Vietnam Part 3 - Da Lat , Hanoi, Halong Bay

(apologies for the recent ugliness of the blog and the fact that the slideshows are cutting across the entire screen, but I figure bigger pictures are better than aesthetics, right?)

Day 3 - Da Lat
-After Nha Trang, we headed up to visit some of Sam's relatives in Da Lat. The bus ride from Nha Trang to Da Lat was intense...it was bumpy and rough, and on top of that, it was raining like no other. That we made it there in one piece is still a mystery to me.
-Da Lat totally reminds me of my Mom's hometown: Maymyo, its a small little town nestled up in the mountains. The weather is substantially colder, and there's also remnants of colonialism everywhere.
-Had a huge lunch with Sam's relatives, ate a lot of great homecooked food! And had a bit of guava wine, good stuff
-At night, rode bikes around the lake

Day 4 - Da Lat and Hanoi
-Woke up mad early to fill in all of our Da Lat sites before we headed out to Hanoi
-Saw the old King's summer palace and this valley with lots of gardens and a huge lake
-Then went to this ridiculous place called "The Valley of Love" which was literally a disgusting valley filled with heart-shaped flowers, heart-shaped photo op places, and a lake to paddle boat in. Totally egregious and cheesy in every sense. Only in Vietnam, I guess.
-Got into Hanoi in the evening, and went all out with food! Ate 4 (yes, 4) dinners that night!



Day 5-6 - Halong Bay
Words are of no more use here. Just look at the pictures:





In all honesty though, although Halong Bay is without a doubt one of the most gorgeous/awe-inspiring places I've ever been to, the atmosphere is ruined by the fact that there are way too many tour groups. It is incredibly difficult to arrange your own Halong Bay journey (because boats are hard to come by), and so 99% of all travelers have to go through a tour...which really ruins the whole mood. I hate tour groups and I would much have rather had the opportunity to just sail around the entire bay and explore it by myself. So while I loved Halong Bay and found it incredibly beautiful, I think I still find places like Yangshuo to be much more enjoyable. Nonetheless, it still is a total must-see for anyone!

Day 7 - Hanoi
-Sam continued on the trip to Cat Ba Island, while I headed back to Hanoi to chill and catch my flight out to Cambodia
-Had the chance to explore Hanoi a bit more, and it was really fun getting from place to place. Literally at every street corner there were people with motorbikes just waiting for customers. Alls you gotta do is hop on the back of one and pay them, and they'll take you anywhere. It was a pretty cool experience!

Coming up next: Cambodia and the Temples of Angkor!!