Once I get there......

When a person travels to a European country like France or Spain or Italy, the itinerary sort of unfolds all on its own.  You do the capital cities which are incredible, you can train to most other cities and sites, it is an easy slide from place to place.  Plus, we know those places.  Who hasn't seen the Eiffel Tower or the Pantheon or the Bridge of Sighs in a magazine or in someones vacation photos?  It is familiar in a way that even America's scenic highlights might not be.  We all know these iconic symbols of a country's identity from media throughout our lives.  When we finally see them in person, we nod and say something like "Oh, yes.  It's so much better in person."

But traveling to an unknown country, one I personally have no attachment to, I don't have that iconic memory connection.  Hanoi, Saigon, Danang, these are names I remember from the late 1960's, when I was barefoot and 18 years old and protesting the war in Vietnam.  How can I reconcile the names of those places with what they really are?  And why do I even want to go there?  What is it about Vietnam that has compelled me to commit my short vacation time to its borders?  I am not sure, can't explain it but hell, I bought the ticket so I guess I am going.

Unlike going to Europe, you have to plan your journey in Vietnam ahead of time.  I suppose you can do the planning when you are there, but all the guidebooks and all the people I have talked to say do it before you leave the US.  So I have dutifully followed their advice and booked some excursions. 

One thing about Southeast Asia is that it is so cheap once you are there.  I  know, it sounds cliche, but it's true.  Check out Tripadvisor for hotels in Hanoi.  Just go look.  Right now. I will wait.......   OK, you did it, right? Amazing hotels for under $50 a night, with breakfast, bathrooms in the room, and they will pick you up at the airport!  And $50 means a really, really nice hotel.  A slightly less hotel would be $30 a night.  I was looking at a tiny, tiny flat in Paris, about 200 square feet, not near the center of town, for $1000 a week.  In Vietnam, I could stay for longer than a month for $1000.  Cheaper than rent in Santa Rosa!

Blah, blah, blah, sorry for the digression.  I am flying into and out of Hanoi.  If you picture Vietnam as comparable to California in length, Hanoi would sort of be like Eureka because it is in the north. Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) would be the San Diego of the country.  Hanoi is at a lower latitude than SF so warmer but it will be winter there so not hot.  Chilly, perhaps.  Who knows, right?  I will be spending about 5 nights in Hanoi at the start of my trip. It is supposedly a good walking city and I like to walk and it seems to have a lot of cool things to see.  But again, I am going by books and personal advice.  "Cool things to see" could be boring to me or outstanding.  That's the nice thing about having this kind of travel adventure:  it's all new. It is will all unfold once I am there. 

So, several nights in Hanoi.  More on what to see there later.  Then a little journey up to Halong Bay where I will get to sleep on a boat overnight (so far one night, could be two) and explore small islands.  Private cabin with private bath and shower. They transport me from Hanoi to Halong Bay, onto the boat, lunch, dinner, overnight, breakfast and lunch and then transport back to Hanoi, and a lot of sailing around the many islands of Halong Bay, stopping at sandy beaches...... all of this, meals, bed, transport, for about $125 including everything.  Four meals, private cabin, sailing around......  a bargain. 

That's the first thing I booked.  I will fill you in on the others tomorrow.

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