Île aux Buissons

We ferried back to mainland Thailand and rode north towards Chumphon Airport. With only one flight per day to Bangkok (9am) we stayed one night at a nearby hotel. Chumphon Airport only had one gate; we checked our luggage and cleared security in less than three minutes. Our AirAsia flight was only 45 mins but they served Boba Tea and Ice Coffee. The best service! The flight arrived at a small airport in Bangkok so we had to self-transfer to the international airport across town (BKK). On the shuttle ride we met a retired couple from LA who told us they too had taken a family gap year with their kids ten years ago. It’s always fun to meet fellow long-term American travelers, since they are so rare. The immigration line at BKK was extremely long but luckily, we had plenty of time to kill. We relaxed in the Oman Airlines lounge – it had the best food (Ken could eat Thai food indefinitely but I really love Arabic food so I was in heaven). Then: Vietnam Airlines to Hanoi, a brief two-hour flight.

We were wary that Vietnam might be uncomfortable for American tourists. We couldn’t have been more wrong. The second we landed in Vietnam we knew we were somewhere special. First, the currency is 1:25,000, so we went to the ATM and got a few billion dong. Our driver, who was parked in the front row in the first parking spot, smoked a cigarette as the sun set; the road traffic was absolute chaos. We stayed in a 4th floor apartment in the Old Quarter, which had a French influence and was just a sight to see. There were a million motorbikes zipping by everywhere. The sidewalks were filled with parked motorbikes and people eating on tiny blue plastic chairs. So much of the sidewalk obstruction forced us to walk on the road. Ken was a giant: every restaurant used small chairs (in the US we would call them “kid size.”) Every kind of store was at our disposal (knock-off apparel, food, flowers, spas) and since it was Tet Holiday (New Year’s) the streets were particularly festive with red lanterns, kumquat trees, and fireworks. Shout out to Uncle Moku: Vietnam had the most extravagant and luxurious orchid arrangements. Vendor ladies walked by pushing baby carriages, which were filled with donuts for sale. Coffee was at every corner, including egg coffee, which was coffee with a whipped foam egg on top. The waitresses continued to be obsessed with Everett (we’ve been here a week and have not seen any black people).

Nearby was a local restaurant where Anthony Bourdain famously dined with President Obama - for $4 we got the “Obama Special'' - pork noodle soup, seafood egg roll, and Hanoi beer. The endless street food was tasty and usually $1-3 – our favorites were banh mi (like a Subway sandwich but better) and bun cha (rice noodles with fried pork).

I was skeptical about the Water Puppet Show, a puppet performance originating from the rice fields. A tourist trap, I thought. Pleasantly surprised, the super unique theater performance told historical Vietnamese tales, including one about a famous turtle with a sword. Ken and I exchanged big smiles, as the four-year-old boy behind us kept shrieking in delight.

Our time in Hanoi was too quick (two days) and we can’t wait to get back soon. We booked a 3 day-2 night cruise through the famous Ha Long Bay, about two hours from Hanoi. The ride there was in a comfortable 12-person van, but we quickly realized we were now on the “tourist route” (the driver literally gave us lanyards that said “tourist”) and stopped for an oddly long restroom break. Of course, the bathroom was in the back of a giant souvenir shop. The Ha Long Bay pier followed suit – filled with pre-packaged tour operators and thousands of tourists wandering around. We didn’t mind though, since we were familiar with these places and knew what to expect (standing in lines, overpriced everything, endless selfies, etc.)

Several friends gave us mixed reviews of Ha Long Bay – in addition to being over-touristed, the water was polluted with trash floating around. After so many beach destinations we now see the unfortunate impact of single use plastic water bottles. All that being said, it’s a UNESCO Heritage site and we can see why.

The scenery was world-class with towering limestone mountains jutting out of the water covered by rainforests. Our super fancy cruise boat (Venus) had a pool and an elevator! (Sidenote: I do most of the trip planning but in this instance, Ken booked the cruise. We climbed aboard and I gave him the evil eye, like, “What did this cost?!?!?!” And his sheepish response, “I booked the cheap boat I swear… they gave us an upgrade??” Ok guys, I secretly love when he books the accommodations because they’re always nicer than I would pick!)

Owen, the cruise ship manager, was so professional wearing his full suit. We could tell he was secretly a jokester, yelling to the newlywed Indian kayakers, “Shark!” and to the Swiss college students fishing off the boat, “Do better, we need to eat tonight.” The assistant manager, Ving, with his impeccable English, guessed Ken was either American or Israeli:) Ving also told us the story of his father who was captured - in this very bay - and was held in an American prison camp for two and a half years.

The daily activities included extensive eating (all-inclusive with fresh caught seafood), kayaking (Ken did all the work), swimming (did we mention the pool?), cooking demonstration (spring rolls – Everett’s was more like a burrito), bicycling to a village where we drank “happy water” wine (see the snake?), fed fish with our feet, and took a bamboo row boat through a cave (5:30 am wakeup call!).

We are absolutely enjoying our first week in Vietnam!Read more