>> |
Anonymous
I went for 2 weeks late last year - it wasn't a vacatin, I was actually looking after orphans, but I still spent about a week exploring Vietnam -, recognised the picture instantly.
Halong Bay, pictured, is as amazing as it is beautiful, and if you're going with even a small group it isn't going to cost you much to spend the night on a reasonably luxurious Junk. Halong Bay was a standout part of my trip, I just wish I took more photos. On our Junk we had the oppurtunity to go swimming and fishing, as well as enjoy a number of trips on smaller sightseeing boats into coves in the middle of some of the islands. Also we stopped and were able to explore several of the islands. Although, the whole place is crawling with tourists which really ruined it for me.
What I found most to be the most memorable parts of my trip were the truly immersive ones. Sure the tours are good fun, but I'd say to anyone going to Vietnam that you'd get a lot more out of the trip by just experiencing the country for what it is, the culture and the people, instead of being an ugly tourist and just following the same path every other tourist does.
I guess I saw it all on a wholly different level, as I spent most of my time living with a Family and working at an orphanage. But I felt something really special in Saigon. I stayed in a part of town where there were no tourists, I was about as out of place as I could get. After a few days of waking up, walking down the road and trying not to get killed by bikes, getting my morning iced coffee and visiting one of the stores - if you could call them that, more or less a hole in the wall with chairs out front - on the way back for some Pho, I felt like I was really experiencing something. It's a great feeling.
Sorry if this isn't worded very well, I'm actually reasonably tired.
|