In 8 days I saw two countries, flew four times, took two night train rides, and have seen and experienced things that I will never forget. I am completely exhausted, and tomorrow I leave for 9 days trekking and exploring Chiang Mai.
On the 8th, I travelled from Bangkok to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam in the north with a fellow accounting major, Amanda, and a friend, Kristyn. We arrived in Hanoi and settled into our Airbnb. The two bedroom apartment turned out to be the nicest place I have stayed in SE Asia. The beds were so comfy, and the elevator opened right into the apartment (very Blair Waldorf!). We dropped our bags and went looking for authentic Vietnamese Pho. Pho is a staple in the Vietnamese diet. Traditionally pho is a broth with rice noodles, beef, and herbs like green onions and cilantro then you can add anything you would ever want. We stumbled upon a restaurant and got the most delicious pho I ate in all of Vietnam. Just from walking the few blocks to the restaurant, we noticed how different Hanoi felt from Bangkok.
Vietnam was a colony of France, and most of the city still has a large French influence. All of the streets are lined with cafes, and the architecture screams of the French Riviera. The city is filled with motorbikes. It was overwhelming how many motorbikes there were in the city, criss crossing the traffic and street corners. Every time we crossed the street, it was like playing a game of frogger. Hanoi as a city felt very quaint and cute, however there was still a big city feeling. It was a blend that is unique to cities. Hanoi had a feeling similar to Quebec.
After our pho, we walked around the city and went to the Hoa Lo Prison. Hoa Lo is the prison where American POWs of the Vietnam War were held, in Vietnam, the war is the American War. It is also the prison where John McCain was placed after his plane was shot down by the Vietnamese. The museum was really interesting and it was funny to think about this large prison placed right in the middle of the downtown of a big city. Another perk of Hanoi was that every museum that we went to, we showed our student ID and paid less then $.50 to get into the museum.
That night we went exploring in the city some more. We found a restaurant that was filled with locals all sitting around, drinking beer, smoking cigarettes, and watching the Vietnam soccer team play. We sat outside and got to hang out with all the locals. The lifestyle in Hanoi is really cool. The streets are lined with small plastic stools and tables where all the locals sit in the middle of the day and night to eat, drink beer, and hang out with their friends and coworkers. It is a really relaxed lifestyle.
After dinner, we wanted to experience the famous Bia Hoi Street Corner in Hanoi. Bia Hoi is cheap beer ($.25) that is produced in Vietnam that you can drink on the street while sitting in a plastic stool. This street corner in Hanoi is famous for it. When we got to the corner, the street was packed with both Westerners and Asians all drinking beer and eating snacks. We sat down and got a beer and then ventured on to find another bar and try more beer. I stumbled upon a bar that had a deal, "Free Beer For Everyone". Sure enough, we sat down, and each got a free beer and ordered a mix drink, "Buy One Get One Free". After sitting on the street and enjoying our three drinks, we went inside to dance. When we went in, the bar was packed with local Vietnamese who were dancing and drinking beer like water. All of the Vietnamese people were so excited to see Americans that they all wanted to buy us free drinks and dance with us. Along with drinking beer and smoking cigarettes, Vietnamese people love to "cheers". Sure enough, we all cheers probably 15 times over the course of the night. The vibe was fun, the music was good, and the people were all so friendly and welcoming. Unlike Bangkok, the lights in the club turned on at midnight (super early) and we went back to our Airbnb exhausted.
The next day we slept in and woke up to explore more of the city. Hoan Kiem Lake is the lake that marks the center of the downtown of Hanoi. Hoan Kiem is surrounded by restaurants and shops, and of course tons of motorbikes driving all around it. We walked around the lake and got lunch. We met up with another friend (named Kate, of course) who told us that she had just gotten a prescription pair of glasses for $20 down the street. I thought I couldn't pass the deal down so I also got a pair after lunch. The four of us then walked to the Temple of Literature. The temple was the first university in Vietnam. When it was built in 1079, Vietnam was part of China and the Chinese dynasty. The entire thing looks right out of Beijing. It is stunning, and there are statues of Confucius throughout the entire temple.
