As we left the shelter of the bay we wove our way between stunning limestone karsts. Shae's daughter was fascinated and stayed at the window watching the world go by

After some time, we made our first stop at a Pearl farm. We learned about how pearls are created, how long they take to grow (3-5 years) that they have to be hauled in every three months to clean barnacles off them, and we even got to watch then pry open an oyster and take out a little yellowish pearl!

After that we got to kayak around a for about twenty minutes (most of which was spinning in circles because our coordination was not the smoothest)

From the pearl farm we went to check out a MASSIVE cave system. By far the biggest one I've been in. It was incredible to walk through while admiring the different colors and layers.

After cave crawling we returned to the boat for a scrumptious dinner which included a glowing version of SpongeBob's house surrounded by spring rolls

The next morning we went to Ti Top Island to play on a beach.

The kids had a blast getting as wet and dirty as humanly possible, and I looked for and found some cool shells and dead coral. After that we enjoyed brunch on the vessel and headed back to harbor and the Hanoi. This is the last thing I did with Shae as I left the next day. She was such an amazing host and guide and I'm forever grateful!

Still to come: parasail fail, eating new and exciting animals, and an actual booze cruise

Ciao for now,

K

What's up y'all? I'd love to pretend that my radio silence is because I've been too busy to write, but sadly I'm just lazy. We will see how much I remember of the past two weeks given my wonderful ADHD brain.

Shae setup a day tour for me to Ninh Binh, a few hours south of Hanoi. Our first stop was Lying Dragon Mountain. I supposed this is meant to be in regard to the dragons physical position, but I enjoyed imagining it as a dragon that only tells lies.

I clambered my way up 1,000 steps, but lest you think that was easy I will state that a) it was 90°F, the steps were not normal sized and quite steep and slippery, and I have exercise induced asthma but did not have my inhaler. (This is the third time on this trip I've needed my inhaler but didn't have it on me lol)

It was a nice view at least

After that we went on a bike ride through along a river and I accidentally missed a turn and led one of the teens on the tour far astray. When I figured out where I went wrong and got us back, his mother was waiting with her arms crossed. Sorry mom!

We ate a nice lunch and then proceeded to a boat tour where we were rowed on a river through caves and around limestone karsts. I guess it was where King Kong was filmed because every once in a while the lady would shout “KING KONG!” and point at a nearby karst, which I assume was in the movie. She did it out of nowhere and myself and the two German girls in the boat would jump everytime. The German girls had fun asking me if american horror stories about health insurance, policing, politics, education, etc. Were really true.

We went through several caves that were barely accessable (our boat captain would scream “HEAD!” everytime she thought we should duck, which also scared the bejeezus out of us.)

After the boats we headed to our final stop, a neat little Temple.

The day after my tour, Shae and the kids and I went to see the famous Vietnamese water puppets! It was such a cool show, and the skill of the puppeteers is incredible. I didn't take any videos because I wanted to enjoy the show, unlike everyone else in the theater taking shitty quality movies with their phones held up blocking my view. But I'm not bitter or anything

Stay tuned for: the booze cruise, my first time clubbing, and how I almost killed a guy while parasailing

Ciao for now,

K

Our guide and my driver, Tuna, was a charming local who explained various viewpoints, customs, and history.

Our first big stop was a tour of “hemp house,” where they take help fibers through a lengthy process of refinement from plant to textile. (Video of weaving in the link.) The house overlooked a splendid river coursing through the valley.

We got back on the road and stopped for a lunch in the town of Yen Minh. I enjoyed learning more about the food and traditions of Denmark from the traveling companions while we ate.

As we went, I was amazed by how fast we went from the bottom of the valley to the tops of mountains. The road was constant switchbacks as we traversed rivers and passed between peaks.

To give us a break from the saddle and get some amazing views, we would stop every 30-60 minutes at a viewpoint. Since the loop is a huge attraction, every stop (and every viewpoint we didn't stop at) would have one or two “coffee shops” that sold beverages, ice cream, and more. We saw a multitude of other tour groups, some with very distinctive helmets (my favorites were little rubber ducks with the beaks and eyes protruding from the front of the helmet)

At the end of the day we arrived at our hotel in Mèo Vac. The hotel lobby was filled with intricate wood carvings that were fascinating to look at, and the rooms themselves were all wood carvings and fancy lights

We had a traditional Vietnamese hotpot for dinner and between the six of us (3 riders, 3 drivers) drank two bottles of “Happy Water,” a 16% corn wine that was the local alcohol of choice. We learned the traditional “cheers” and all took turns leading them when we did shots (video in link)

After dinner we went to a local bar and enjoyed traditional dances and flute playing (video in link) after which they opened it up to Karaoke and I was inebriated enough to perform “HOT TO GO” by Chappell Roan and “Escape (the Piña Colada Song)” while, of course, drinking a Piña Colada. (Video NOT in link because no one deserves that torture.) We turned in to our hotel at almost midnight and I passed out immediately.

