The Final Chapter- Ha Long Bay and Hanoi

I cannot believe how long it has taken me to come to the end of my Asia saga. Maybe part of me wanted to stall ending my storytelling because that would mean the experience is truly over. Still, I believe the Asia adventure of a lifetime deserved five postings and I hope you enjoyed the journey. Here is how the trip ended....

After a rough early morning flight from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi we hired a taxi to take us to our overnight cruise through Ha Long Bay. Summed up....as a travel consultant I would never recommend an overnight cruise to any of my clients. Ha Long Bay is absolutely stunning and a wonder of the world. However, it is overly touristy-bombarded with the touristy passenger boats, and the beaches are absolutely packed! The actual scenic beauty of Ha Long Bay can easily be seen in one day and the food and accommodations on the ship were definitely something I would avoid in the future. Still, there were two highlights to the overnight boat experience. First, watching the sunset over Ha Long Bay on the top of the boat deck was a view I will never forget. I did my best to capture it in photos, but images simply do not do it justice. Another highlight was waking up to go kayaking around Ha Long Bay. Of course I did not have a camera with me for that adventure, but it was so cool to be off on our own kayaking through the tower rock formations. I highly recommend a kayaking excursion or tour during your trip to Ha Long Bay. Overall, I am glad we went it was definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, but next time I might pass on whole non-air conditioned, leaky roof, terrible food, boat experience.

Ha Long Bay

Crowded beaches along the bay

Representing Soul Cycle from Vietnam

Sunset view from the boat

Josh and I before we went kayaking

On the last day of our trip, we made our way from Ha Long Bay to Hanoi. Thankfully, we had utilized perks of working in the travel industry to properly prepare for the end of our journey with a room at the 5 star hotel, Intercontinental Westlake right on Ho Tay (the lake that runs through the city). I have never been so excited to take a shower, put on a giant bathrobe and lay in a massive bed with a down comforter. Our journey had started out with 5 star luxury and done a full circle from dingy hotel rooms, to a mattress on the ground of a tin hut, back to luxury. We decided to take full advantage of the hotel and lay out by the pool while waiters served us fruit smoothies.

After much needed rest and relaxation we ventured out to explore the city. Hanoi is a unique city and its colorful architecture really made it different from anywhere else we had been. We enjoyed an amazing sunset over city and our last Asian meal of the trip- naturally it was noodles.

Hanoi Sunset

Last meal in Asia

Style of the buildings in Hanoi

So there you have it....my trip to Asia summed up in 5 blog posts and a few photos. It is difficult to put into words how much this journey meant to me and how much it opened up my world. I thought I had seen so much after my travels throughout Europe, but now I know, this is just the beginning....there is so much of the world left for me to see. There was this one moment that will stay with me forever and I think it very accurately sums up my journey. We were on the bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap bouncing over the non-existent dirt roads. The wind was blowing in my face and Brand New came on my iPod shuffle, particularly the song I listened to on the bus from the Florence airport to my hotel the day I landed in Florence. Right in that moment everything stopped and I felt this inexplicable rush, the same feeling I had the first time I looked up at Duomo. It was the feeling of being so overcome by the unknown and so passionate about the journey I was about to embark on. For the first time since Florence I felt this exhilarating rush that made me feel so alive and free. That rush is the passion for travel that I talk about every single day to my clients, which is why I know this is what I was meant to do with my life. It is in those moments that I come face to face with myself and feel truly alive.

Floating Markets and Sky Bars- Part IV Asia

As we headed out of Can Tho we decided make a stop to experience the Cai Rang floating market which ended up to be one of the highlights of the trip for me. Every day locals gather on the Mekong River Delta to exchange goods and buy food for the week. In order to do this they must hop from boat to boat. They will know who is selling goods and who is looking to buy based on the pole they have raised. Families live on these boats and sell their food that has come directly from their farm. It is quite a fascinating tradition and something that was so cool to witness first hand.

Vietnamese woman selling melons

You can see they live in the back of the boat and sell from the front

We decided to hop off our boat and try some of the local fruits. I had the most delicious, fresh pineapple I had ever tasted and sampled some other exotic fruits- tried so many I forgot the names.

Heading off the boat

Vietnamese woman and her daughter carving out pineapples to sell

So juicy!

