My layover...

Conor and my flight home had a layover in Tokyo. So we decided why not extend it for a few days and hang out on our way home. And once again, Japan did not disappoint me. 

Last time I visited the South of Japan for my visa run and I was really excited to see Tokyo. It reminded me so much of Korea, it felt like home. After a long flight and a subway ride we arrived to our hostel, Tokyo Samuri. We couldn't check in until 3 so we dropped our bags and went exploring. 

We walked to some temples near by where we were staying. It was such a beautiful day outside and I was so happy to be out of the sweltering heat. Sensoji temples are located near some really cute walking streets. There were lots of people but not too much traffic, felt a little more relaxed than in Hanoi. Since it was a weekend there were alot of locals there, which was nice because we saw them pray correctly in the temples. Our exploration continued on the subway where we went to a beautiful garden and just walked around for a while. Tokyo is cool because even though you are in a big city, there are beautiful parks and gardens around every corner. 

For dinner we headed to the more happening Shinjuku area. We found a typical diner type restaurant where you put money in a vending machine, choose what you want and then give the slip to the waitress. The people are the restaurant were so nice and happy to help some foreigners out!

If you don't already know this, baseball is a huge deal in Japan. Once our plans were set to go, Conor began researching a game for us to go too. We went to the Tokyo Swallows, which happen to be the worst team (and they lived up to that reputation). But being there was so fun! Any time their team scored everyone pulled out umbrellas, I haven't had a chance to look up exactly why this is a tradition. But it was hilarious. The Swallows lost 10-4, but this was definitely a highlight of our trip. Nothing like a beer and udon at a baseball game. 

Tokyo is home to one of, if not the largest fish market. It's really common to wake up at the crack of dawn and go to see the big tuna auctions. Since we're lazy, Conor and I skipped that, but still went early enough for some action. I was surprised the smell of fish wasn't more pungent in the market. Flip flops were a bad choice because its wet and bloody everywhere. The best part is having fresh sushi from one of the restaurants for breakfast. We sat in a crowded place and shared a big plate of sushi. Our chef was so kind and was able to explain some pieces to us (most exotic would be sea urchin). It was delicious and fresh, and I'm not even a sushi lover. 

Japan was beautiful and it was so great to stop for a little on our way home. A great way to end my fantastic trip! Sad to see it all end, but so excited to be back home!

My goodbye to Vietnam...

We took the overnight bus from Hue to Hanoi. I felt like we had a going away party at the hotel because so many other people were leaving too. Everyone was just hanging out together downstairs before the bus rolled up and 5 of us got on, then we drove off into the sunset. 

On the bus we sat with 2 friends that we had met at the hotel- Leo and Chris. We all snuggled up in the back of our sleeper bus. Sadly this was one of the worst bus rides we've had. Within the first hour we had a flat tire, no one was feeling too great- all in all just bad. We got into Hanoi early in the morning and checked into a hotel. This place wasn't too great, and we knew we wanted to move the next morning. Conor and I both didn't feel great after our horrible ride. We slept and ate, but didn't do much our first day in Hanoi. 

We immediately changed hotels the next morning. Our new hotel, Charming, was one of the best places that we stayed at. The people were so good to us, good breakfast and the room felt like total high class in comparison to some of our other choices. We took a cyclo ride that morning around a big lake. A cyclo is basically a high bike with a seat attached to it. An older man huffs and puffs as he drives you around on his bike. It wasn't the most enjoyable ride because I thought the guy was going to have a heart attack, but I didn't feel right leaving Vietnam with never having experienced it. 

We had planned to go to the movies that day, but when we got to the theater realized that nothing good was playing. So we bought tickets to see The Hangover 3 the next day. The movie theater is in a big, modern mall. We found an arcade, and obviously played some games. Some children followed us around in the arcade, fascinated by us because we were the only non- Vietnamese people there. Sometimes it's nice to feel like a celebrity. 