That night, I had an interview with PwC for an internship (fun, fun). After the interview, we walked around trying to find some food for dinner. Even at 9:30, it is difficult to find places that are open to eat. In general, Hanoi is a city that doesn't stay up late.
The next day was our last day in Hanoi. We woke up, and got Bahn Mi sandwiches. Bahn mi are sandwiches that are sold on the side of the street in Vietnam. A Binh My is a sandwich with pate, ham, carrots, cucumbers, and cilantro and it is all put on a baguette. It was delicious, and cost $1. We ended up going back to get another one for dinner. We then went to Giang Cafe. Giang Cafe is the birthplace of "Egg Coffee". Egg coffee is coffee that is topped with a foamy egg custard type cream. It is extremely decadent. The whole drink has the taste of tiramasu, and everyone in the packed two story cafe was drinking them. We then went to the Vietnamese Womens Museum. The museum was beautiful. It showed the role of women in the home, in agriculture, in Vietnam history and wars, and their fashion. It was amazing to read about how much women do in Vietnamese culture, and how important they are in everyday life in Vietnam.
That night we boarded a night train that would take us to Lao Chi to a van that would take us to Sapa in the northwest part of Vietnam (close to China!!). After 8 hours on the train we finally arrived in Sapa on Sunday morning and began the two day, 24 kilometer trek through the villages and rice terraces of Sapa. The views were absolutely stunning and so incredibly unique. The lifestyle in these villages in unlike anything I can describe. All of these people are farmers that are living off of very little money. These families live simultaneously with their animals that work for them. From pigs, to chickens, to duck, to water buffalo, the animals were all around. The children in the villages were adorable and were fun to wave and say hi to. Along the trek, we stopped and ate at different villages.
We arrived at our homestay and settled into our new home, and met our host family. The family was quiet and lovely. My family was a Grandmother, her son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. That night, they all cooked us dinner, and by dinner I mean 7 different dishes of delicious chicken, tofu, spring rolls, vegetable, and of course rice, lots and lots of rice. Along with our dinner, we had homemade rice wine. The rice wine was one of the strongest things I have ever tasted. It burned my entire throat. It smelled like wine, but tasted like really cheap vodka to the point where it tasted like nail polish remover.
Our host family was part of the Red Dao tribe. The Red Dao women are known to be excellent with herbal medicines and home remedies. One of the their remedies is a tea bath. After dinner, I got the chance to try out one of these tea baths. I jumped in, and was shocked by how hot it was. After adding some cold water I began to enjoy the experience. The water smelled amazing, and felt amazing on my muscles that were sore from trekking 14 kilometers.
The next morning we woke up to the sounds of roosters and continued our trek. Our guide, Lam, was an angel. She made the experience worth it. Her English was perfect and she got to tell us all about Sapa, the villages, the tribes that live in Sapa, and of her life. Our trek group was myself, Amanda, and Kristyn, but also a 30 year old woman from California and three late twenties Cyprian women. The 7 of us grew really close, and all of them had really cool stories to tell. Tishia are San Fran friend is traveling the world. She works for a greeting card company and had recently spent three months in the Philippines, and is now working and traveling her way through most of Southeast Asia. She still has 9 months of traveling ahead of her. The three Cyprian girls were hilarious. Hours after talking to all of them, we found out that two of the women were flight attendants on Emirates. They told us all about Dubai, where they both live about 10 days of each month, and some of their funny flight experiences.
We arrived back in the Sapa town center exhausted and smelly (we didn't shower for 3 days...). We then got back on the night train to take it back to Hanoi where we would go directly to the airport. On Tuesday, after spending all night on the train and all morning in the airport, we flew from Hanoi to Bangkok to Yangon, Myanmar.
