Public bus ride from Hanoi to the Cuc Phuong National Park

At the departure time, all but one seat was full and we were ready to go. An hour and a half later, the aisles were filled with people sitting on bags of rice, and about 15 more people than seats filled the public bus. Oh the joy.

Public bus ride from Hanoi to the Cuc Phuong National Park from Craig Palumbo on Vimeo.

A view from the middle of Lake Ho Tai in Hanoi

We spent our only full day in Hanoi this time around wandering around the city, hitting all of the sites that we won't see with my (our) parents in a few weeks.  The rain didn't ruin the day, just added to the fun.

Walking around Hanoi from Craig Palumbo on Vimeo.

Days 74-75 Friday-Saturday January 22-23 Hanoi, Vietnam

We didn’t spend much time in Hanoi since we’ll be back up here with my (our) parents in a few weeks.  Yet while we were in the city, we quickly got to know its layout, and were able to confirm many of the stereotypes that preceded it, the first of which was that this place is busy!

We finally made it to Vietnam!  Tania on the cusp of Lake Ho Tai.

And damn these people love to honk their horns!  Whether its to inform unfortunate people that happen to be approaching the same intersection, or to tell one of the infinite number of scooters to get out of the way, horns are honked and honked and honked.  And with such narrow streets as those in the old quarter, that makes for a loud and clustered environment.  Crossing the street is a talent, too, one that every person better learn if they’re going to survive in the big city.

I called the whole thing annoying.  Tania then coined the epic term “Hanoi-ing”.  Similar to when the entire city of Shanghai was under construction for the 2010 world expo and we coined that getting “Shanghai’d”, being Hanoi-ing is a term we’ll carry with us well back into the US.  Either way, at first glance, the street scene in Hanoi seems chaotic, but after giving it a few minutes, you’ll notice that (as Vanessa so wisely put it) the whole thing is organized chaos.  To the untrained eye, it’s chaos.  But to those that are familiar with it, it flows as simply and efficiently as possible.  Therefore, organized chaos. 

Friday night we got to our hotel late and walked down the street for some authentic Pho.  We had read that in Vietnam, a restaurant’s appearance oppositely reflects the quality of the food, so we picked the dungiest looking joint that was still open at 9pm.  And boy was the pho delicious.  Such a simple dish that warms the soul like a good chicken soup.  So comforting that  we headed back to call it an early night.

On Saturday, we walked through the sporadic rain over to Lake Ho Tay (HOO WAT?  HO TAY!) and browsed through several wats, stopping for a delicious lunch at a spot named Vine.  We had delicious comfort food while taking the elegant setting, and while getting to know the manager who also recommended some good restaurants in Hue and Hoi An.  That gave us enough fuel to stomp across the rest of the city through the rain, finally getting us to the train station so we could buy all of our tickets for the upcoming trek through Vietnam before they were sold out due to the madness known as Tet.  Luckily we were well trained in dealing with pushy sales people like those who assaulted us at the train station because without that training, we would have 1) never been able to properly purchase the tickets we needed, and 2) fend off people trying to get a piece of the pie we were buying.  But we did it, and treated ourselves to a nice dinner at the Lonely Planet staple 69 Bar-Restaurant.  Hehe.

Being the old fogies that we now are, we followed dinner with a quick bia hoi (preservative-free beer sold for $.10 on every street corner) amongst all of the other locals and expats sitting on children’s plastic chairs.  Then off to bed.  We had a bus to catch the next day to the Cuc Phuong National Park,

So it was a very quick trip to Hanoi, but it gave us enough of a glimpse of the city to get us very excited to really explore it with the parents in a few weeks.

Honeymoon Phase 3 Video - Thailand and Laos

Here's the video for Thailand and Laos.  Tania did the bulk of the work, but we finessed the timing and captions together.  Enjoy!

PS  Click on the 4-arrow icon next to the VIMEO logo to expand the video to full screen.  Then push the ESC to exit full screen.


Honeymoon Phase 3 - Thailand & Laos from Craig Palumbo on Vimeo.

Some Valentine's Day Thoughts

Since this is our first Valentine's Day as a married couple, I wanted to take this chance to brag about all of the things I've learned about my wife on this trip.

1. She's strong. The way she's lugged so much gear across the hectic Asian landscape. How she's handled many tough situations with people that don't speak her language. To being able to sleep on any less-than-ideal overnight train/ferry/bus. To keeping me in check ever step of the way. There's a ton of strength in that diminutive frame of hers.

2. She's adventurous. Before the trip, the most extreme physical activity she enjoyed was a tough yoga class or a strenuous hike. Now she has kayaking, snorkeling, motorbiking, Great Wall climbing, and bare back elephant riding to her credit. Who knew?

3. She's passionate. I've always known this, but it's come to a whole new level on the trip by the way she has planned so many details of the trip, engulfed herself into information about all of our destinations, and simply by the way that she utilizes all possible free time to the fullest, whether its regarding the trip or our future endeavors.

4. She's a teeny bopper at heart. I just need three words to describe this one: Twilight, Edward, Collins. 'Nuff said.

5. The girl likes massages. Yes, of course we all like massages, but she's made sure that there hasn't been a $7 oil massage that past her way without putting it to good use.

6. She really likes me. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the easiest person to deal with, especially when it's just you and me in a strange land for 4 months straight. But the way she's handled my temperament, she deserves a medal for that. And the fact that she's handles me so well, I have to believe that means that she really does like me. Whew.

7. She can stretch a small bag of clothes into a wardrobe that never gets old. I literally wear the same thing every day, and it shows. But she has just as many clothes, and is able to look fresh and beautiful every day.

8. She's my wife. This seems obvious, but as those of you who are married will know, it's a strange thing to get accustomed to. Whether it's getting used to saying the word "wife" to feeling the ring on my left hand, it's still something that surprises me every day, and puts a smile on my face every time I get surprised. I'm a lucky man.

Tania has always amazed and surprised me in new and bigger ways, but after spending so much time with her completely out of our element, she's finding newer and smaller ways to surprise me. I didn't think I could love or respect her more than I did at our wedding, but I do every single day, and I'm sure that will continue to happen until we're old and grey.

Happy Valentine's Day kitty!

Watching the giving/taking of alms in Luang Prabang

Every morning, Buddhist monks of all ages walk the streets outside of their wats and accept alms, gifts of food, from local residents.  The fact that this age old tradition still runs every morning at 5:30am like clockwork is one reason it's a fascinating ritual to observe.

Monks taking alms in Luang Prabang from Craig Palumbo on Vimeo.

Sunset from Wat Phu Si in Luang Prabang

The sunset from Wat Phi Si was stunning.  The 100 tourists packed-in around us felt the same way.


Atop Wat Phu Si in Luang Prabang from Craig Palumbo on Vimeo.