Hoi An

Only post factum we found out that Hoi An is rated by CNN as one of the top 10 most romantic destinations in the world, but this not why we went there. We were looking to explore Vietnam's small town atmosphere. It is known for its charming narrow streets, culinary art and long stretch of beach. We started out our day by enjoying a traditional vietnamese breakfast, Pho, fruits and coffee on a beautiful 

terrace overlooking the river.

One of the things we were looking forward to do is simply enjoy some sunshine on the beach after our long days of travelling. It was quite refreshing to be able to get around by bicycles as Hoi An is small enough for that. 

The road to the beach is rather picturesque, as you ride along a canal that hugs the town. 

The beach was almost empty and the ocean had massive waves, after a swell that came by a couple a days before. But that didn't scare us from swimming, in fact, we were called out of the water by a rescue guard and told to stay close to shore :) 

We had to have a refreshing snack.

As the sun set, the town lit up with hundreds of lanterns, small restaurants were buzzing with people and music, streets were filled with visitors all creating a very lively atmosphere.

Tens of boats lined up a the pier ready to take visitors for a romantic boat ride down the canal.

The sun hid behind the clouds lighting up the sky with a palette of beautiful colors.

As they say in Ukraine: "Nese Galya vodu..."

One of Hoi An's signature sites - a Chinese footbridge. 

A popular thing to do is send floating candles down the canal. The streets are filled with vendors trying to sell them to you. Within a couple of hours the entire canal is lit up with these candles creating a truly beautiful scene.

The night went all out with street lights and a full moon.

Street lanterns keep shining through the night.

And the "Most Original" award goes to .... Pacifier Lanterns!

Anna is taking a closer look to figure out how to make these at home :)

Later in the night, as most people left the streets, the city emptied and became mysteriously quiet.

Having never tried Dragon fruit before, we are now big fans of it!

Some of the tasty foods we had while in Hoi An.

The White Rose - a traditional dish of central Vietnam.

On the road again... This was a rest stop on the way to Hue, our next destination

Ha Long Bay

One of the top tourist destinations in Vietnam as well as a Unesco World Heritage site is Ha Long Bay. We decided to take a 3 day tour, including staying 1 night on the boat and 1 on the largest island Cat Ba. It is unfortunate however, given such popularity, that there are so little options to explore the archipelago other than an organized boat tour.













 The first stop on the tour was the largest cave in the area. It was well maintained and was a very enjoyable experience, although the colorful LED lighting somewhat diminished its natural beauty.

The small rock formation in the right side of the panorama is so iconic that it's featured on the Vietnamese 200,000 Dong bill.

Later in the day we got to kayak in this beautiful setting.

After spending the night on the boat we disembarked on Cat Ba island, the largest one in the archipelago. Most of the island is a national park covered in lush green vegetation and inhabited with wildlife. We were able to spot some deer while trekking to a mountain peak.

 

 The from the top of Ngu Lam peak.

The island's port and tourist hub is Cat Ba town - the largest one on the island. This time of year it feels desolate, with a bunch of hotels and restaurants being closed due to lack of business. We imagine it's a happening place in the summer time though.

Our favorite spots in town were the 3 hidden beaches off the southern coast. Each of them is set in its own bay which makes them feel  secluded and special. 

Beaches #1 and #3  are connected by a cliff walk above the water.

It is good to be reminded how small we are facing the grandeur of nature. "Look deeper into nature, and then you will understand everything better." Albert Einstein

 

 Looking back at our experience, we wish we would have done it on our own, at our own pace, not part of a tour. Our excitement to see as much as possible wasn't fulfilled with the set schedule we were bound by. Not going into details, but the crew of the boat and our tour personell wasn't the friendliest bunch, which was a good reminder of the fact that it's not where you are, but who you're with that affects your experience the most.

Sapa

After a somewhat long but fairly easy night in a sleeper bus from Hanoi, we arrived into Sapa, the northern capital of Vietnam. This was a long awaited stop for us as it is infamous for its natural and cultural beauty. Just around Sapa there are over 5 million minority people, while for trekking lovers there's mount Fansipan, named the "rooftop of Indochina" 3143m - the highest peak of the region. Our first day there we decided to explore the city a bit and climbed the Ham Rong Mountain overlooking the city. 

On the way to the mountain top, there's a park, a botanical garden to explore, with small places to stop and relax for some tea.

A paved path leads you up through massive rock formations nicknamed "the stone forest".

Walking through stone gates.

Contrasting black stone walls and blinding sunlight.

The view from the park, and a hill that we thought looked like a giant turtle.

View of Sapa from the observation deck on Ham Rong Mountain.

Later in the day we rented a motorbike and rode south of the city towards the valley. The region south of Sapa is believed to be more scenic, and thus, more touristy. We only took a glimpse of the area, as we decided to explore the more rural north for the next 2 days.

In the low season, which is now, there is no rice grown in the stepped terraces. And although the classic Sapa feature are the vivid green colors of the rice fields, this time of the year the region is still gorgeous. The sunrays reflected in the pools of flooded terraces make the entire valley resemble planes of layered mirrors. A truly captivating sight.

Along the way, these 3 cute fellas ran up to us when we stopped to take a photo. They kept saying "hello" and waving to us.

We made it down into the valley into one of the villages and noticed a curiuos sight - a rooster fight. It was so interesting to watch, you notice roosters behave just like humans in a wrestling match. Surprisingly when the owner picked them up to move them back into cages, they instantly froze and didn't make a move.

Crossing a suspension bridge, following a local with a heap of wood, a very common encounter in the region.

On the next day, we embarked on a trek in the northern region of Sapa. We paid a visit to the black Hmong people village. They're called "black" because the garments they wear are died using a locally grown plant which makes them pitch black.

The drying process of the fabric after being dyed.

We were told that the region north of Sapa is less picturesque than the south, but we don't agree, we thought it was just as beautiful.

 The 14 km trek toward our homestay with a Red Dao family was different with every turn we took. We crossed river streams, walked in the valley and went up hill tops.

 

 At one of the rest stops, we shared the table with a well trained furry friend.

 More valleys and mountains along the way.

 This is our home for the night. We were treated with a communal dinner and the specialty of the Red Dao people - the medicine herbal bath.

 This sweet man was our guide for 2 days. Here he was weaving a parting gift for us.

 The host is making french fries, trying to make us feel at home :)

 The hostess' daughter with her little girl. The hat of the baby is a traditional element of the attire, with a bunch of little hanging bells entertaining the child and letting the mom know of her whereabouts.

 Next day our trek was bit shorter, but our guide made sure we got the best out of it. We walked through rice fields, muddy crossings, up and down the hillside and even through peoples' backyards.

 We got back to Sapa relatively early in the afternoon and decided to visit the Cat Cat village. The path to a large waterfall takes you through the village where the local craftsmen sell their goods. These little statues are carved from a white gypsum type rock native to the region.

 It seems that the richness of the surroundings inspires elaborate handcrafted fabrics.

 A stream powered rice mortar

 We were fortunate not to see the regular tourist crowd since we arrived in the village later in the day.

 Looking down onto Cat Cat village.

 Locals playing soccer in a large ampitheatre stadium in the center of Sapa.

Some of the delicious norther Vietnamese Pho.