Vietnam 2018

October 2018
3 guys - 3 weeks on tour :-)
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  • Day 1

    Day 1 Zürich

    October 2, 2018 in Switzerland ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    Hola and welcome to the next well deserved vacation ;-) This time 3 weeks in Vietnam. The team consists of Christi, Nonni and me. We met in Friedrichshafen to take a Flixbus to Zürich. The plan was to stay at a friends house for the night. When we arrived we played a little bit Mariokart on the Nintendo Switch and then we left to have dinner and some beers. We walked through the city center and climbed up a hill where the universities are located. We enjoyed the view and then went back to the flat. Tiredly we fell into the beds to be prepared for the next day with the big flight :-)Read more

  • Day 2

    Day 2 Singapore

    October 3, 2018 in Singapore ⋅ 🌧 32 °C

    This morning we got up and made our way to the airport of Zürich. We arrived there well on time and after a while we could board the A380 of Singapore Airlines. It was my first time to fly with this type of aircraft and it was great. The entertainment system and the service was perfect, the food was as always. After a 12 hours flight we arrived in Singapore. We had to wait for 2 long hours which we slept almost entirely and then we took the last flight to Hanoi. This time we didn't have so much luck with the entertaining system, it was an older one.Read more

  • Day 3

    Day 3 Ha Noi

    October 4, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    After 2,5 hours of flight we arrived in Ha Noi. The arranged hostel forgot about us, so we had to call them and wait longer for the pickup. Eventually we have arrived and we went on the crowded streets of the old town of the city. We saw temples, the Hoan Kiem lake, the Opera and even a church. For dinner we tried to meet the other fellow Vietnam travelers (Maike, Matze, Domi, Annika), but unfortunately they got into a bad traffic jam and got late for their night train. Therefore we had to eat "alone" and afterwards we went to drink Bia Hoi, a cheap local beer.Read more

  • Day 4

    Day 4 Ha Noi

    October 5, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Another sunny and hot day in Hanoi. We slept late and had breakfast in the hostel. Then we went again into the city and explored some other areas. We saw lots of temples, the imperial citadel, the presidential palace and the botanical garden, next to other sights. On the way back we had dinner in a Vietnamese restaurant. We shared a hot pot with different meat, vegetables and undefinable food. We took a taxi to the train station, or we tried to: The driver took us too far and it was not easy to find the right spot. Finally we found it and got our tickets to Sa Pa which is in the north of Vietnam. As it was a night train we had a room with four beds which we shared with a local guy. The train left the train station and it started shaking...Read more

  • Day 5

    Day 5 Sa Pa

    October 6, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    And it was shaky and bumpy the whole night. We arrived in Lao Cai when the sun was almost rising. A transfer bus brought us to Sapa. We got breakfast at the company of our 2-day-trek we have booked. Then our guide Chi showed up and explained us what was going to happen. We started the hike in the city and then it went steep up the hills. We overtook several other groups and had a very good pace so that even Chi came into a hussle. She is doing these treks since 2009 almost every day. The weather was quite foggy in the morning, but got better later. After reaching the highest point we climbed down through lots of rice terraces and different areas of the valley. This was the most interesting part as it was beautiful and challenging at the same time. We were walking on the ridge - actually on the rigde of rice terraces. Sometimes it was not easy to find a dry way or not to fall from stones. Additonally we saw some animals like buffalos, pigs and ducks. In the afternoon we arrived in the small village where Chi lives with her family. We got French fries as snack and we were wondering if we get more food or not for quite a long time. Eventually her husband brought tons of food on the table. We could eat great food until we were almost exploding. Later we washed the dishes and slept.Read more

  • Day 6

    Day 6 Sa Pa

    October 7, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We got up at 8 AM and got a great breakfast. Then it was time to say goodbye to the rest of the family and we continued the hike. Again we first went up the hills, and then crossed lots of rice fields. Additionally we came through bamboo forests. When we came by a waterfall we took a quick bath in the cold water. The weather was even more foggy than the day before, but still very warm. The whole day we only met a few other people on our way. For lunch we made a stop in a village and got again great Vietnamese food. After that we sat on motorbikes and were driven back to Sapa. From there we took a bus back to Lao Cai after saying goodbye to Chi. We met Sarah on our way which met our fellow Vietnam travelers before in Sapa, so we went to have dinner with her. There was a power outage in the whole town, but nobody really cared, we were eating with candle light. Then it was time to take the train back to Hanoi. Another shaky night laid before us.Read more

  • Day 7

    Day 7 Ha Noi

    October 8, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    We woke up at 4 AM and arrived in Hanoi shortly after that time. The challenge was now to get the day over until 2 PM. We dropped our baggage in our hostel from the days before and walked through the half city to the temple of literature. Luckily the traffic was quite okay in these morning hours. On the way we had breakfast at a local place: A soup with meat, vegetables and rice noodles - "yummy". They seem to eat like this at any time of the day. The temple was a great place to learn more about the history and culture of Vietnam. It included also an early university. After a while we went to see an old traditional house from the 19th century. It is built like a tube with a narrow front and a long interiour. After a short stop at a local market we went back to the hostel waiting for our tranport to Cat Ba. The ride to Cat Ba island was taking 3,5 hours including a speed boat. We arrived when the sun just went down. Then we went to have dinner and afterwards we found a party of Vietnamese tour guides on a floating reataurant. It was very funny to see them drinking and dancing. After a billard game in a newly renovated pub we went back to the hotel.Read more

  • Day 8

    Day 8 Lan Ha Bay

    October 9, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    This morning we went to the office of Cat Ba Ventures to do a 2-Day-Tour. The tour started in the Lan Ha Bay which is a smaller bay next to Ha Long Bay. On a boat we were driven through a floating village where people are living on floating homes. Then the journey continued to the famous Ha Long Bay which is UNESCO World Cultural Heritage and voted as one of the new natural Wonders of the World. Over 2000 limestone rocks and islands are covering a huge bay. We were able to jump from our boat and swim around in the warm water. After lunch we entered kayaks to explore caves and hidden lagoons within the bay. Then we changed our boat to have dinner after another swim session. On the second boat we stayed overnight in the Lan Ha Bay with our group: 2 German couples, 2 Dutch girls, a Belgian girl and a French couple. The sunset happened in a quite impressive scenery and we had some beers on the deck with the group before we went to bed in our spacious cabin.Read more

  • Day 9

    Day 9 Ha Long Bay

    October 10, 2018 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌬 24 °C

    We got up at 7:30 AM for breakfast, the only food without rice :-) Pancakes with bananas and honey. Then we kayaked again through the bay - into caves, holes and in hidden lagoons. After that we took swims to small beaches, were snorkeling and were jumping from the boat. The weather changed a little bit, it was not that sunny anymore but still warm. After lunch we left the cabin and the boat was going back to the harbour on Cat Ba island. After the transfer back to Hanoi we met Sarah again who was spontaneously for this night in the city. We had dinner together and chatted until the restaurant closed. Then we went to bed because it was going to be a short night.Read more