Vietnam Update...

This post is from Bridgette (Courtney's Aunt) As sent via email from Courtney in Vietnam...its too hard for her to do this herself being as it all appears in Vietnamese when she logs in!

Hi everyone,

my blog website is in vietnamese and never loads so I am writting an email to aunt bridgette to write in my blog. It is now Thursday at 11am there, or so Karen just announced. Here it is Thursday at 10pm.

I am in the lobby with a bunch of people from my class, we are all on our laptops because we don't get internet in our beautiful rooms.

Kaja just came down and said, "I just saw someone beat their dog with a stick".

"They were getting ready for dinner"-Neil (my teacher).

I get way too distracted. Everyone is leaving now. Ahhh there is no time for this.

We have been doing so much and there is no time to explain it and no time to upload pictures. It is already 10pm and we get up at 6.

Uhh I am trying to think of what to say. We have done so much I forget what we did before yesterday because I cant think back.

A few nights ago we slept on the night train and had to get up at 5:30pm and we all accidentally got up at 4:30am becaus Kaitlynn keeps announcing the wrong time to us all. But then we went to a restaurant in Lao Cai. We had noodles in water with onions.

We have that a lot.

We eat every meal with chopsticks.

Then we went on the bus to somewhere.. Oh yeah to a village way far up and out of the way of the local minorities and they were not used to seeing tourists (it was up muddy roads all far)... they came and touched our skin and laughed at us it was crazy.

I really had to go to the bathroom so an old lady led me behind her house back in her garden bside a pig pen and to a hole in the ground bathroom. haha.

Then we went on a long boat ride and into a cave and then on a big hot hike (its hot here). Then we went to our hotel in Bac Ha. A village againw ith not really many tourists... we went on a bike ride, the hills were crazy.... but it was all beautiful. We have been seeing beautiful things and different ways of life.

Umm then we went back to the hotel and walked to dinner with dogs at our feet and yeah.

Thennn...we went to bed by 9:30... got up at 6 to roosters... went to breakfast, then we went for a walk around the town.. and then on a long bus ride, stopped in lao cai for lunch, I had banana juice. Then we went back on the bus and way up high in the mountains...we

are so up high that we are in the clouds. Well the clouds are at the same level. There is a huge mountain right outside our window and clouds. This so far is my favorite hotel and my favorite town, its called Sa Pa. It is more of a touristy place... so many stores. There are the colorful hammung minority, the old ladies are SO CUTE that its crazy and I want to hug them and they mumble in a cute little voice with no teeth and they try to sell you stuff...same with little kids who should be in school.

We had free time this afternoon and we walked around shopping. We love it here.

Tomorrow we are going on a big trek through the rice patties and stuff and swimming I think and to sleep at a homestay.

The next night we are on the night train again, which was hilarious...

and then back to Hanoi which is a bigger city, where we stayed the first night. That hotel was pretty cool too but not compared to this beautifulness.

I have no idea what happens after that. I have to look at the intinerary....however you spell it.

There is a huge bug on the fan right now.

We bought some snake wine today. It is wine with snakes in it. Our guide just told us the scorpian wine is good for women so I should get some of that.

We washed our clothes by hand last night at the hotel and hung them up to dry but they didnt because the air is too moist.

Its better here though.

OK well I cant think of anything else to say so I am going to go now. May or may not write another update. I guess I have a lot of days left so I probably will.

I am having fun here and it is nice to be so far away in a place where life is so different.

