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.