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No one told me Hanoi would be wet, foggy and cold?

Hanoi Travel Blog › entry 30 of 46 › view all entries

Welcome to my travel blog. We only live ONCE (unless you are Buddhist). And lately, I wanted to do something about that. So I decided to explore the world to make some kind of pilgrimage. So I left what I have to find what I don't. I'll be traveling for seven months to France, Germay, Turkey, India, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Etiopia, and Tanzania. I hope you enjoy my stories, photos and experiences. "All you touch and all U see is all your life will ever be."

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No one told me Hanoi would be wet, foggy and cold?

February 2, 2008

One hour in the rain on this boat was enough.

Hanoi was wet and cold. This was quite a shock to my system after spending over two months wearing shorts and sandals in south India and SE Asia. But, it actually felt good to "feel" wintertime for a moment. In my normal life, I would be in San Francisco right now waiting for rainy days so I could jam up to Tahoe for fresh powder days.

Originally I wanted to spend a lot of time in Vietnam and follow the coastline from north to south. But, I changed my plan and decided to work in an orphanage in the south - which meant I had no time to explore the country. But, I arranged to spend some time in Hanoi before volunteering.

I wanted to come here to see Halong Bay and the Perfume Pagoda. I started by struggling through a journey to the perfume pagoda.

On the boat to the Perfume Pagoda

I say struggling because it involved a 3 hours bus ride, a one hour canoe ride (in the rain) and a one hour walk up the mountain (in the rain). The fog was so thick that we couldn't see the beauty around us. And, the rain was wet and cold which made things a bit uncomfortable. But, I still enjoyed myself tremendously. Though, I did decide not to go to Halong Bay. I'll save that for my next trip.

Wandering around Hanoi was fascinating. The traffic was quite amazing to see. Thousands and thousands of motorbikes packed every street and every alley. Cars were minimal in comparison.

Since it was my birthday, I splurged on a $40/night hotel room that was one of the nicest I've stayed at in my life. I had a huge flat-screen TV and a computer in my room! Nice. It felt like home. So, I stayed 5 days. I start my orphanage experience this week. I wonder what lies ahead....