It ain't that bad: Halong Bay and Sapa

I feel bad. Yesterday I was very bitter and absolutely lambasted Vietnam when I have just visited two of the most gorgeous places I have ever seen.

For $35 to $50, you can get a three day, two night trip around Halong Bay. The bay is home to almost 2000 islands, over half of which are not even named. The islands protrude with sharp cliffs and are covered with thick vegetation. Some are even inhabited by monkeys, which amazes me as it is clear that the monkeys can never leave the island.

Our trip was magnificent. With ten other tourists, we left on a large junk--a classic Vietamese ship as seen above. All our meals, which were delicious and huge, were included as was trekking, kayaking, swimming, and caving. Kayaking through the islands was incredible. It would have been so easy to get lost as the vast number of islands and their similarity is discombobulating. Jumping from the roof of the three story junk into the calm sea water was delightful fun. The sun deck with lounge chairs was perfect to watch both the sunset and sunrise.

Sapa is equally magnificent but in a very different way. In the far north west of Vietnam, hill tribes, composed of minority populations, have lived an agrarian life style for hundreds of years. While the land is steep, the tribes have carved terraces in order to harvest rice. The view of hundreds of rice terraces on both sides of a valley is awe inspiring. Our hotel, which costs $6 per night, has a large balcony, perfect for watching the fog roll over the valley below. I can honestly say I have never seen a more impressive view from a city.

See, it really isn't that bad. Granted, there were small difficulties in both Halong Bay and Sapa (Carmen almost lost it when the Hmong woman tried to sell her a bracelet for the upteenth time), but on the whole the trips were wonderful.

Some days I really do just want to avoid the hassle of the developing world. But most days I delight in seeing such wonders for so few dollars.