Exotic fruit boat

On our way out of the floating market

After the floating market it was time for our last and final long stretch of driving. After several hours we arrived in Ho Chi Minh City also known as Saigon, the largest city in Vietnam. Making our way into the city I noticed the tall skyscrapers and city lights along with the congested traffic and constant honking of horns- reminded me a bit of home. It was our last night out with the group so our CEO, Kinal, wanted to take us somewhere special. We ended up at the Skybar, a classy rooftop bar overlooking the entire city. As I stood there staring out at a beautiful city I thought to myself, wow, if I didn't know better I would think I was in NYC. I was halfway around the world in such a foreign land, yet at the same time, the city lights and smells felt so familiar after coming from such rural towns of Cambodia. I couldn't believe this was the last night, this group of people had become like family and I couldn't believe it was already time to say goodbye. It was an emotional night full of tears, but I felt so lucky to have had such a life changing experience and be walking away with 17 new friends. If any of you are reading this right now, despite how much time has passed, I still think about you and all of our Asia memories every single day. We all went back to the reality of our own lives but it feels like yesterday that we were bonding over fried tarantulas and jugs of sex on the beach. I hope all of you are well and know that one day our paths will cross again on our next adventures!

The gang all cleaned up and ready for our last night together <3

Me, Josh, Celine and Becky 

View from Skybar

The original 4 from the very first night

If you walk away from every life experience with one new best friend you will live a happy life....

...so thankful to have met this one in Asia, miss you Annie <3

Cambodian Beaches and Vietnamese Pancakes- Part III Asia

The drive from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville was probably the roughest of them all. We were exhausted and hot and driving across nonexistent roads. I can still feel bumps as we bounced up and down the muddy roads, practically falling out of our seats at each turn. We finally arrived Sihanoukville in time to relax and head to dinner on the beach. Sihanoukville is known as the beach vacation destination for Cambodians so the beaches are lined with restaurants and bars packed with locals and tourists alike. They are also known for the BBQ so of course we had to get the BBQ fish platter.

BBQ Fish Dinner

The next day we were off on a tour of the islands. Thankfully, the weather was perfect and we spent the day boating from beach to beach while making casual stops for snorkeling and back flips off the boat (don't worry mom, I didn't try that).

Beaches of Cambodia

Our boat that took us to the islands

Stop for some snorkelling

Matt's in action back flip shot

Annabel and I on the boat

Annabel and I finally getting our tan

Honestly, our time in Sihanoukville was simply relaxing. It was so nice to finally slow down and have two days to relax on the beach and get some sun. Before we knew it was were back on the road and prepared for the homestay experience that everyone had been questioning since day one. None of us knew what to expect, but by this point we were prepared for anything that would come our way.
We were sunburnt and low on energy as trekked across the Vietnam border- yes, trekked, as in walked with all our luggage. HELLO VIETNAM! From the minute I left Cambodia and entered Vietnam I could recognize the vast change in landscape.

Trekking across the border

After a few hours of driving we arrived in a village near the town of Can Tho, which lies right on the Mekong River Delta. We met the family we would be staying with and some of the locals as we wandered through the village. I remember seeing the hut we would be staying in and thinking oh- this isn't so bad. I was slightly weary of the fact that we had to sleep in a mosquito net- but that was really only because on day two Josh and I realized we were the only ones not taking malaria tablets. Note to travel agent self and future travelers....you must take malaria tablets when visiting Vietnam and Cambodia. Anyways, we made ourselves comfortable and joined the family for dinner where they taught us how to cook a traditional Vietnamese dish called Banh Xeo. I have to say this was probably one of the best meals of my entire trip! It is basically an egg like pancake filled with veggies, pork and prawns....similar to a crepe but much thinner and filled with much more flavor. It was quite the feast, and such an awesome experience to learn how cook a traditional Vietnamese dish with a local family. Dinner was followed by some bonding moments and early night to sleep... although falling asleep wasn't so easy as we heard all kinds of creatures crawling around the hut and thunderous downfalls of rain hitting the tin roof. All I can say is it truly was a unique experience.

Mekong River Delta

Bridge into the village

Local homes

Visiting the local village

Dinner time!

Learning to make Banh Xeo.

My bed for the night

Beautiful Vietnam sunset

Stayed tuned floating markets, sky bars, and kayaking in Ha Long Bay!

