Hanoi (2)

The plan this day before we were there, after the highlight of Ha Long Bay and Trang An, is to shop till we dropped before we wave our goodbyes to Vietnam! But were a bit skeptical after few nights of "survey".

Anyways after breakfast, we packed our bag so that they could transfer our luggage to our standard room (the previous 3 nights was free-upgrade to premium room).

We first walked out to the hotel in search of the oldest church of Hanoi after I asked the tour guide yesterday for the location.

Without thinking too much about it, we walked towards the direction and were not able to locate it even with Google map. I got agitated after some 30 mins walk or even more, having asked the local guide, we finally found it and realized that it is situated very near to our hotel!

The church was built by the French in 1886. It is a simple church and the exterior speaks the 100+ + years of service.

Small and simple....

Some of the "exquisite" part.

We were being "chased out" rudely by an elderly man after about 10mins in it. We reckon it was the time the church closed to visitors.
Once outside, we met an adorable fellow and it caught the attention of a few others as well.

So adorable and docile.

She has soft-spot for the man-best-friend creatures at all times!

We then strolled around the area and walked further to Dong Xuan Market where they sells literally everything just like Cha-Tu-Chak in Bangkok.



This street is full with shop for the worshippers.

We ended in this part of Dong Xuan market with exotic food!

We then found ourselves in Lake Hokiem area again and decided to "chill" at the cafe to "recharge" ourselves!

We are now opposite the place where we "chilled" the day we arrived.

Chilling and recharging our "battery"....

When our "battery" was charged, we walked to the lake.

It was nice to just stroll around Lake Hokiem .

And we found ourselves in the posh area of Hanoi.

We spent a very short time in the empty posh mall and had our lunch in a premium pho shop featured in travel magazine.

The beef is from USA.

After the late lunch, we had no idea at all of what to do next!

Referring to the map we had, the only place we had interest in is the...prison!
Maison Central is built by the French in 1896 during the war.

It was in operation during 1896 - 1954 making it 120 years old. 

The super heavy duty door reminds me of a computer game.

Prison is of course not a nice place to visit. It tells stories of brutality beyond words as usual.

During the Vietnam war, it kept a lots of Vietnamese revolutionaries inmates and also American soldiers. They were treated with inhuman cruelty beyond words!

The cells are so tiny and bare that even women and children were without proper basic living conditions.

 The inmates were shackled at the ankles with these metal strips.

And this is the scaffold.

 The terrifying interrogation rooms.

The altar outside. Reminds me of the extremely disturbing museum in Nanjing.

After we walked back to the hotel and showered, we had our dinner at the tiny eatery I like.

The standard room we had is at the top floor. It is complete with plaster ceiling and nice wall paper. Looks good enough until we lied down on the badly sinking mattress! 

 This looks like 5 star ceiling....

 Very nice wall panel.....

But this is the bathroom wall....

Anyway, it was the last night. The next morning, we took the taxi arranged by the hotel to the airport and ended our trip in Vietnam.

Overall, I would say it was quite an enjoyable trip. The world recognised Unesco site of Hang Long bay is really a memorable journey. We had also enjoyed the nice boating in the charming Trang An complex. 

The culture and lifestyle of the Vietnamese is unique and eye-opener for us.

Goodbye Vietnam! 

Mua Cave and Trang An (2)

Lunch was great with the company of the German couple and we had some light conversation as we ate.

After we had used the washroom, we got back to the coach and were driven to the wonderland of inland Halong Bay, Trang An complex of limestone karst, a recognized UNESCO site based on the unique landscape .

At the entrance, looks like the government is taking good cares in most tourist spots.

This is where we board the boat.

This photo is taken by the guide who was in the boat with the German couple.

The guide and the German couple.

The 2 hours ride starts .

Welcome to the Ha Long Bay of the land!

Fantastic landscape!

Very soon, we were rowing towards the first cave.....

Entering the first cave which is the longest and narrowest.

Narrow, low and dark. I thought we would be hit many times!

And while we exit, perfect silhouette.

Row towards the second cave, the weather was just right.

Equally low and dark.

Luminous water color when we exited.

And we rowed on.

Clear water by the bank.

Turning into the unknown!

This cave is hidden under the bushes.

Incredible! The sign said Ba Giot Cave, 200m long.

Extremely cooling and quiet except for the sound of the paddle in the water.

It was narrow at this stretch.

Very different view.

This one is only 100m long.

The local tourist sang while they helped to row.

Getting out of the darkness!

It is really hard work to row non-stop for 2 hours!

The water is actually shallow with the water plants can be seen clearly.

We too, helped to row to ease the poor man.

The journey continues...

She rows with her legs!

Love these silhouettes!

Changing landscape.

Steering into another cave.

Emerging into brightness!

It was an magical sight to see the water plants waving in the clear shallow water.

Miniature of Halong Bay!

Temple by the bank marks the ending of the journey.

Beautiful backdrop!

Indiana Jones and the temple of the doom?

Head down ! Head down!

And we were making the way back .

Water lilies and bananas!

We ended the ride slightly earlier than the other boat. It was a very pleasant ride indeed. The 8 caves we went through were quite an experience especially the first one. It was really winding and narrow. A few times I really thought that we were going to be hit!

The drive back to our hotel was uneventful and we rested well before we head out for dinner.

Dinner was at a very tiny cafe with the Hanoi street view just outside the doorstep!

Top left, popular cha ca fish dish with rice noodles. Fried rice and steak, the juice was super yummy!

Psyduck in Hanoi!