~BYE BYE FOR NOW~

-COURTENY

in vietnam

we are in vietnammmm... its crazy. our hotel is really nice... it is monday may 5 at 8:30pm...
we had an extremely long flight... and it was night for about 24 hrs or something. Everyone looks really tired today.,\
we are in the business centre because the wireless wont work.
I can't even think of what to write...
long plane, really long... then we got here this morning... we had a delay at the airport because one girl had a mistake on her visa, it had the wrong date so she had to stay at the airport all day to get it sorted out.
We walked around the streets and went to the water puppet theatre and walked around following our guide and taking pictures. There is so much traffic and its mostly motor bikes. It is really scary to cross the street.
Some old lady almost hit me.. it was funny.
I stepped on a dead rat.
Our hotel is cool with big old wooden doors and panels and high ceilings and really big shutter windows that you can open and look into the street.
It is exactly what I imagined for windows.
Tomorrow we get up early.. sunrise here is 5:30am and sunset is 6:30pm.
We are going on tours of a bunch of places and later on a night train where we have to sleep and get up at 5am...it is my birthday tomorrow.
We will be back in a hotel on May 7.
For dinner we had to use chopsticks and I had to use the stabbing method for a few things but the food was good...fish and chicken with spicy sauce and sticky rice...etc.
The buildings here are really cool and tall and narrow. On the bus way from the airport I saw some people's homes that looked like fallen down haunted houses.
And people constantly come up to you on the street to sell you things. Our guide said to not make eye contact or answer them.
I took gravol awhile ago to make sure I can sleep tonight... I guess that is normal for me anyway/
Wellll nothing else to say right now. I am not sure when I will have internet again but thats OK!
As soon as more people came to the airport in Toronto I was way less scared...and now I'm not at all anymore.
It's summer here. Yay....
and the bathrooms are normal so far and there are showers so far.
OK well Karen is leaving now so I need to go. BYE WORLD.

GILLAINE'S

www.gillaineinreallife.blogspot.com

that is gillaine's blog about vietnam and life apparently...so hopeflly she doesnt say anything embarassing about me.

itinerary

May 3, 2008 - Cathay Pacific, Flight #829
Departs: Toronto at 11:35pm
Arrives: Hong Kong at 6:40am (arrives morning of May 5)

May 5, 2008 - Cathay Pacific, Flight #793 (operated by Vietnam Airlines)
Departs: Hong Kong at 9:00am
Arrives: Hanoi at 10:00 am

May 5~ Arrive in Hanoi. Get brought to our hotel from the airport then explore around the town. Have a Vietnamse dinner with our guide. Then go to the water puppet theatre.

May 6~City tour of Hanoi. Explore The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, The Ethnology Museum, One Pillar Pagoda and the 11th century Temple of Literature. After lunch, we’ll ride in rickshaws, touring the historic 36th Street Old Quarter.
You’ll have free time to dinner and prepare for this evening's night train to Lao Cai. Night train to Lao Cai departs Hanoi Station at 9:30pm and arrives in Lao Cai at 5:30am. Your sleeping berth has 4 beds and air-con.

May 7~Lao Cai – Coc Ly – Bac Ha (Hiking and Biking) The train arrives in Lao Cai between 5:00 – 5:30am. Have a hearty breakfast then drive to Phong Hai to visit a small hill tribe market. Then trek approximately 10 kms to Coc Ly and board a local boat for a 2.5hr trip down the Chay River, stopping at a'Fairy Cave' and have a picnic.Then back to Bac Ha and check in to our hotel, then have a drive around town with a stop in Ban Pho Village to have tea with an ethnic family. Finally it's a singletrack stretch that winds through plum gardens and rice fields and past the mud homes of the local inhabitants. We return to Bac Ha for dinner and overnight at a comfortable hotel. O/N at Sao Mai hotel.


May 8: Bac Ha – Lao Cai – Sapa After breakfast, we drive to Sapa, which takes up to 3 hours and gives you a glimpse of the stunning vistas and impressive rice terraces. After checking in to our hotel, we’ll have the afternoon free to explore the old hill station of Sapa, a centre for local minorities in northern Vietnam. Overnight in a comfortable hotel.


May 9: Sapa – Ban Ho (Trekking) ~breakfast at the hotel, two hour trek to the heart of Golden Stream Valley - Ta Van, a wonderful village of the Dzay people nested on the foot of Fan Si Pan Mountain. After a picnic, trek along the river to the end of the valley before contouring the mountainside and trekking a final few kms uphill to Ban Ho, a peaceful village of Tay people where we can see houses on stilts and where we'll stay overnight. We'll have a traditional Vietnamese dinner cooked by our local guide. Overnight at homestay.


May 10: Trekking Ban Ho – Sapa (Trekking) After breakfast and a farewell with our Tay hosts, we’ll continue trekking through the valley, stop for a picnic lunch then continue trekking to the main road. Our support vehicle will pick us up and drive us back to Sapa. We’ll pick up our gear from the hotel and drive back down the mountain to Lao Cai. Relax and enjoy dinner in Lao Cai before taking the night train back to Hanoi.


