Hey world, I did a thing! Or more accurately stated, we did a thing. Together, my Mom and I adventured to Vietnam and Cambodia. The experience was so expansive that I am still grappling to process it, let alone blog about it. But since writing helps me sort out my thoughts, I think I'll give it a go. As for the photos, I haven't figured out an easy way to edit them en masse, so please forgive the slanted horizons etc. Sometimes perfection is the enemy of progress, and right now I just need to move forward.
Our journey started out well on Tuesday, September 29th. Together we flew to Los Angeles in the afternoon since our super cheap flights were out of LAX the next day. I didn't want to risk a same-day flight since a delay could cause us to miss our international flight. Instead, we booked an odd little room in someone's house, rented a car, and drove to Redondo beach to watch the sunset.
The water is my Mom's happy place.
For dinner, we even got in the Asian spirit by eating at the Juicy Dumpling Factory. Tasty!
My Mom was amazing and humored me when I insisted that we pack light. She fit everything inside a carry-on sized Rick Steves backpack we borrowed from the Wilhoits. I had to chuckle when I saw the number of bags inside the bag, with each one labeled. Organization might be my Mom's second-greatest delight.
All was going splendidly until we returned the rental car and I checked my messages while on the shuttle to the airport. Having already asked for a copy of our passports, our first AirBnB in Vietnam was requesting a copy of our visa as well. Visa? Holy shnikey, osstafrigglerazzleschnitz, did we need visas??? I'd worked through so many details--plane flights, lodging, trains, shuttles, busses, boats, tours and more. How in the world had I neglected something as basic (and essential) as visas?
I still can't answer that question except to say that I've been exceptionally busy and clearly dropped the ball. Enter full-blown panic mode. Hopping online, I discovered that it was indeed possible to apply for an urgent visa that could be approved within 15 minutes to an hour. It would just cost a pretty penny (and most likely grease the pocket of some official willing to work in the middle of the night.) With few other options available aside from cancelling our trip, we paid for the expedited visas and got them e-mailed to us as we made our way through the long line for check-in with Philippine Airlines.
Once we'd made our way through security, I told my Mom that we needed to take a selfie that reflected the terror of this experience.
As difficult as it was, I also felt a glimmer of pride when she told me that I seemed so calm handling this crisis. As a healthcare professional, this is something I've consciously been working on--how to stay cool and collected, even when my adrenaline is spiking. I've made progress, but apparently I still have a ways to go...more on that later.
Landing in Manila for our layover, I thought we'd made our way through the worst of the drama. That is, until I connected to Wifi and discovered more troubling messages. AirBnb was asking me to review our first night's lodging. Huh? We hadn't even checked in yet. Then on WhatsApp I found a message from the bus company asking us where we were because the bus was about to depart without us. Umm, yeah. Something was definitely wrong. And we definitely weren't going to make that bus.
Stellar trip planner that I am, it turns out that I had misread our itinerary. Instead of leaving LAX on Wednesday and arriving on Thursday, we'd lost an entire day in travel. Our connecting flight was leaving on Thursday and arriving in Vietnam in the wee hours of Friday morning. While we were in the air, we'd missed both our first night's stay and the bus to Cat Ba island where we were supposed to stay the second night.
By this point, I was completely humbled. Any self-concept of being a capable travel organizer was shattered. But since I was more than 7000 miles from home, the only thing to do was keep problem solving. I let our Cat Ba host know that we wouldn't make it that evening. The bus company was amazing and allowed us to rebook for 7am the next morning, getting us to our cruise boat just in time. Plus, I found a new AirBnB with flexble check-in located in old town Ha Noi just a couple blocks from where the bus would depart. At least we'd have a place to sleep for a few hours when we finally arrived. As a small consolation, the cost of lodging in Vietnam is minimal, so our missed AirBnB reservations would only cost us $20-$30.
Arriving in Ha Noi, we had specific instructions to look for someone holding a placard with our names. He proceeded to take our photos and gave us a paper copy of our visas along with a notice that our electronic copies would no longer work. Then he walked us to a non-standard immigration line typically reserved for "crew" and disappeared. It all felt super suspicious, but the immigration agent stamped our passports without any questions. Again, I wonder how much was made on that transaction...
I'd like to say it was "easy" from there, but my cell service wasn't working and I couldn't connect to the Noi Bai airport wifi, meaning that I couldn't order car service from "Grab" like I planned. My Mom and I walked out of the airport terminal and were completely overcome: first, by the oppressive heat and humidity, and second, by the hoardes of men offering to drive us to our hotel. By this point, it was 1:00 am in Vietnam, and we were completely exhausted. I knew that the prices being quoted were likely exorbitant, but we didn't have a lot of options. We agreed to a ride downtown for 500,000 VND ($20 USD), somewhat less than the original ask of 700,000. But then when we arrived, the driver said we needed to pay the 500,000 plus a 200,000 airport fee! I'm not quite sure where the bravery came from, but I refused. This was courageous indeed because we were being dropped off at this random address on this street where I had absolutely no idea how to get into the apartment. Fortunately, a kind young man suddenly appeared to help us. I think he was the bell hop for a nearby hotel. He shooed the taxi away and helped us figure out where to find the lockbox for our AirBnB. Even though the air had been turned off and the apartment was steaming as we opened the door, I was so grateful for our tiny refuge! A bunkbed has never looked so good.
