We left Hanoi and headed to Halong Bay for a 3 day cruise with  http://www.glorylegendcruise.com/ .  We arrived at Tuan Chau marina and got settled into our cabin. It was a pretty sweet room, decorated with dark wood including the private bathroom.  We even had a small balcony; sadly it was too cold to enjoy it.  There were only 10 cabins on the boat, so we were a very small but fun group. The crew were very young and friendly, however most did not speak English. We had a nice lunch as we set sail on this adventure.   Halong Bay, sometimes written as Ha Long Bay, is a UNESCO world heritage site of over 1500 sq km on the east coast of Vietnam, on the South China Sea.  There are about 2000 monolithic limestone islands and rock formations called karsts.  Many have tiny ecosystems; thick jungle vegetation, lakes, oceanic and sea shore systems.  Some of the islands have wildlife such as antelope, monkeys, and of course a wide variety of birds...

We arrived in Hanoi in the early evening. Our hotel was on a very busy street, but we noticed the bars were especially crowded. So crowded in fact, that the chairs spilled out into the road. Upon closer inspection, we realized everyone was facing giant TV screens. That could only mean one thing; a soccer game. Yes, Vietnam was playing Uzbekistan in the AFC US-23 championship final. As we were walking to dinner the entire street around us erupted in wild cheers as Vietnam scored. Sadly for them, it was their only point and they lost two to one. But I think people were so happy they made it to the finals, it didn't really put a damper on their mood. People had their face painted with the Vietnamese flag. They had huge flags, as well as banners that they waved all over. It was a very exciting time, and the mood was infectious.     The hotel told us of a nearby restaurant that was quite popular with the locals. When we walked in, the place was absolutely packed. We sat dow...

As I mentioned in my Saigon post, I noticed that I had some bug bites on my arms and legs. It seemed to get worse and worse and looked quite nasty.  I couldn't figure out what it was since I never saw any bugs.  I finally went to the pharmacy to get some cream so they didn't get infected, but it didn’t help with the maddening itching at all. I couldn’t find calamine lotion or anything for bug bites.   It was quite embarrassing because they were all over me but I couldn't hide them, I even had a few on my face.     We decided not to book any tours in Hoi An.  We were there for 4 days and just wanted to just relax in this beach side town. That being said, I booked a cooking class for myself.  This was similar to the other classes in that we went to the market and picked out our fresh vegetables.  Caron stayed home to work and I joined three young ladies from San Francisco. The cooking class was really fun and we spent as much time ...

US Citizens need a visa to enter Vietnam.  Please see the link at the bottom for more information.   Monday morning we were off to another cooking class. This one was far less luxurious than the last, but much more interesting.  Chef Woo met us at our hotel, then we caught the city bus. This was quite the experience; there were people headed to the market with goods to sell.  One of them was a lady with a huge bundle of long chicken feather dusters, the kind used for cleaning the ceiling.  They were in the floor taking up the back half of the bus so you had to step over them to get to your seat.  In the seat with her, and spilling onto the floor in the first half of the bus where smaller dusters. These were also chicken feathers but some were dyed bright colors. It was really interesting because all of these items were clearly homemade but they looked like very good quality. Woo told us they recycle and reuse as much as they can.  We wondered h...

US Citizens need a visa to enter Vietnam.  Please see the link at the bottom for more information.   My first impression of the Saigon, otherwise known as Ho Chi Minh City, was chaotic, busy, and not particularly pretty.  We were in District 10, which was a bit away from the city center and not visited by many tourists.  After walking around a bit, I did come to enjoy the fast paced atmosphere and felt like we saw a more authentic part of the city.  Most of the tourist stay in District 1, which is more modern, where most of the foreign embassies are, and of course, where all the restaurants and bars are.     Traffic was absolutely horrific; worse than anywhere I've seen in my life.  There were of course a lot of cars, but the ratio of motorcycles to cars was said to be 50 to 1.  Bikers weave in and out of traffic with horns beeping all the time, as disasters are narrowly averted. There are no traffic lights or stop signs...