Ha Long Bay

For our very last stop in Vietnam, we spent 3 days in the gorgeous Ha Long Bay.

Just when I thought the chance had passed, you went and saved the best for last!!!

I know I've said this about a lot of places over the last four months,but Ha Long Bay (Ha Long meaning "descending dragon") has got to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. It looks like one day God became bored with regular old rain, so he decided to mix things up a bit. He replaced the boring rain drops with massive lime stone rain drops, whipped up a thunderstorm, and waited to see what would happen. Ha Long Bay is the result of that fateful day.

once you're deep inside the bay, the water is like glass

Ha Long is a lot like Tam Coc, but on a much larger scale. Instead of the limestone formations jutting out of rice paddies, they are towering majestically over the expansive sea.  As you approach the bay from a distance, it looks as if you are sailing straight into an impenetrable mountain range shooting out from the depths of the ocean.

As you get closer it becomes apparent that what you thought was a continuous chain of mountains is actually the worlds largest optical illusion. Slowly, the mountain peaks separate and it is revealed that the bay is instead littered with massive limestone monoliths, 2,000 of them, some up to 100 meters high.

This one is appropriately called 'toothpick'

 

After some careful research, we decided to book a 3-day tour of Ha Long Bay with Ocean Tours.  I have to say we were not disappointed. When we arrived at the dock in Ha Long City, the place was packed with tourists waiting to begin their trips and the docking area was just bursting at the seams with thousands of "tourist" boats.

I was expecting the bay itself to be a bit clogged up as well, but once we set sail, we left the crowds behind us and floated through the bay in almost complete seclusion. Ocean Tours gave us an awesome boat as well. It was able to seat maybe 40 people, but there were only 7 of us on the trip - including Aimee, Nick, and Me.

hanging out on the deck

We were served a fantastic meal for lunch on the boat and then spent a couple of hours just enjoying the ride through Ha Long. At about 3:00 we stopped deep inside the bay and spent an hour exploring in kayaks. The water was so still and flat that it looked like a mountain lake just after sunrise.

Finally, we hopped back on the boat and headed to our own little private island for the next two nights. In total there were probably less than 15 people on the island; everyone quietly doing their own thing. It felt like we had the place all to ourselves.  While we were there, we stayed in a little beach bungalow where we could fall asleep and wake up to the sounds of the sea.

bungalows lined up on our small private island

Nick relaxing on our bungalow's porch

We spent the whole next day just relaxing on the island (and taking lots of pictures!) and on our third day set out for one more cruise through the bay.  With limestone islands towering above our boat, we rode through the bay in silence, lost in our own thoughts.

 Ha Long was an awesome way to finish our time in Vietnam and our trip in general.  With nothing on our schedule but cruising through the bay, we were free to just soak it all in and enjoy the surroundings. It was definitely the cherry on top of our Southeast Asia Sundae and we enjoyed every minute of it.

dinner on the beach at our private island

Trekking in Sapa

We awoke early on our second day in Sapa rested and ready for our trek. After some coffee and breakfast, we headed out of town with Zee.

Me and our guide Zee

Our plan for the day was to walk from town to her village – approximately a 3 hour trek – where she would cook lunch for us. Then we would hitch a ride back to town on a moto in time to catch a ride to the train station (for another night train, ugh!) at 5pm.


As we made our way to the village, we strolled through Sapa’s mountains and valleys on foot paths, dirt roads, and mountain trails. Occasionally, a group of locals would walk past on their way to or from the rice paddies, and twice we did cross paths with another small group of tourists, but other than that it was just the three of us and Zee walking through the mountains. The air was crisp, the birds were chirping, and the scenery was breathtaking.

Our route took us through farmlands and past small villages and every so often we were able to catch a glimpse of life up in the mountains.

A group of men working together to cut lumber to build a new house for one family in the village

Some boys playing on stilts in their beautiful back yard

Everyone in Sapa is carrying something on their back – typically it’s either a basket or a baby! In town it’s common to see children as young as 10 years old helping out their parents by carrying the babies around.

Farmers plowing a field where corn will soon be planted

Water buffalo are the most important asset for a farmer in Vietnam and can cost upwards of $1,000 USD for a large one.

The sky was overcast, but most of the fog from the previous day had lifted giving us great views of the mountains. The air had also warmed and the temperature was perfect for a hike – cool and comfortable. Although Zee’s English was a bit difficult to understand at times, she was a great guide and taught us a bit about local customs and culture, while we taught her a bit about ours.

But of course, the most amazing thing about the trek was the stunning scenery.

When you’re looking at the mountains, it’s impossible to miss the human intervention with the natural landscape. But here in the Lao Cai province of Vietnam, instead of interfering with the natural beauty – as we normally do with highways and cell towers – it has only made the region more beautiful. The people of Sapa have converted entire mountains into rice paddies, working in harmony with nature and using the natural contours of the hills as their guide to carve rice terraces out of Sapa’s steep slopes.