The next morning we enjoyed pancakes with chocolate and banana, and our two group split up after the first viewpoint stop because the Danes were on a two day tour and I was on the three day.

On day two Tuna and I left the highway for a less beaten path (or more beaten up, considering the pavement was completely worn away in many places) the bumpy road did horrible things to my back and behind, but it WAS nice to be a bit more immersed in the wild side of things.

At 11, we stopped next to a river and my guide instructed me to change into my swimsuit. After I did this, she led me onto a bamboo raft and a local man transported us down a river using a complex system of overhead ropes as leverage.

We eventually arrived at a large cave and I got to hop off the raft and go for a refreshing swim.

I noticed other people jumping off the rocks and it looked pretty fun, so I ignored all my lifeguard training around not jumping off things if you can't see the bottom and joined them (video in link, don't watch if you worked for me at any point)

After my jump we headed back and enjoyed a delicious lunch of spring rolls, chicken, tofu, greens, and broth

We arrived at the Du Gia mid afternoon and checked into the rustic homestay, then took a short ride to a beautiful waterfall

For dinner we enjoyed spring rolls, chicken, pork, pumpkin, cabbage, and egg, along with more Happy Water. Since there were only two of us, we shared a table with another guide and a woman from Boston who lived in Croatia. We had a good discussion about the upsides and challenges of moving to Europe from the states and then I turned in early because riding a motorcycle is surprisingly exhausting.

We left at 930 for our final leg of the tour and, while the views were muted by fog and rain, it was still a wonderful drive back to Hà Giang.

We hit the town just as a torrential thunderstorm started and we grabbed some noodle soup and watched the river get pounded with rain.

After lunch we drove around to several ATMs because the payment for the tour didn't go through online so I had to pay in cash and some ATMs were closed or wouldn't accept my cards. My guide dropped me off at the hotel and I used a hair dryer to attempt to dry some of my clothes for the bus ride back to Hanoi. It turns out I needn't have bothered since, after two hours of waiting in front of the hotel, I messaged the company asking if I had missed the bus and they informed me that my ride had been canceled. Good to know.

Fortunately they put me up another night in the hotel and paid for my dinner, then told me they would get me information about the bus. I set my alarm for 8, but I was awakened just before 7 by the hotel staff pounding on my door informing me the bus was here (If you're thinking I missed a message about the bus cause I was sleeping, you'd be wrong, because I never got any information about the bus). I scrambled around the room in a panic grabbing all the clothes I had hanging out to dry and shoving them in a trash bag. I forgot my water in the fridge which was a bummer, since I was super dehydrated. Unfortunately once the adrenaline faded and I was on the bus I realized I also hadn't peed since last night and I had to go really bad. So it was an uncomfortable two hours before we hit our first rest stop. Not fun being simultaneously thirsty and needing to pee 😅

Despite the frustrating lack of communication from the tour group I had a great time cruising through the dynamic landscape and catching glimpelses into the day-to-day life of the inhabitants of the local villages.

Link to more pictures and videos

This weekend I took a five hour bus ride into the misty heights of the Vietnamese mountains, and embarked on a trekking expeditions that covered 26 km in two days (despite being advertised as 18 km). We met our tour guide at a local restaurant and had lunch before beginning the hike with 30 minutes of straight uphill hiking, during which I realized I had left my inhaler in Hanoi.

After we made it to the top we walked mostly on roads for the next two hours, passing small villages with schools. Churches, and lots of animals and children running around. After that we were offered the option of continuing along the road or taking the “natural” trail which was described as “very difficult and slippery”. Knowing my propensity for clumsiness I voted for the easy way, but since I was the only one, we all took the hard trek.

I impressed myself by only falling on my ass four times and thankfully not bursting the camelback bladder I was carrying until the last fall, so I was only soaked for the last 15 minutes of the hike.

Overall I'm glad we took the harder trail because it went through a bamboo forest and some very picturesque spots, but my legs feel like lava now and I am covered in scratches and bruises that range from '“healing” to “somewhat infected”. Fortunately I packed first aid supplies but unfortunately I couldn't use them until we got to the homestay.

The hike, which was supposed to take 3 hours ended up taking almost six, and it was dark when we reached the homestay. Which explained why I fell twice in 10 minutes. Did I mention my last fall also shattered the bamboo stick that had been the only thing keeping me somewhat upright, scratching my arm in the process?