The next few days all revolved around eating. In case I never mentioned this before, I love pho. And in Vietnam they eat it for breakfast so I don't feel weird when I wake up and crave it! We went to a good local spot one morning. The next time we went to find it, it was run down and looked like it had been deserted for years. Weird. Another great spot we found was DC Bistro, which was a French restaurant. They had a great set menu and a wine happy hour! What more could you ask for? Conor and I ate here 3 separate times. One night we even took home a bottle of wine and some cheese for a fancy dessert.  Bun Bo is a Vietnamese dish with is kind of like dry pho. It comes with crunchy peanuts on top and its really good with a spicy sauce. Neville, our Hanoi tasting tour guide, recommended a place for us to try Bun Bo. He also recommended a spot for Bun Cha. This is a pork soup dish. It's kind of a make your own thing- they bring you a plate of greens, a bowl of papaya in soup, noodles and a big bowl of pork. The place Neville recommended for us also served the best crab spring rolls (nem cua) I've ever had. I'm actually going to say they were the best spring rolls in general.  I would say these are our food highlights. Please don't judge me if I come home 10 pounds heavier. 

We had met this English guy (Sebastian) at the French restaurant one day. He was really friendly and told us his girlfriend was coming to visit. So we all planned to have lunch at the DC Bistro again. The lunch was fun and it really highlighted a great aspect of traveling. That is: everyone is your best friend upon meeting them and its not weird to have lunch with strangers. That same night my friend (and sorority sister) was going to be in Vietnam with her friend. So Conor and I took them to a cool street drinking corner. It was so much fun to see Jodi, a little taste of home!

We went to a museum of ethnology and learned about Vietnamese tribes. It was interesting, and outside there were so many fun things for children to do. It was children's day when we went here so Conor and I got to enjoy tug of war, a water puppet show and a goat walking around. We also went to an old prison which held some Americans during the war. John McCain was taken here. It was propaganda at its finest, claiming that the POWs loved it there. 

Hanoi was really fun. Conor and I really got to know the city because we were there for so long. We ate some really good food, walked around alot and hung out with some good people. I was sad leaving because it meant we were leaving Vietnam and who knows when I'll be back. Vietnam showed me some truly great places, introduced me to amazing food and taught me what it really means to sweat. I'll miss you Vietnam!

My cruise...

Conor and I had been looking forward to our HaLong cruise for a while. We have heard such great things from friends who have visited and from other travelers along the way here. After alot of research on what is the best cruise line, we decided to just trust our hotel and book through them. 

After a 3 hour ride out of the city we boarded the Fantasea cruise. Everyone was friendly and we all got to know each other a little over lunch. When I say lunch I also mean feast. The dishes were endless and delicious! 

Our first stop was to a huge and cool cave. I mean cool as in temperature wise. It's been SO HOT outside and walking around in a cave was a nice escape from the heat. After some exploring, we kayaked for a bit. We got dropped off at a crowded beach where Conor and I hiked to a beautiful lookout point. 

We got back on the boat and this is when the real fun started happening. Conor and I smuggled a bottle of vodka onto the ship, which we shared with our two new friends, Adele and James. A few drinks and a five Mcourse meal later it was karaoke time. Adele and I rocked the mic with our renditions of Britney Spears and the Spice Girls. Even Conor and James sang a few songs. At one point the four of us were the only people awake still, so after some star gazing we went to bed. 

Conor and I were the only people who booked a tour for 2 nights. So the next morning we got taken on a smaller boat to a less touristy part of the bay. It was beautiful and peaceful. We relaxed on a beach, did some more kayaking and even went to a pearl farm. I especially liked being away from crowded places for awhile. 

That night we got onto a different Fantasea boat. After stuffing ourselves with food, Conor and I decided to try squid fishing. We caught nothing. I'm not even sure if we saw a squid. We were karaoked out from the night before and headed to bed early. 

HaLong was beautiful and a nice change from the city. No motorbikes or polluted air. We were sad to leave!