 Rice terraces of Sapa

Right now people are just beginning to prepare the paddies for planting this year’s crop. The cold winter has left the hills a bit drab and brown, but I can’t even imagine how incredible the landscape must be when all of the paddies are flooded with water or full of lush green rice. Nonetheless, the sight was as impressive as it was beautiful and left me in awe of the hard work and ingenuity of the people of Sapa.

For almost three hours we walked through the mountains taking in amazing vistas around every turn. Finally, Zee’s village came into view – a small collection of bamboo houses set high up on a hill, overlooking the valley below. It was unlike any village we have visited thus far in that there was absolutely nothing touristy about it – no shops, no tourist traps… just a village that Zee was gracious enough to invite us to visit.

As we approached her house, a small boy came running up and grabbed Zee’s hand. Her son, only 4 years old, left his friends and came to greet his mother.

Once we arrived at Zee’s place, she got out some small wooden benches for us to sit on and began preparing our lunch.

Zee cooking for us

Her house was made of bamboo with a pounded-dirt floor and a corrugated iron roof.

It had two bedrooms, a kitchen (that had a spare bed in it for visitors), a living area, and a small room with a big water reservoir. They also had a loft up top for storage. It was pretty spacious living quarters for a family of 5.

Hanging out in Zee’s living room

The entertainment center – hooked up to a satellite in the front yard

The water reservoir

Just outside of the house is a small garden where they grow corn and some herbs and spices for their personal use and beyond that are rice terraces.

Zee’s front yard

Zee cooked us a great lunch of morning glory, instant noodles, stewed bean sprouts and tomatoes, and steamed rice. There was more than enough food for us all and to wash it all down, she offered us some of her husband’s homemade rice wine. Aimee and I only had two small glasses, but she insisted that Nick have 4 - for good luck, of course!

 Zee was like an Italian grandmother – eat more, you must eat more!!

Pouring rice wine for nick

After lunch, Zee brought out some of her homemade garments and asked us if we’d like to buy something. She was most gracious when we declined and even gave us each something small for free – Aimee and I each got a headband, and Nick got a small money bag (read: purse).

At about 3:00, we moseyed down to the road into town (about a 15 minute walk from Zee’s place) and hopped onto motorbikes for the beautiful ride back to Sapa. One of our driver’s was Zee’s husband and before we left we even got to meet Zee’s daughters who were just finishing up their day at the nearby school.

It was an awesome day, and one of the most memorable experiences of our entire trip. Sapa is definitely a place worth exploring and there is no doubt that I will return there if I ever have the chance.

Cooking Class in Sapa

I have been really looking forward to taking another cooking class ever since the wonderful experience we had in Thailand. Finally, we had a chance to do another one in Sapa.

Just like the class we did in Thailand, this class began with a trip to the market. The only people in the cooking class were Nick, Aimee, and myself, so we had a nice private tour of the market.

 Aimee helping to pick out oranges

 Local woman carrying her purchases away from the market in the basket on her back 

Dog meat is a specialty in northern Vietnam... and something we won't be trying while we're  here

After our short trip to the market, we headed back to the hotel to get things started.  It was at this point that we realized that this wasn't the usual backpacker's cooking class. Our class took place in the hotel's small but pristine kitchen which is just off of and completely open to their elegant dining room. To our left were floor to ceiling windows with an amazing view of the mountains and throughout the class we were served glass after glass of amazing red wine.

Our teacher was the hotel's head chef, Son, and instead of actually learning to cook, we were getting a chance to watch a gourmet chef in action. Everything we cooked that night was an original recipe of his and all of it was absolutely amazing.

The first dish we made was deep fried spring rolls. The filling was made of chopped veggies and chicken with the secret ingredient: mayonnaise. It was a bit like a gourmet chicken salad spring roll. After Son made the filling, he let all three of us have a hand at rolling them up.

Then, he dipped them in egg and bread crumbs and deep fried them. They were melt-in-your-mouth fantastic.

The second dish we made was another kind of spring roll unlike anything I've ever had before. The filling consisted of cold rice noodles, sliced cucumber, carrot, and pineapple, and fresh lettuce and mint leaves. Instead of using rice paper for the roll, Son wrapped it all up in a freshly made egg pancake (egg, flour, and milk). They were amazing.

They were hands-down the best spring rolls I have ever had. The mix of flavors was perfect - light, refreshing, and mouth watering. And, what was even more exciting was how easy they were to make. Although Nick has his doubts, I have high hopes that I will use this recipe when I get back to the states.

After the spring rolls, Son set out cooking our main course for us: a special Vietnamese hot pot. While we chatted and drank wine, he cut up all kinds of meats and veggies and whipped up a fantastic broth that was unlike anything I had ever had before.

A plate of delicious meat for our hot pot: pork, chicken, beef, and salmon

In the end we had an entire table full of goodies for our hot pot and ate one of the best meals I've ever had over a second bottle of wine. Although we didn't learn too much about Vietnamese food, we had one of our best evenings yet.

Good friends, good food, and good wine... what more could you possibly ask for in life???