The Last Leg

Our last update from Vietnam before heading home....

Our motorbike tour around Hue countryside was really fun. Some of our stops included seeing a famous one-armed conical hat maker, a shop that produces incense, a fortune teller on a Japanesebridge, an agriculture museum, cement French and American bunkers, a nunnery for vegetarianlunch, elephant vs. tiger fighting arena... quite a few sights with beautiful countryside along the way. We got dropped off by Perfume River to take a ferry back to our hotel.

The next day we departed Hue for Hanoi by overnight train (our last)! We started the day in Hanoi with a walk around town checking out shops and markets. We decided to do some more wondering with some of the group to check out the Temple of Literature where Confucius established the first Vietnamese university. We also went to St. Charles Cathedral and the Hanoi Hilton Museum where John McCain was held as a POW. Very full day of walking but great way to get a feel for the city. That evening we went to a water puppet show... the highlights were the head-bopping phoenix and growing grass!

The next morning we left for Halong Bay. The journey was a couple hours by bus and then a ferry through all the islands. It looked like a scene out of Jurassic Park. We stopped by a cave and did some swimming along the way to our hotel on Cat Ba Island.

Yesterday we woke up early to go kayaking around the islands, to a hidden lagoon, and a deserted beach island. The outing was really enjoyable as a break from all the other tourists, but it was a workout!! We left Halong Bay at noon yesterday to come back to Hanoi... we even got to take a superfast hydrofoil. Back in Hanoi last night we had our final farewell dinner with the group. We said our goodbyes and get to hang out with the stragglers one last time today. Plan to hit up one more museum before our flight tonight... unfortunately Ho Chi Minh's body has the day off. Next time............

We're looking forward to coming home. Get those hugs, fajitas, and margaritas ready!!!