I'd love to say that I slept well, but I didn't. Not only were our days and nights reversed from the 13 hour time difference, but I was still concerned about our visas. Remember when I told you that my mind didn't work as well under pressure as I thought it had? Well, it turns out that I toggled the very first urgent visa request option for a "single entry" visa, completely forgetting that we had tickets to Cambodia and would need to enter Vietnam again. While it would take another day for me to confirm the error, I was already feeling unsettled about it.
And how about that moment when I verified that I had screwed up again? All I wanted to do was cry and go home. Even though I was lounging on a boat in one of the most beautiful places I've ever been, I wished I could bury myself in blankets in my own bed. Not only did we not have visas to re-enter Vietnam, we couldn't even apply for new visas until we had left the country. If I could have snapped my fingers and had it all be over, I might have.
I'm so glad that I didn't. In talking about this trip with my Mom, I've often said that it was more wonderful than the beginning was hard. And trust me, the beginning was hard. But it all worked out. Yes, we ended up applying for a second round of expedited visas, but this time it only cost an extra $60 pp versus the $300 additional we'd paid earlier. And hey, as hard as all of these troubles were, I could still see the blessings. While I was frustrated by my itinerary mix-up, without it we wouldn't have figured out that we needed visas until we were at the airline check-in counter. Thirty minutes wasn't much time to get things sorted, but it was definitely better than nothing. Also, I'm grateful that at the end of the day, all of our problems were challenges that could be solved with a checkbook. Getting sick or injured would have been so much harder.
So with that turbulent start in mind, may I now share pics of the fun? Welcome to paradise, otherwise known as Lan Ha bay.
One of the few thing I pre-paid before coming to Viet Nam was an overnight boat cruise through Lan Ha Bay, departing from Cat Ba island. Lan Ha Bay connects with the more well-known Ha Long Bay, but is little less touristy and attracts more of an adventure crowd. Lan Ha and Ha Long Bays are protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, featuring around 2000 beautiful limestone karsts. Karsts are formed when slightly acidic rain dissolves bedrock, creating these dramatic cliffs that plunge into the beautiful water.
Getting to Lan Ha bay takes a bit of effort. From Ha Noi we boarded a bus that took us to a speed boat that shuttled us to Cat Ba island, where we boarded another bus that took us to the town of Cat Ba where we checked in with our tour company. From there it was a third shuttle that took us to the bay where we boarded a tiny boat that ferried us to our larger vessel. Whew! Good thing we packed light. Here we are aboard the tiny boat, seated next to our new friends and fellow passengers from Holland.
And here was our cruising vessel. I intentionally booked a smaller boat with fewer passengers. I liked the intimacy because we all got to know each other, dining together at one big table for every meal. Besides the Vietnamese crew, we had two couples from the Netherlands, two gals from France, a family of four where the Mom was from Austria and the Dad from Australia, two couples from Germany, a man from Turkey, plus my Mom and I. Throughout our entire trip, we were often the only Americans.
I was pretty excited about our accommodations. Not only were the beds comfortable, but we had huge windows looking out onto the water.
While many of the boats on the bay were toting tourists, there were also plenty of local fishing boats.
We also passed a floating village where the entire community lives on houseboats.
Crusing through the islands felt magical.
I was excited when they took us to a beach were we could swim. I was lexx excited, however, when I discovered there were jellyfish. OUCH! Both my Mom and I got stung. I must have been a particular target since I got stung twice--on the way out and on the way back. Three weeks later, and I still have scars.
Just wish I'd noticed these critters before jumping in. They may look gentle, but their stings last!
Late afternoon kayaking was more fun (and less painful).
We paddled through this cool little cave to this lovely still lagoon. Paddling against the current of the tide was hard work, but worth it.
That evening some of the group stayed up for squid fishing, but considering how jet lagged we were, my Mom and I opted to go to bed.
The next morning dawned beautiful and clear. My gorgeous Mom was all smiles.
More crusing through the islands.
Here's Captain Jack giving us a lecture on the history and local culture. Fascinating!
We kayaked over to a little cove with a small Buddhist temple. There was also a couple taking wedding pictures, so Jack told us quite a bit about Vietnamese wedding customs, including details about his own marriage six months ago. Even though marriage costs a lot, he considers himself pretty lucky to have tied the knot. Like China, Vietnam limited the number of children per family, causing an imbalance between men and women,
Afterward we braved a swim. Luckily no jellies at this beach.
Despite the rocky start, I'm so grateful we pushed through and made this beautiful adventure happen. I've wanted to travel to Vietnam ever since I got assigned to learn Vietnamese on my mission. Of all the places to visit here, this overnight cruise was at the very top of my bucket list. When Talia and I visited Dorli and Helmut in Austria, they talking about cruising Ha Long Bay and how incredible it was. Now I just hope that some day we can come back with the entire family.
