Leaving Hanoi

We arrived in Hanoi yesterday morning (Saturday, Jan 2) after a 14-hour long train ride from Danang. The first portion of the train ride from Danang to Hue is famous for its breathtaking scenery--Linda, you would have died! The train skirts the cliffs along the ocean, which makes for gorgeous pictures, but is a little intimidating when you look down! We were alone in our cabin for 11 out of the 14 hours, which was super nice--you can talk without worrying about disturbing anyone. We arrived in Hanoi at 4:30, and set about finding somewhere to stay. The first place was full, so we walked to another hotel, also full. There were street lights illuminating the misty street--until they turned off due to some kind of timer. It then became pitch black. Luckily for us, we had the flashlight my mom gave us (thanks, mom) and were able to navigate to eventually a fourth hotel. Our room at this hotel is $12, filled mostly by the bed, and has a green-lit chandelier coupled with ornate wood furniture and a velour red bedspread. Very chic. ;) We had a very relaxed day in Hanoi yesterday--I think we were both feeling a little worn out. To be completely honest (and this is very embarassing to me) we ate only Western food yesterday. We may have even visited the KFC. ;) It really was the rest we needed though, because we felt super chipper by the end of the day. When not eating french fries, we walked around the Old Quarter of Hanoi, where you can barely walk in the streets-the sidewalks are full of parked motorcycles and food stalls and the streets are full of motorcycles. We also saw the body of Ho Chi Minh, which Ron thinks is fake, and walked around the lake in the center of Hanoi. On one side of the lake, they had closed off the road and there were tons of flower-filled statues and flower displays celebrating the 1000-year anniversary of Hanoi. At one point, a Vietnamese family asked if they could take a picture of us--with their 3 children. The children looked a little scared. We asked if they could take the picture with our camera, too, so now we have a picture of us and our three Vietnamese children! We also booked our Halong Bay tour, which leaves this morning. It will be two days, one night, on a beautiful Chinese junk. We'll have a private cabin and go kayaking this evening. We're so excited! I'm sure I have more about Hanoi to write, but we've got to go pack for the trip (and maybe have some pho for breakfast). No internet on the boat, and our next stop is our several day bus ride to Lao, so it might be a few days. Much love, Eve and Ron