Chadi and I arrived jet lagged and exhausted, but we were quickly welcomed by the staff at Ha Noi Tower who escorted us to our lovely two bedroom serviced apartment. Although it still feels like a hotel, we are finally starting to feel a bit settled.
We experienced our first adventure in Northern Viet Nam this weekend with a visit to the famed Perfume Pagoda complex. The weather was crisp and cool, and the conditions favorable. We were a bit tired after the 1.5 hour hike up some rugged terrain which led us to the Natural Cave Pagoda (as its name indicates, it is a cave that has been used as a Pagoda by the Buddhist monks for centuries…I think). Fortunately for us, we were able to take a fancy cable car back down the mountain.
The highlight of the trip, of course, was the amazing boat ride back to the banks of the river. We navigated on a small iron row boat, which was expertly captained by a young village woman. God only knows how such a dainty, fair skinned young lady could row a boat containing four grown adults for two hours without even taking a break.
We expect to have many more adventures to chronicle during our post in Viet Nam. Our next trip will take us to the coastal city of Danang, and by Christmas we should be making our way to Bangkok for some holiday fun and some great mango and sticky rice…yummy!
Great Blog! Love the “Rock You” photos. Enjoy your new home!