Here fishy fishy fishy!

Up early to head out with local fishermen to try our hand making a living the way they have for centuries.  We dropped enough nets to run the length of a football field…. and then motored around the bay banging on the boats to scare the fish into the net.  Its a good thing we aren’t fisherman.  The couple of minnows we caught weren’t enough to even be considered appetizers.

News Years afloat somewhere in Ha Long Bay

I have no photos from New Years... which proves to be a good thing.  Repeated requests for fireworks were denied by our tour guide.  After drinking our cruise completely out of wine at dinner, we started a round of drinking games… which later turned into karaoke hour.  At the stroke of midnight, the ipod was turned over to the crew's playlist – and a Vietnamese techno dance party broke out.  The lack of evidence of the shenanigans that took place is truly a blessing :) 

Happy New Years!!

Floating fishing villages & a BBQ on the beach

We started off the day with a visit to one of the local floating fishing villages.  Tea with the chief of the village, followed by a tour of their basic homes.  We then hopped aboard traditional bamboo boats for a tour of the rest of the village.

For lunch, we were shuttled to a small private beach, where our amazing crew setup a fabulous BBQ meal.  Its a shame it wasnt a bit warmer... it would have been a great spot to spend the afternoon swimming.

Back at the boat, New Years Eve preparations began.  A pineapple and watermelon were filled with vodka and set aside to soak!

Lazy Day with Bruce Lee

We wake to a more reasonable five course breakfast, before going ashore on one of the islands in Ha Long Bay to spend a day on the beach.  Refusing the inital tuk tuk ride offer from our guide, we start the 7km trek through a small village.

We ended up on a long stretch of beach, and while the crew was off singing karaoke, we sat and watched our guide (who has been dubbed Bruce Lee at this point) and a couple others play soccer on the beach.  They had way too much energy for us - and we had no problems being lazy. We did however have a problem with their snack of choice... white bread with a little sweetened condense milk drizzled on top. Oh the crazy Vietnamese!

B.Y.O.Karaoke

It's our first night aboard the Dragons Pearl. After a 10 course dinner, when the crew learns we’ve not only BOYB (a case of Smirnoff and 8 cases of beer for a 4 night cruise)… but we also BYOK ( brought our own karaoke) – the tables in the dining room were immediately cleared and moved along the walls.  The chairs were arranged, the laptop was setup and Karaoke began.  Our guide Thinh performs Hotel California, which according to him, is the biggest song to come out of the USA.

There was Neil, there was Barry.  There was "On A Boat"... and "Boats and Hoes".  It doesn't take long before we've blown out the dual wireless microphone setup.  But not even that stops this crazy train - we sing well into the night before taking a hint from the one remaining crew members and called it a night.  There would be plenty more time for karaoke.

JUNK HO!

For our annual sailing trip this year, we chartered a traditional Chinese junk to sail Ha Long Bay.  We had no idea what was in store for us... after being shuttled from shore, the entire crew of the ship greeted us with waves and smiles. We were walked up to the top deck, where a table was set for the ten of us, and a 10 (yes I said 10) course lunch was served.

The private state rooms were unreal, with full baths and granite counter tops. There were two sundecks with padded lounge chairs.  We boarded our 5 day / 4 nite New Years cruise with our own supply of 8 cases of beer and 12 bottles of vodka, even though the boat was a full bar and fully loaded.  We also brought our own fully functional karaoke setup with dual wireless mics - this crew had no idea what it was in for.

Visiting Uncle Ho

A visit to Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum was a must during our time in Hanoi.  He's not the first embalmed communit leader I've visited (Mao in Beijing), and he definitely won't be the last.  Built between 1973 and 1975, the massive square structure is modeled after Lenin's mausoleum in Moscow. In front of the Mausoleum, is Ba Dinh Square, where Ho read out the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence.

After turning over our cameras, inside the mausoleum we were kept moving along past Ho Chi Minh while being watched by many guards. No talking or smiling is allowed, your hands must remain outside your pockets and everyone is to keep moving.  Inside his glass sarcophagus, he looked very serene and certainly very well preserved... especially for a 120 year old. His face & hands were lit-up with spotlights. 

Uncle Ho takes a 3 month "holiday" each year to a Russian "spa", where the embalming experts refresh his preserved body.

Pure Cheese

Hoan Kiem Lake in central Hanoi is a cheesy bridal photo mecca.  In the matter of blocks we saw dozens of brides... in a rainbow of colored dresses.  Photographers were ready with suitcases full of gowns... so we weren't quite sure if they were bridal, engagement, or some other kind of formal photos... but one thing was the same, and that was the cheese factor.

Hanoi

After 15000 miles in flight and very little sleep, we stumbled into Vietnam.  With a short stay in Hanoi before heading to the boat, we set out to see the sites… starting with a Vietnamese lunch and beer tasting.  We had to select the local brew to be provisioned for the upcoming sailing trip! The winner… 333 (Ba Ba Ba).

  

After lunch we walked around Hoan Kim Lake (the epicenter of old Hanoi according to Lonely Planet). We crossed the Huc Bridge on the north side of the lake to a small island to visit the Ngoc Son Temple before heading into the markets and alleyways of the Old Quarter.  There’s nothing you can’t buy in the markets of the old quarter…. from frogs to herbal medicines… from pickeled fish to coffins.

We took a quick break and enjoyed drinks overlooking the city and lake, before heading back into the old quarter to meet up with friends at Bia Hoi Junction, where we found Kevin having his shoes cobbled curb side.

We headed back to the Hilton to pick up one more before heading to a traditional Vietnamese dinner… and then retired to the Drift Backpackers Hostel for my $5/night sleeps while the other suckers in our group slept at the Hilton for $200.

Dong Billionaires

With an exchange rate of nearly 20,000 Vietnamese Dongs to the US Dollar, we’re all enjoying our ATM receipts which makes us Dong Billionaires. Maybe I don’t have to come back and find a job after all!