Feb 24, 2009 07:32
I'm in Vietnam! We just came back from a 7-week tour of North Vietnam last night...it's currently 7:30 am here. So far, my trip has been really fun although a bit tiring and there have been those moments where my sister and I have gotten annoyed by our parents. I don't think they understand that my sister and I are well grown up and know how to do certain things on our own yet. But we've met a lot of people from all over the world so far...Asia is full of backpackers from Australia and Europe and everyday on our tour we've had the chance to meet someone new and sometimes we'd run into them again in a totally different city and be like "omg, it's you!!! It's such a small world" We met someone named Ben from Australia in Hanoi and then we left him to go on an overnight train to Sapa Valley (a city in the mountains of Vietnam near the border of Vietnam and China). On our last night there, we were walking back from dinner to our hotel to get ready to leave for Hanoi again and we saw Ben again in the streets of Sapa. We acted like we hadn't seen him in weeks..although it was really only two days. Time seems to move so slowly here...although I've only been gone a week, my sister and I both feel we've been gone longer. I think it's partly because we do so much in one day and we haven't been in touch much with the world back home.
We also met Emily and her friend Waka. Emily is a girl from Seattle but she is coming back from living in Japan for a year. She hung out with us a lot in Sapa and last night we ran into her and Waka again for a few minutes in Hanoi. Her and Waka were heading to Hue (in central Vietnam).
My sister and I also met some backpackers from Holland, Switzerland and Germany when we were in Sapa and went to a bar for a night. We talked for a bit and played pool with them for awhile before heading back to our hotel to sleep. They were really nice and good looking! hahaha...Other than that, there have been a few other people we've met from Singapore, Holland, the US, Germany, Korea and Taiwan.
Oh ya and my dad almost really hurt himself!! When we were in Sapa,the tour guide took us on a trek to one of the tribal villages of Sapa...we didn't know the trek would be so intense and dangerous. There was this part where we had to cross a bridge made out of two bamboo sticks (not really helpful...) My dad was trying to hand over his camera to the tour guide when he lost his footing and fell!!! The tour guide fell in too because she was trying to help him...it was so scary because none of us knew how deep the trench was...luckily he was ok and was not seriously hurt, just bumped his head against a rock.
We also went to Ha Long Bay...which is also being considered for one of the next 7 natural wonders of the world as well as Sapa...it was really beautiful. We went into some of its caves so that was pretty cool.
Also, Vietnam is really different...I like how it is so open here but I couldn't live here forever lol! It is way too busy for me...and a bit dirty :S The people here are so poor! It really makes you feel more grateful for the life we have in Canada.
Overall, I'm really glad I went so far because it's helped me to get a lot of things off my mind...there's lots more to say but I'll leave it at here for now.