May 11: Market Day in Hanoi The train arrives in Hanoi around 5:00am. We’ll be transferred from the train station to a cafÈ for breakfast. After breakfast, we’ll head to the outskirts of Hanoi and visit the handicraft villages, including Bat Trang Ceramics, Van Phuc Silk, Dong Ky woodcarving and So noodle villages. The villages are famous for their arts and crafts. Overnight at hotel.


May 12: Halong Bay Cruise on Deluxe Junk (Cruising) After breakfast, the bus will pick us up at our hotel at 8:30 am and we’ll drive 3.5 hours to Ha Long. From here, we'll board the boat and start our cruise. After having lunch on board, we'll continue cruising and make stops at Dinh Huong island, Ga Choi island, Dog island, Sail island, and Sung Sot cave. There is also the opportunity to sea kayak from Titop beach to Luon Cave. Enjoy the sunset before having dinner on board. Overnight on boat.

May 13: Halong Bay (Cruising & Kayaking) Have an early breakfast before beginning our kayak exploration. Paddle from Luon Cave toward islets in shape of a Man's head, Tortoise island, and Cua Van fishing village. Have lunch on board. Paddle to Three Tunnels lake (depending on the tides). Have dinner on board. O/N on boat.

May 14: Halong Bay (Kayaking) Early risers can enjoy a morning swim before breakfast. We'll then embark on a morning paddle to explore a little bit more of the bay, stopping at small islets along the way. Midday we'll return to the boat, arrange our luggage and check out. We'll return to the dock and arrive back in Hanoi around 4pm. Overnight in hotel.

May 15: Hanoi - Hue After breakfast, we’ll pick you up at your hotel and transfer you to the airport for your flight to Hue at 10:10am. Upon arrival in Hue, we'll transfer to our hotel. After getting settled, we’ll make our way to the Imperial Palace and Forbidden City. Overnight in hotel.

May 16: Hue – Hoi An We explore Hue in depth, enjoying a morning boat cruise on the Perfume River to the Thien Mu Pagoda, a symbol of the city. We also visit the tomb of Emperor Ming Mang. After lunch at a local restaurant we'll leave Hue stopping at Lang Co beach, before crossing the mighty Hai Van pass and the impressive Cham Museum, home to the best sculpture in the country and Marble Mountain. Arrive in Hoi An and check in to our hotel.

May 17: Hoi An walking tour and My Son (Walking) In the morning, we'll drive to My Son Sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. My Son is an exceptional example of cultural interchange, with the introduction of Hindu architecture of the Indian sub-continent into South-East Asia. It also illustrates the Champa Kingdom - an important phenomenon in the political and cultural history of South-East Asia.
Hoi An is undoubtedly one of the most charming towns in all of Vietnam. After lunch, we’ll take a walking tour of the historic pagodas, houses and bridges. In the late afternoon, we'll transfer to Da Nang airport for our flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Upon arrival we'll transfer to our hotel and soak up the nightlife of Ho Chi Minh City.

May 18: Saigon - Mekong Delta (Walking) We'll depart at 8:00 AM for the Mekong Delta. We'll board a boat and take a cruise to see the rural landscape along the small canals. There is also time to walk along the small village roads and enjoy the lovely natural scenery and the simple daily life of villagers. Enjoy traditional music & fresh fruits. In the afternoon, drive to Can Tho. O/N in Can Tho.

May 19: Mekong Delta In the morning, we'll take a boat trip to visit Cai Rang & Phong Dien floating markets, and to witness the daily life of local people in the Mekong River. In the afternoon, we'll return to Saigon. The remainder of the evening is at leisure.

May 20: Saigon - Departure You have the morning free. 2 hours before your flight you will be transferred to the International Airport.


May 20, 2008 - Cathay Pacific, Flight #766 (operated by Vietnam Airlines)
Departs: Ho Chi Minh City at 11:25am
Arrives: Hong Kong at 3:10pm

May 20, 2008 - Cathay Pacific, Flight #826
Departs: Hong Kong at 4:35pm
Arrives: Toronto at 7:15pm