Vietnam

So the pictures have finally surfaced. Me and the girls and our own private Pirates of the Carribean - with disco caves of course. Who could ask for more?!

And then there was the wonderful "light hike" where we "definitely could wear flip flips." It was a fabulous adventure at 8am on 5 hours of sleep with a bar bill that only Cat could afford. After rock climbing in a sundress for one hour in 95 degree weather, the top of the mountain looked something like this...

And Cnuts turned out somehow like this...

Though it ended wonderfully like this...

Overall it was an amazing trip. We are off to the Southern Islands now to catch the summer festivities in Thailand. Great stories to come, I am sure. Until then gros bisous from the mario girls...

love,
Cristina

Actually it is in the race to be included as one of the seven natural wonders of the world. And just maybe deserves it.

We had a wonderful 3 days on the water, with some much needed highlights. The Vietnamese woman who jovially patted Cnut's belly on the elevator was definitely one of them. The 8am "light hike" that turned into full scale mountain climbing in flip flops (after a little too much fun on the boat the night before) was right up there with it.

The bay was amazing though. Riding along a three story wooden boat, we cruised around miles of water surrounded on all sides by giant rocks and tiny islands. The first stop on our tour: the disco cave. All natural our guide claimed. But I don't know, something tells me that bright blue & pink lights, and a water fountain were NOT naturally found in that little Disney wonderland. But our guide was a trip. Let me tell you. Mr. Van We had loads of advice - most of which is not suitable for children's ears. Not exactly sure what he was smoking, but he had us laughing for hours on end, though mostly at him.

We made friends with one British couple and a group of crazy Irish folk. Ok not really, but I think we got one or two words out of the Irish. Score. I tried desperately to get James and Virginia to re-enact our war of independence on July 4th, but they just weren't having it. We did challenge them to a friendly games of Fives (thanks Pete!) and won. Ok actually I lost. EVERYTIME.

Overall it was a fabulous trip. The food was definitely the highlight too: a giant bowl of rice, squid salad, and one little piece of fruit, for three meals a day everyday. Yum, yum. Lord knows we had to push our one western meal a week up just a little. I think we were actually starving.

Love you all lots! Pictures of the gorgeous bay to come Monday...

Besitos,

Cristina

Ok maybe not that last one. But man oh man is this place HOT and noisy. The second we emerged from the plane, the heat hit us like a ton of bricks. 37 degrees celsius, that's 100+! Quite a greeting after the cool breezes of Dalat. I found myself really regretting the Asian bangs I had so kindly asked the hairdresser for...

Yet I find myself really liking Hanoi. We are in the Old Quarter, which is made up of cute little streets, and bustling allies. The Vietnamese haven't really heard of stoplights. They pretty much just go and hope for the best. It's like nothing I have seen before, I swear. And the honking! Oh god the honking. There is no such thing as a pleasant drink in this city. The motorbikes won't let you have it. Honk, honk, honk, honk, honk. That's all they do!

But we are off tomorrow to the Haylong Bay. We are going on a three day budget boat cruise. Oh yeah baby. Going to go kayaking, swimming, and exploring through the caves that line the bay. I am quite excited. I need a little break from the city life. And I believe that water is just calling my name.

No doubt we will have gorgeous pictures to show. Until then my friends, un abrazo muy fuerte de Vietnam...

love,
Cristina

For a spanking $9. Imaginate.

Us ladies decided to take the day off today. We figured that is exactly what we needed/deserved after 10 days of paradise with Cat's padres. Off for a pedicure and a wash, cut,and blowdry. We really broke the bank there. All for under $10! Have you ever had 4 people dry your hair?!? Because Cat and I did today. Nutso.

These Vietnamese people are just the sweetest. I really do love this place and recommend it to anyone. We are in this tiny town in the mountains and everyone is just so nice. They may have guessed Cnut's gender incorrectly, but hey, we can forgive anything.

They all remember us though and wave at us on the street. I mean I don't understand why, since we all just totally fit-in. I mean a 6 foot white girl? They are everywhere in Asia...

Off to Hanoi tomorrow. Capital of Northern Vietnam. Should be an adventure. Us lazy-butts opted to fly. Guess we are not as adventurous as we seem, but I promise, we still take cold showers!

Gros Bisous,
Cristina

Today was a fabulous day for Vietnam. Or I mean us. We ran into a boisterous crowd of Vietnamese Christian tourists, who led us in song and dance. Here we found out many things: that the Hurley's in fact do fit-in inAsia, see exhibit A:

Cat is actually the Mekong Queen:

And Cnuts looks fabulous in hats:

All wonderful lessons in this beautiful country.

We also learned some extremely interesting facts. For example, 70% of the population in this town is under 35, therefore, has very little recollection of the war. The Vietnamese language uses third person most times, meaning I could refer to myself as young, American, slightly obnoxious girl, and everyone would completely understand. And that Lover's Park is for couples of all shapes and sizes. See below:

Yet it is a sad night. The Hurley's leave tomorrow, so that once again we must return to the ways of $4 hostel rooms, 32 hour train rides, and food that pretty much only Cnut's can eat. But so be it. It has been wonderful being a Hurley for 10 days. It's almost as great as being a Bernardo. Almost...

Much more to come! Us ladies are on a serious adventure tomorrow. A 4 hour bus ride to a 30 hour train. Fantastic.

love,
Cristina