Chaos!

I'm sorry for not updating my  blog for so long, I can't believe it's been a week since I last posted! Time flies. In Hue I had one of the best adventures so far on the trip. Each of us in the group got to hop on the back of a motorbike for the day, and the driver took us all over Hue and the surrounding areas. It was such a big day, that by the end of it we couldn't remember everything we saw. My heart started pounding pretty hard as soon as my driver pulled our bike out into traffic... it's not as if they wait for an opening between cars, they just blare the horn and pull out, hoping that the other drivers stop for them. And amazingly, it worked! But I definitely had my knees curled up nearly to my chin a couple of times, thinking that a passing biker would take a limb off. But we all survived! We stopped at a local market first to see the ever-suprising items for sale... I cease to be amazed. There was also a "fortune teller" there... a few of the group members got roped in to hearing their future... but it seemed like the entire time she'd ask them questions about their life and then say "ah yes... when you are 23-27 you will get married... I never know..." Hmmm.

After that, we hopped back onto the motorbikes and drove through some of the most beautiful jungles and forest that I have ever seen. It was so lush and green, and the road was this teeny little thing that would fit only one bike, barely. Just winding left and right through the hills of Hue. It was exciting not knowing what was coming up ahead... and I think my driver started to understand that he could freak me out by speeding up suddenly, so he would punch it and wait to hear me screaming/laughing. After visiting a tomb and a pagoda, we went for lunch at a nunnery. This is a home for female monks, and they live there permanently. It looks like they get quite a few visitors, though, because they had a room that had a giant table in it, and on it was one of the largest feasts I've ever seen. It was all vegetarian, too. And it was delicious! We had every type of tofu imaginable, veggie patties, rice cakes... ok, it all sounds a little bland when I try and explain it, but it was anything but! It's customary in Vietnam to have a nap for about an hour after eating lunch... so the nuns rolled out straw mats on the floor for us, and we were supposed to lay down for a nap! I have to admit, it was pretty nice after stuffing myself to the brim.

We had a few more hours after the nunnery where our motorbike drivers took us to see a few more sites. We saw a couple more pagodas (they were beautiful, but very hard to describe... they're very ornate structures built to honor people of importance). It's all becoming foggy to me (thank goodness I wrote it all down right after we got back) because we've packed so much activity into the last few days. 

We took another night train from Hue to Hanoi... and this time I knew what to expect. We were prepared with sleep sheets and plenty of hand sanitizer. There was only one suprise on this trip... the toilet was not a western one, but a "squatter". I don't think I've mentioned squatters yet, but it's basically a hole in the ground that you, um, squat over. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be on a night train through the Vietnamese countryside, trying to hover over a squatter toilet. And trust me, it's not easy on a train that's jolting left and right! I'll leave it at that. 

We arrived in Hanoi early in the morning, so we had that entire day to wander around and get a feel or the city. It's a far cry from the quieter cities, like Hoi An. This has more of the feel of Saigon... people EVERYWHERE. I think trying to cross a street here is even more dangerous than Siagon... motorbikes are absolutely everywhere, streaming out of every alley way, shop, and crevace that exists in Hanoi. In the center of the city, though, there is a gorgeous lake with people exercising and doing yoga all around it. It's a nice escape from the hustle of the main roads. There was a cute little coffee shop that overlooks a good portion of the city and the lake (and the local KFC haha), so a friend and I went up there just to relax, read our books, and take in the scenery. 

I still have so much to catch you up on... Halong Bay and the rest of Hanoi (we're now onto the third and final portion of the tour... we get a new tour leader tomorrow who will take us up into Laos!) but I'm exhausted! So it will have to wait for another day... until then, I'm thinking about you all!