Hello! I am hiding in Highlands Coffee near Hanoi's main Old Quarter plaza, to escape from the relentless humidity and heat. Guess i was wrong to think that Northern Vietnam would be cooler than the south, in June! Its rather the opposite, as the south is more bearable especially just after it rains in the evenings. In Hanoi the heat is oppressive at the moment, and I can't wait to get to the northern province of Ha Giang (leaving tonight).
Spent two days in Cat Ba island which is part of the Ha Long Bay region; Cat Ba is more commonly frequented by Vietnamese rather than Western tourists. I first heard about Cat Ba island when I was in Myanmar and met an Aussie couple, Rinne and Ryan, who worked here for 3 months. It was lovely to go kayaking around the bay (again thanks to cousin Jenn for the suggestions) and cool off on the beaches. Funny moment, I wanted to head to the beach to cool down as soon as I arrived on the island (after 18 hours of travelling from Phong Nha via Hanoi) but realised somewhat to my dismay that it wasn't an original idea. Indeed, peak time for Vietnamese beach goers is 4pm to 7pm, when the sun is not as strong. (Most Asians avoid sunlight as much as possible! White skin is considered more beautiful than tanned skin; but probably they are also being smart and avoiding skin cancer!) There was literally not a square foot of free space on the beach as there were tons of people sitting on plastic stools and jumping in the waves, so I walked around instead, sunset is actually a gorgeous time to take a stroll along the bay.
Je suis egalement allee au "Hospital Caves" qui onto ete occupee pendant 8 ans par les soldats vietnamiens pendant la guerre entre Americains et Vietnamiens. Une belle petite randonnee à velo, mais la chaleur etait un peu intense donc je me suis ensuite reposée au resto vegetarien "Buddha's Belly" en compagnie d'un charmant couple de Français (qui demenagent cet eté à Montréal!).
Aujourd'hui je prends soin de mes muscles un peu endoloris. :) un peu de leche-vitrine en attendant le prochain bus!
Mia xx
No comments:
Post a Comment