Once we got to our guides homestay we enjoyed a dinner of rice, tofu, pork, and spring rolls, after which I promptly crashed. I was awakened at 4am but the dulcet tones of a rooster, which continued until 7am. Since I couldn't sleep, I made a good dent in the book I was reading.

After feasting on rice flour pancakes with honey and fresh watermelon, we hit the trail again. After about a mile of pretty much straight downhill (so great for my shitty knees) we leveled out and walked through villages and rice paddies for the rest of the trip. We took a break midmorning on a platform overlooking the valley and enjoyed the views.

We saw many artisan stalls showcasing intricately designs and vividly colorful clothes created by the Hmong people. We stopped for lunch at a local restaurant and enjoyed, rice, spring rolls, fluffy eggs, chicken with onion and peppers, and fried tofu with some sort of red sauce on it.

After lunch a shuttle took us back to SaPa, the city we arrived in, and then we transferred to the bus to Hanoi.

Despite barely being able to walk today and being worried about my wounds, I'm so glad I went because it was such an intimate view into the lives of the friendly and generous people who call the foggy mountains home, as well as a breath of fresh air (literally) away from the pollution that plagues Hanoi.

Substack only lets me upload one photo at a time and I’d be here all day if I tried to upload all the photos I took, so here's a link to my pictures from the SaPa trekking tour!

We started off bright and early at 8:30am, and our first stop was the Temple of Literature. Constructed in the 11th Century, it is the oldest school in Vietnam, and was the home and learning place of some of its greatest scholars. As we entered, Ms. Oanh explained that the Temple was constructed based on the art of Feng Shui, so everything was balanced. Sure enough, almost everything I saw as we progressed though the five areas was mirrored, inviting a sense of calm and peace.

In the second section, I was flanked on both sides by rows of giant stone tablets perched atop stone turtles. My guide explained that the turtles, one of the four sacred animals of Vietnam (turtle, unicorn, dragon, and Phoenix) represented longevity, and the idea that knowledge would be passed from generation to generation in perpetuity. She told me that every year the king posed a problem to the scholars and that the scholars who came up with the best solution to the problem would have his thesis carved into the stone tablets.

Fun fact: The turtles heads are at different angles based on the economy of that year! So the lower the turtles heads the worse the economy and vice versa

Finally, we arrived at the temples themselves. First was a temple to Confucius and his four brightest students. Ms. Oanh explained that temples were always red themed and dedicated to ancestral spirits and people who had shaped the country, whereas pagodas are painted in brown and dedicated to Buddha.

After the Temple of Confucius we moved to the former dormitories. Which had been converted into a temple dedicated to former leaders of the country.

After the Temple of Literature we went to walk by the Presidential Palace (which is actually just where the president works, Ho Chi Minh did not want to live there because it used to be the palace of the French colonizers). Like many buildings in the political French Quarter, it was French Colonial style, and painted yellow, the color of government buildings in Vietnam

We walked from there to the Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, the country’s first president after the end of the feudal system in 1945. Ms. Oanh expressed that most Vietnamese people have a great deal of love and respect for Ho Chi Minh, and the government even ignored his wishes to be cremated and spread across the country he loved, because this way they can think that he is just sleeping and can visit his intact body.

After that, we visited a nearby Pagoda. Temples do not have a strict dress code, but Pagodas require shoulders and knees to be covered out of respect.

Our next stop was a shop/studio that was one of many similar buildings created and paid for by US veterans to help the children of vietnamese soldiers born disabled due to Agent Orange.

These children could not work the fields or other traditional jobs due to birth defects. US veterans visiting after the war built studios where they could sit and create art, even with these disabilities. Sort of a “sorry we used chemical warfare against your daddies but hey at least you’re not useless!” gesture. The shop itself was incredible. When I walked in, I was surrounded by what I thought were beautiful paintings, but upon closer inspection, every single painting was actually 100% embroidered.

After the shop, we headed to “Train Street”, an area of the city where the train passes between buildings with hardly any clearance. I enjoyed a passion fruit mojito as we waited for the train to pass.

A few minutes before the train came through, the street suddenly burst into a flurry of activity. Vendors folded up tables and chairs, motioning people onto the wider side of the track where we crammed together, eagerly waiting.

After the train passed, the vendors quickly reset everything, and my guide and I headed to a restaurant. As I enjoyed more Bún chà, the guide gestured to the table next to me and explained that Obama and Anthony Bourdain had eaten there when they visited Hanoi in 2016.

Our next stop was the Hoa Lo Prison, also known as the Hanoi Hilton. Different exhibits showcased both the treatment of Vietnamese prisoners during the French occupation, as well as the time spent there by the American POWs during the Vietnamese-American war. The American Prisoners were given opportunities to participate in pastimes such as sports and board games, and given supplies with which to celebrate Christmas and other holidays. The smiles captured in those images proved a harsh juxtaposition to the looks of abject despair showcased by the Vietnamese prisoners during the French rule.

