/ - for a two night tour of the bay. Once aboard we explored our elegantly appointed rooms and just relaxed! The limestone islands in Halong Bay rise straight up out of the water and are covered with dense vegetation. The water is emerald green and we were very lucky to have blue skies and puffy white clouds!
On our first full day on the Bay we toured an enormous limestone cave complex, Sung Sot Cave - http://sungsotcave.com/ Kayaked in the lovely emerald green waters and enjoyed a cooking demonstration on the sun deck as the sun was setting and we cruised around the islands. The water is like a lake, no waves, so quite comfortable!
The next morning was absolutely brilliant. At Titov Island wewe hiked over 400 steps straight up to take in the panoramic view. There was a Russian cosmonaut, Gherman Stepanovich Titov, who was the second man to orbit Earth behind Yuri Gagarin. He visited this island with Ho Chi Minh in 1962 who named the island after him.
Wonderful exercise after eating all the good food on the ship! We said goodbye to our dear guide, Mr. Anh, and then flew to Saigon where we all enjoyed dinner on our own and settled into the Park Hyatt Hotel The next morning we met our new guide, Hai, and the rest of the group and began the main tour program. First day sights included the Saigon Post Office, the building where the last helicopter landed to pick up people during the Fall of Saigon, and the Presidential Palace. After lunch we took in the Cu Chi Tunnels and then enjoyed a lovely welcome dinner with live entertainment.
The next day we boarded our home for the next week, the Mekong Princess. We met our delightful Cruise Director, Quang, and his excellent staff. Dinner was preceded by some live entertainment of traditional dancing. We set sail and enjoyed the cool breezes blowing off the water.
The next few days were filled with exploration and discovery of how life on the Mekong proceeds. We visited tiny villages, temples, floating markets, home industries, and vast agricultural areas where mangos, cacau and countless other kinds of fruit are grown. Too many photos to add in here, but just to give a taste:
Cabins on the Mekong Princess
Hai, our Vietnam Guide
The Mekong Princess
Delicious Fruit!
Nipah Palms used for roofs and stuff
Breaking coconuts for candy making
Water collection barrel
Hyacinth basket weaving
Riding on the Sampan
Rice noodle making
How many beautiful sunset pictures are too many?
Receiving a blessing and bracelet from a Monk
School visit
School visit
School visit
We crossed into Cambodia and took a long bus ride to Siem Reap. Our first night there was free, then we got up to begin the grand finale portion of the trip, Angkor Wat. The 4:45 wake up call was not easy, but so worth it!
Dinner on our own....
Sunrise over Angkor Wat
Elephant rides into Angkor Thom
All in all, it was a terrific trip. My passengers were such a pleasure to meet and to travel with. I hope to see all of them again on future tours!
Thanks for taking a look at my blog.
Velma
