Happy Daze

Sorry for the delay! Between hip-hop teaching, market shopping, Vietnamese studying, photo taking and travelling I’ve been quite a busy girl!

With my fifth week in Hanoi under my belt, you can basically call me local. Jokes aside, I am actually comfortable calling this bustling smog city my home. In Saigon I always had the feeling that my stay was limited and busied myself trying to quickly soak in the city. However, in doing so, I think I missed out on some of the most important aspects of the city. By going out in packs of American students, eating at the same vendors and visiting the “must-see” spots I missed much of the local culture. Albeit, still culture shocked, I now wish I had been more confident to venture on my own in Saigon.

In Hanoi, on most days, you can find me roaming the streets alone. I have eaten some of the strangest foods, (dumplings filled with black ash in a peanut broth), met some of the strangest people, (old man donning tighty whiteys who stretched with me after a run), seen some of the strangest things, (public excretion and lice checks), and had do some of the strangest requests, (stripping in the middle of stores, holding babies for photo ops, and even signing my name on a child’s shirt) but each moment was worth it. My confidence and comfort is so apparent that I have had multiple tourists ask for directions, translations and advice. Even though I probably sent half in the wrong direction, told most illicit translations, and recommended infested restaurants, I did so confidently.

In addition to my adventures in Hanoi, last weekend I travelled to mountainous Sapa and this past weekend to Halong Bay. In Sapa, through drizzle and freezing temperatures of almost 65 degress, we trekked through the muddy mountains, rice paddies, and villages. Despite slipping down most of the mountains and being blinded by fog, Sapa was one the most beautiful and interesting places I have ever been. The villages, inhabited by elaborately and brightly dressed “ethnic minorities”, housed some of the most friendly and persistent vendors in the world! These herds of mountain women carrying 50kilos of merchandise (something like 100 pounds…not too good at conversion yet…) were both a curse and blessing. They helped us down the mud-slathered slopes with fierce grips and saved my life multiple times. My subsequent debt to them (and their puppy-dog eyes) caused me to buy more pillowcases and bracelets than I’ll ever need.

After the cool mountains of Sapa, I headed to the sunny seas of Halong Bay. Even though I will be returning this upcoming weekend for a student excursion, last weekend was just for the girls. We wanted sun, sports, and cocktails and got just that. We spent the weekend between a small cruise ship passing between the gorgeous gorges and peaks stippling the horizon and a private island. We jumped off our three story ship, kayaked around the bay, explored a cave, went tubing and rock climbing, lounged in the sun, and spent the night in a sea-side cot listening to the ocean—you know, classic fall activities. I may be missing the foliage of New England, but damn, life is good.