Tortures for those prisoners included being left in salt water until their skin rotted, being tickled while their heads were submerged in barrels of hot water and chili pepper, forcing them to inhale the burning mixture, and other more traditional methods of torture. There was a guillotine used by the French to execute them, and prisoners heads and bodies were disposed of separately; one final cruel gesture to the Vietnamese who believed their body must be together for reincarnation.

There was a picture of death row revolutionaries who had been captured because they were part of a plot to poison French leaders at a dinner party. Their plan was foiled because one of the revolutionaries confessed what they were about to do to a priest, and the priest broke the seal of confession and reported them. The revolutionaries were rounded up and executed. The prison might have been viewed as the Hilton to American POWs, but to the people of Vietnam, it was more like hell.

There was also a photographic exhibit on the effects of the American carpet bombing of Hanoi and other Vietnamese cities. Images of sobbing children crouched next to dead parents were interspersed with quotes from people who witnessed the bombings and the subsequent rescue efforts. In one, a surgeon described spending from Saturday morning to Tuesday afternoon performing one surgery after another without stopping, having to wash and re-send gloves because they ran out of medical supplies.

Schools, hospitals, all bombed indiscriminately in a pointless war. My guide said that the reason you see very few seniors is that the population was decimated in the war and that over 60% of the current population of Vietnam was born after the war ended. Go USA.

After the prison we sampled some more traditional street food, including Duck Pho, coconut water with lotus seeds, and breaded seafood spring rolls.

Our final stop was at another artisan shop to view lacquer paintings. It is quite a fascinating process involving sap from the lacquer tree being used to create three different types of art. The simplest is using acrylic paint on lacquered wood and then covering it with another layer of lacquer. Another the method is to carve abalone and heart of pearl shells into different shapes and glue them to wood, adding lacquer a layer at a time until it is all even.

The final process is unique to Vietnam and it involves burning eggshells to different shades and gluing them to lacquered wood in patterns.

I'm extremely grateful that Shae was able to connect me with such a knowledgeable and thorough guide!

I'm writing this from a tour bus headed to SaPa in Northern Vietnam, so I'm sure I'll post about that soon!

After a 14 hour flight from Seattle, I had a six hour layover at the Manila airport, enjoying free Ube and Avocado ice cream at one of the airport lounges.

I also enjoyed the tiniest toothpaste tube I've ever seen, courtesy of Philippine Airlines

After 20+ hours of travel I touched down in Hanoi and spent over an hour in the immigration line, being physically pushed forward by a group of older ladies. I was later told that this was polite and they were trying to keep me from being cut in line, but at the time I was a little miffed.

Once I made it to my friend Shae’s apartment I crashed for 14 hours and when I woke up Wednesday morning Shae took me, her daughter, and her six month old son out exploring!

We started at a market next to the Long Biên Bridge, which was constructed started in 1899. Cars (and pedestrians) are now forbidden on the bridge, but we risked it for the biscuit and fortunately did not receive a ticket.

The market was a wild mishmash of every type of fruit, vegetable, and animal you could think of. Huge baskets of dragon fruit, kumquats, limes, rambutan, butter melon, taro, sugarcane, and more lay inside of a ramshackle tin building.

On the outside, we found chickens, pig snouts, baskets and buckets of water with eels, shrimp, and live fish. The smell was somewhat overpowering so I dabbed some tiger balm inside my mask so I could continue to enjoy the sights and sounds without being sick. I wish I had taken more pictures of the market but I'm sure I'll have more opportunities later.

After the market/bridge we headed to the Hô Tây area of the city.

Shae took us to a little cafe and her daughter and I both got some delicious, made-in-house ice cream treats. Her daughter got coconut and I got cream rice. I also got some fresh squeezed watermelon juice, which was very refreshing.

Afterwards we dropped Shae's daughter off at her school and order lunch to the apartment. Bún Chà is a traditional dish of grilled chicken in broth with vegetables and rice noodles. I skipped the noodles due to my diet limitations but everything else was delicious.

After lunch I took a long nap (still getting used to the time zone change. It's actually 3am while I'm typing this.)

For dinner Shae prepared a wonderful spread which includes cauliflower, Vietnamese chicken wings, a soup with tofu (again, skipped the tofu due to dietary issues but the broth+veggies were delicious), and a dish of chicken and veggies with paprika and cumin. After dinner I played with Shae's daughter while she cleaned up and then we all went to bed.

🇻🇳

Kate: don't worry guys, my blog posts will mostly be photos!

Also Kate: here’s a ridiculously long blog post with not that many photos.

Shout out to my 12 subscribers. Hope you enjoyed my first few days in Vietnam!