Northern Vietnam - Halong Bay and Sapa
Hi all and all,
This is the last time I come to you from Asia with a new post. I'm actually in the airport of Hanoi, or I'll take a few hours a flight to Sydney via Singapore. The Asian part of my trip it closes here and tomorrow I begin the Pacific my world tour. My last days in Asia were super well and therefore I leave the continent on a very positive as you'll read.
On my last post, I found myself in the mountains of South Vietnam. Since I have come a long way and I even found al'extreme north of the country, on the border with China. Yesterday, j'admirai a sunset on China since the Vietnamese side of the Song Hong River! The South-North crossing of the country has been quick: 48 hours on the bus! I did not really have time to stop along the way because I got a short time ... .. Between two buses, but I enjoyed for 3 hours from the beach of Nha Trang with a special thought for Raph, a friend of Sciences Po and HEC. His father was born in what was still a small fishing village at the time and is now a beautiful beach frequented by tourists. 17 hours later, I also received a 3-hour stop in Hoi An, a small historic city well preserved and classified World Heritage by UNESCO for its picturesque charm. However, 2 days and 2 nights bus, it's hard!
The day of rest that followed allowed me to visit Hanoi. The capital of Vietnam is smaller and quieter than Saigon but aya tout de meme 3.5 million and about 2 million motorcycles. I use this day to prepare the end of my stay the best! I reserve two towers and organizations to visit Halong Bay and take a trek in the mountains of North.
After two weeks spent mostly alone, these 6 days would be a real pleasure. It was also a success for the beauty of the landscape for people rencontrees!
Halong Bay is a .... Bay in the Gulf of Tonkin or emergent of over 3,000 islands, rock pythons and rocks of all sizes. Everything looks like a huge mountain chain noyee of which we can not see that the highest peaks. The scenery is breathtaking and is nothing like what I saw auparvant! We sailed between the rocks for two days on a very nice boat with a group of 10 people. From time to time we cross floating village where boats are coming up behind us to sell box Springel ... .. mass tourism has not forget to get here either. I had the opportunity to take a dip in these waters and even color emeraude to go kayaking.
Two hours after returning to Hanoi, i'm going in a night train in the direction of the mountains. 10-hour train and bus 3 hours later and I was ready for the trek for me! With Susan, German, and Naomi, English, we were a small but very friendly group. We have been accompanied by two Australian for the first day. The mountains surrounding Sapa offers landscapes and typically Asian magnfiques with terraced rice pudding of a hill and a loss of sight. Unfortunately, what I expected as a real mountain hike was closest to the parkway as mountaineering, but it does not detract from the beauty of places. For two days we have been through the villages of ethnic minorities who live in villages we imagine another time if we had not stopped every two meters by a child who asks for money or a great mother who sells memories!
These villages of minorities were very different from what I have seen in other Asian countries. Until then, I had a little trouble understanding exactly what these people in villages called "ethnic minorities" were different from the rest of the population. In Vietnam, the differences are much more glaring. First, they can hardly speak
Vietnamese but not sell you a cat in a bag in a surprising English! Second, they wear traditional clothes and very colorful. Each village makes its own clothes in his own way and its colors. It was the first time I saw such suits doors daily (I had already seen, but obviously were clearly doors only to entertain tourists). Finally, the difference is that I prefer, they are physically very different from other Vietnamese. These villagers were very small and had a very typical faces. At the beginning when I saw the faces of dozens of small women lay on the windows to watch us and then jumping to accompany us during our walk, I really believed to have debarque countries
Hobbits!
We spent the first night in a mountain village who prepare a meal of God which we share with the whole family (for us it is special, but they do them every day ...). Accomapgner for these delicious dishes, our guests have left behind a bottle of the bundle of a rice wine home. And believe me, it's tough! Like a little lost bronzes in the mountain chalet, I am allowed to go to local traditions while my two friends quickly faltered and lower the flag. I recovered ca with alcohol but in an old village the next day and I even ended up having to play musical instruments before a local group of tourists dancing! Not too likely to be completely drunk, I knew very well that the Asians would come before me (it's always like that, the target will recognize ....)!
Voila, you now know everything, or almost all of these 7 weeks in Asia that have already been through 6 countries starting with Singapore and Thailand to Vietnam via Laos and Cambodia as well as the Burmese getaway! When I think back to dive on the island of Ko Tao in Thailand, I feel that an eternity ago. I find it hard to tell me that it was in the same trip is only 7 weeks. It must be said that the program was more than him and I do not have much traine en route. A few days' holiday in Australia will get the greater good!
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