July 10 Ancient Capital of Vietnam (1020 years ago)

Joe: Hoa Lu, cruising on a 2 man riverboat through grottoes and karst geography. Sounds good, doesn’t it? It includes inland riverviews that mimic to some extent the China Sea geography in Halong Bay, but not nearly as numerous and of course, on land. En route we stopped at the temples celebrating the original King of the Viet people and his successor who moved the capital away from Hoa Lu to Hanoi. It was a considerable distance from Hanoi (3-hour van drive each way) through construction and rush hour jams. As well the destination is not "controlled tourist destination"" meaning one suffers constant harassment by local boat vendors to buy tablecloths and junky trinkets, begging by farmers and the boat operators for unwarranted tips, all for a 60-minute boat ride in the uncovered, row boat in 40-degree blazing heat. Thank goodness there were extra oars for Ryan and me to help out. Our teenage female rower simply didn’t have the technique, nor the strength to be able to push us through the water as other boat drivers did. However, with Ryan and I paddling the whole way, the boat was moved. We moved along the river through caves on the river's surface. More irritating than the 6-hours in the van and constant harassing, our paddler was begging for a tip. I gave her $2 at Deb’s insistence. She handed it back to me and said she wanted $5! The gaul. I offered her tip a second time, and she took it. When we returned to our tour guide, he basically said something along the lines that most tour operators have deleted this program from tourist itineraries – at least until the new highway opens in 2010 (to celebrate Hanoi’s 1000-year anniversary as Hoa Lu was the ancient capital 1000 years ago) and the local government clamps down further on the incessant begging (and he suggested that the government has already done a little bit about it). I am sure Deb’s version of the events will be a lot different as she thoroughly enjoyed it and gave an above average pourboire. Normally we see eye-to-eye on our adventures, but on this one, she clearly had a different experience than me. Even the Lonely Planet franchise suggests steering clear or if you must go, avoid being fleeced by the omnipresent beggars.

Deb: What an amazing day! Visiting the Old Citadel (former capital of Vietnam) and pagodas was surreal – a thousand years of history. Our guide related spectacular stories and succeeded in bringing the history of Vietnam to life. Brendan and I loved our boat rowers – two Vietnamese women wearing traditional ‘cone hats’ who spoke a level of French good enough so that we all could communicate. At one point we rowed through hundreds of quacking ducks – what an incredible travel experience! Yes, we were hassled. Yes, it was a drag. But we didn’t let it ruin our day. And, yes, I overtipped. Both women had children and a $3 tip each, I knew, would go a long way. They had rowed us in the torrid heat for two hours. When they got tired rowing with their arms, they rowed with their feet! We had a great time chatting and the scenery was spectacular. Worth every minute of the hair-raising, noisy, insane three hour ride each way!

This evening at Restaurant 69 we met a young couple from Britain, Chloe and James. We ended up at the same table for dinner and shared wine and travel stories. They were a beautiful couple and just starting out on their trip to Vietnam. We wish them the very best. Chloe and James, if you’ve logged onto our blog. Happy travels! Stay safe!