Phnom Penh- Part II Cambodia

Our next stop was Phnom Penh, the capital and largest city in Cambodia. It was quite the journey on the public bus getting from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. Our wonderful G Adventures tour leader, Kinal, had told us on day one that we must learn to go with the flow while traveling in Asia and this was one of those days. About an hour into the 7 hour journey, the air conditioning had shut down on the bus. We had two options, wait on the side of the road in 100 degrees for two hours for a new bus, or keep on going and roll down the windows. We kept on going across the country over bumpy dirt roads known as "free massage roads." I stuck my head out the window to feel the breeze against my face, when I leaned back in, my face was completely covered in mud. It was unbearably hot, mud and rain were spraying in the windows, but we were going with the flow- that is what travel is all about. We finally arrived in Phnom Penh around 8pm, exhausted and hungry. We decided to have a mellow night and dine on the rooftop of our hotel. We sat staring out at the spectacular skyline of Phnom Penh, enjoyed our dinner and a late night swim in the rooftop pool, then called it a night.

Taking photos of the countryside out the window

We stopped for a snack....yes those are bugs.

Muddy roads of Cambodia

The following day was filled with emotions of sorrow as we visited Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, the site of the S-21 prison, and the Killing Fields  where thousands of innocent people were tortured and killed during the Khmer Regime. Before coming to Cambodia I had never heard about the devastating genocide that occurred there only 30 years ago. I stood there face to face with two of the survivors and could not help but cry. I cried because it is hard not to when you can still see the blood stains in the torture chambers. But I also cried because of how little I knew about this genocide. We are taught about the Holocaust and Darfur, but never has the Khmer Regime and Pol Pot ever been mentioned in a history class. I just wanted to know more, how did this happen? Why did Pol Pot target the educated? And how did the rest of the world not stop him?  I consider myself an educated, worldly person yet I stood there feeling so incredibly naive to the world. What else is going on in the world that I am unaware of?

Annabel and I with one of the survivors, Chum Mey

*It didn't feel right taking too many pictures at these sights 

After a day of sadness we all needed a drink. Kinal took us to a restaurant called Friends. The restaurant is not only well known in Cambodia, but famous around the world as an NGO working with young adults to train them for a better future. Let me just tell you....the food was amazing!!! I had been living off plain noodles and steamed veggies since we left The Banyan Tree in Bangkok, so to enjoy more modern food was unbelievable. We all indulged in dishes like steak quesadillas, sweet potato fries and pesto pasta. To top off the experience, a few of us finally tried the Cambodian delicacy- FRIED TARANTULA!!! Yes, I did it...I ate tarantula! I would include the videos but there is far too much profanity, lets just say trying tarantula was an experience, not necessarily one I would recommend.

Fried tarantula

Refreshing drinks with Josh and Shaun

Yummy!

Post tarantula lunch, a few of us decided to skip the nap and head to the Russian markets. What a chaotic scene! Stall after stall selling everything from t-shirts to cats to raw fish. I thought the San Lorenzo market in Florence was a bit much, but this was pure insanity. We all bargained for a few souvenirs and then hopped on a Tuk Tuk back to the city center where we met the rest of the group for our Cyclo tour!

Sabrina and I during our crazy Tuk Tuk ride

Fish stand at the Russian market

Meat stand at the Russian market

Before modern technology and motorized Tuk Tuk's, Cyclos were the primary method of transport in Phnom Penh. However, the Cyclo profession has now died out leaving the drivers with little to nothing- some of the poorest people in the country. The Cambodian tourism board began an NGO called the Cyclo Center which provides Cyclo drivers with the opportunity to earn money by taking tourists on Cyclo tours around the city. It was by far the best way I have ever gone about touring a city. Forget walking tours or bus tours....take a Cyclo tour and not only will you have the very best views of the city sites, but you will also be giving back to the community of Cyclo drivers, creating a better life them. 

First stop on the Cyclo tour- Wat Phnom

Infront of the Independence monument

Cyclo-ing around the city

The whole crew in front of the Royal Palace

Our Cyclo tour dropped us off in the central square of the city where locals gather for activities. We decided to join in the Zumba group. That evening was one of my favorite nights of the trip. We had dinner on a terrace overlooking the water, and spent the night laughing, singing and dancing as we hopped around to the local hangouts meeting fellow travelers from all over the world.

View from the dinner table

Casual Zumba with the locals

Cambodian bars love to give everyone their own pitcher haha!

It was the perfect end to our time in Phnom Penh. The next morning was a very rough 6am wakeup call, we were off to the beaches of Cambodia in Sianhoukville.