Dalat
Well, we're in Dalat now and a lot has happened since my last update.
Hue was really nice, I fully enjoyed it. Very calming after Hanoi and freakishly touristy Halong Bay.
After that we went on a ridiculously long bus ride to Hoi An, which is known for being a place to tailor clothing. I really liked the town, small and charming. I had a suit made there for US$65. I got a jacket, pants, a skirt from very nice black cashmere and a top that is black as well but has dragons on it. Oh, and I also had a pair of shoes and a bag custom made for me :)
We also hung out quite a bit with four Kiwis that we met on the bus. And I saw my coach Anal a couple more times. It's funny because there are many people who we've met along the way that we see everywhere we go. It would be really nice to get off the tourist track but there's just not enough time for all of that.
From Hoi An we also did a tour of My Son (pronounced me, not my) and that was super cool. We actually had a guide who could give us information. We saw very cool temples, many of which were destroyed due to American bombings. We also enjoyed music and dancing.
We got back to Hoi An, had lunch and went on a walking tour of the old part of Hoi An. Also pretty cool. We saw another performance of dancing, music, singing and classical Veitnamese opera.
Before taking our night bus we went to the market where we were harassed by many little ladies. One of them grabbed Alex's arm and wouldn't let him go. We make jokes about how she would make him buy something or else she would marry him off to her ugliest daughter. One of the ladies was nicer and kept touching my face, I bought two t-shirts from her.
The night bus was alright because there were very few people. We were able to lie down across the entire row of seats so I actually got some sleep. We broke down at one point but I was too tired to care or wonder why. It was also extremely hot so that when I would start to fall asleep I thought I was drowning.
Our day in Natrang was kind of shitty. The place is known for its diving and beaches but we came at the worst time, rainy season. All we did in the city was get massages, eat and sleep. By the evening the lack of activity was so much that I got a headache and decided to run it off. It was a good run but I went to a patch of grass and did 10 push-ups and thought I was going to die. I've officially reached rock bottom as far as my fitness is concerned. Everynight when I go to bed I will do some core and push-ups. And perhaps I will go for a run later today.
This morning we took a bus ride to Dalat. We saw amazing scenery as we went over two mountain passes. It was just stunning. We were surrounded by mountains covered with real tropical rainforest. At one point we stopped at the top of a pass and were attacked by people selling stuff as we got off the bus. I bought some pineapples (very yummy) and also had to pay to use the squat toilet. Oh well, in total I spent around 50 cents. The one horrible thing about the bus was the music they played. We listened to CD after CD of very cheesy love longs then a CD of weird instrumental music that would go through a variety of cheesy love song and somehow mush them into one long piece. And then there was the Vietnamese music, which is ok in small doses but was really far too loud and lasted far too long for my liking.
And then we got here. I'm now with Racheal, one of the Kiwi girls and we're about to go to the lake and enjoy a paddle boat. I'm excited!
Oh, and I'll have pictures up soon :)
Hue was really nice, I fully enjoyed it. Very calming after Hanoi and freakishly touristy Halong Bay.
After that we went on a ridiculously long bus ride to Hoi An, which is known for being a place to tailor clothing. I really liked the town, small and charming. I had a suit made there for US$65. I got a jacket, pants, a skirt from very nice black cashmere and a top that is black as well but has dragons on it. Oh, and I also had a pair of shoes and a bag custom made for me :)
We also hung out quite a bit with four Kiwis that we met on the bus. And I saw my coach Anal a couple more times. It's funny because there are many people who we've met along the way that we see everywhere we go. It would be really nice to get off the tourist track but there's just not enough time for all of that.
From Hoi An we also did a tour of My Son (pronounced me, not my) and that was super cool. We actually had a guide who could give us information. We saw very cool temples, many of which were destroyed due to American bombings. We also enjoyed music and dancing.
We got back to Hoi An, had lunch and went on a walking tour of the old part of Hoi An. Also pretty cool. We saw another performance of dancing, music, singing and classical Veitnamese opera.
Before taking our night bus we went to the market where we were harassed by many little ladies. One of them grabbed Alex's arm and wouldn't let him go. We make jokes about how she would make him buy something or else she would marry him off to her ugliest daughter. One of the ladies was nicer and kept touching my face, I bought two t-shirts from her.
The night bus was alright because there were very few people. We were able to lie down across the entire row of seats so I actually got some sleep. We broke down at one point but I was too tired to care or wonder why. It was also extremely hot so that when I would start to fall asleep I thought I was drowning.
Our day in Natrang was kind of shitty. The place is known for its diving and beaches but we came at the worst time, rainy season. All we did in the city was get massages, eat and sleep. By the evening the lack of activity was so much that I got a headache and decided to run it off. It was a good run but I went to a patch of grass and did 10 push-ups and thought I was going to die. I've officially reached rock bottom as far as my fitness is concerned. Everynight when I go to bed I will do some core and push-ups. And perhaps I will go for a run later today.
This morning we took a bus ride to Dalat. We saw amazing scenery as we went over two mountain passes. It was just stunning. We were surrounded by mountains covered with real tropical rainforest. At one point we stopped at the top of a pass and were attacked by people selling stuff as we got off the bus. I bought some pineapples (very yummy) and also had to pay to use the squat toilet. Oh well, in total I spent around 50 cents. The one horrible thing about the bus was the music they played. We listened to CD after CD of very cheesy love longs then a CD of weird instrumental music that would go through a variety of cheesy love song and somehow mush them into one long piece. And then there was the Vietnamese music, which is ok in small doses but was really far too loud and lasted far too long for my liking.
And then we got here. I'm now with Racheal, one of the Kiwi girls and we're about to go to the lake and enjoy a paddle boat. I'm excited!
Oh, and I'll have pictures up soon :)