A group of 8 of us finally made it to Yangon on Tuesday night completely exhausted, but knowing we didn't have a ton of time. With bad wifi, we decided to take the circular railroad on Wednesday morning to get to see not only the city, but also some of the rural suburbs. The train ride was 3 hours and cost $.30. The train ride was filled with locals which was fun, and we got to see so much of the countryside that surrounds the hustling capital city. After getting off the train, we spotted the one Westernized thing in the entire city, KFC. Craving ice cream, we all went in and got some.
All of us then headed to one of the markets in the city. We walked around and bought some souvenirs. It was nice being in a place that wasn't filled with tourists since we weren't being harassed to buy things. We then walked to from the market to the Shwedagon Pagoda. Yangon is famous for some of the most beautiful and largest pagodas in Southeast Asia. A pagoda is a place of worship for Buddhists however, it is different then a wat or temple in that it is specific for Buddhists.
The Shwedagon Pagoda is absolutely beautiful. It is absolutely massive, and at night, the gold looks even more beautiful against the dark sky. Though it is the big attraction in Yangon, being at the Shwedagon Pagoda didn't feel as touristy as I thought it would. We walked all around, and took pictures with some Asian families (of course). The whole thing was so different then anything you would see in the US or Europe. Buddhism is something that makes Asia so unique and special. The experience of being there is indescribable. After the pagoda, we walked and got some dinner. The day was full of walking and we were all tired.
Thursday was our last day of travel. We woke up, and went to go see another pagoda in Yangon. The Sule Pagoda is much closer to the downtown city center. It is right next to city hall, and the national monument. Right near these attractions in a big public park that was beautiful. We sat in the park for a little and then headed to Chinatown. There wasn't much of a Chinese influence in Chinatown however, we did find about 7 different donut shops....
In the Myanmar culture, both men and women wear long skirts called longyi, all day, every day. These skirts are tied at the waist and are made out of beautiful fabrics with different patterns and colors. Some of the longyi that the Burmese women wear are intricate and ornate. All over the city you can find shops and stalls selling all different fabrics for longyi. In Chinatown, we stumbled upon a little shop that sold lonyi. We all got to buy one. Though I am not sure whether I will wear mine, the fabric is beautiful and could be a pretty tapestry!! After 3ish days in Yangong, we then headed to the airport to fly back to Bangkok.
After 8 days of travel, I was completely exhausted and feeling a little sick. Vietnam and Myanmar were so completely different. Vietnam was a beautiful country with a influence of French culture on every corner. The food was amazing, and the people were so warm and welcoming. From the bustling city of Hanoi, to the rice terraces and farmers in Sapa, the country was beautiful, and I only saw two places in the entire country.
Myanmar was such a unique experience as an American. Only recently were the boarders in Myanmar opened to tourists. Not many people think to go to Myanmar. Yangon was completely underdeveloped. The infrastructure was unlike anything I have seen. It is definitely the smelliest city I have ever been in....from the street food everywhere, to the garbage, the whole city had interesting and changing smells at every corner. Myanmar is known as the undiscovered gem of Southeast Asia. However, Yangon is not the place to go in Myanmar, but with the limited amount of time and desire to keep travel quick and easy, Yangon was the easiest place to go. To all future travelers, I would go to Bagan or Mandalay Bay.
Arriving in Bangkok felt like I was home. Walking into my room at ABAC and having my clean clothes and shower waiting was such a nice feeling. I have experienced and seen things that many Americans won't get to experience and I wouldn't change any of it.
Tomorrow I leave for "The Trek". Every group for as long as the program has been going goes on a trek in northern Thailand near Chiang Mai. We are all exhausted from our traveling, but we are all excited to see what the trek is all about. People come back to Loyola saying the trek is the best part of the 5 months here, so we will see....
Love from a girl who has clothes all over her room and a backpack to fill
xoxo
Kate
ALSO, I took close to 300 pictures in 8 days so I will be posting those for you to check out and compare to Google.
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