We had planned on being able to come home from the south and do some laundry and then leave the next day for the north. Since we flew back from the south, and the only plane available was Tuesday, we only had 3 hours to unpack and repack, no time for laundry to dry, and return to the airport to catch our plane to Haiphong. We got back to the airport only to find out that our plane was delayed due to a storm. We waited another two hours and were finally able to take off. I have found that it is always good to have something to read since you never know when delays will occur. We arrived in Haiphone and took a van to Halong bay and arrived around 8 PM. There was a youth camp going on in the hotel and the worship could be heard in our room on the floor above the meeting room. We enjoyed it. That night we were taken to dinner late. We found a sidewalk cafe, not quite like you would imagine, those here are small tables set up on the sidewalks with even small plastic chairs, think kindergarten size. Then you have several fish tanks to choose your fish from. Our friend choose a large fish, they took it from the tank and put it in a plastic bag and try to weight it there in front of you, you pay by the kilo. They then took it somewhere in the back to cook. Twenty minutes later we were brought the fish, head and all to enjoy. It was good along with the rice and lemon, (really lime) juice that we love.
Did I mention that the bay was across the street from our hotel and there was a walkway that we took into town along the water. It was beautiful. The bay is known for its rock formations. They even filmed one of the James Bond movies here. The next day we took a boat tour out to the rocks and got to go through one of the three caves out there. The area has been nominated for being one of the natural wonders of the world. Our boat ride continued out to an area where they store the fish they catch to sell at the market and finally we just stopped in the middle of the bay and people started jumping off the boat and into the water. Only the crew and a few younger kids jumped in, the water, even though it was hot, was not that appealing, knowing what all goes into the bay.
The next few days we spent touring the town and the night bazaar, they had some beautiful embroidered pictures. I bought a colorful one to frame. We even found a restaurant that sold some European foods and pizza. We indulged.
On Friday we checked out of our hotel and took a van ride back to Haiphong where we spent the night and were able to attend a study. We were blessed.
On Saturday we took a local bus to Hanoi. The ride was two hours, could have made it in one if we did not have to make so many stops at the oddest street corners to pick up folks headed to Hanoi, I am not sure how they know when to be there or where, no terminal or bus stop that I could see. They showed a movie in French and of course the seats were made for short people.
Sunday we were able to meet some folks and share and then they took us out for what else, pizza, I think that the word is out that we like pizza. It was great to be able to talk to this one couple who had been to Russia to study and Australia. They speak several languages. They had an eight month old daughter who was adorable.
Monday night I got sick and was down for a couple of days, by the end of the week we were able to see some sights, visited a prison and a nearby lake. We were staying in the back packer area so there were many vendors selling their wares. We even found a non profit organization helping the community sell these beautiful quilts. I really wanted one but had no room to get it back home. They do have a store in HCMC so the hunt is on to find it. They do, after all, help the community !!!
We flew back on Friday to find our monthly bills either taped to the front door or under the door. Our electric bill is due and since we missed the bill collector we have to go to the electric office to pay it. Thank goodness for our friend, he is a life saver. The water was also off for several hours on Friday, I thought Mark had not paid that bill but later learned that they are cleaning the pipes. It will also be off some today and tomorrow. Only in Vietnam !!!
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