Night 19
It actually took forever to get to Hanoi because of a layover in Bangkok and the fact that Noi Bai International Airport is like 2 hours from the Old Quarter. Although a got a döner to keep me happy, initial impressions of Hanoi were quite bad because of the terrible weather and the dirtiness of the area in turn.
Day 20
From the onset of this trip, I wanted to see Angkor Wat and Ha Long Bay. I finally have the right to say I have seen both now.
The way in from Hanoi was long and full of honking, typical for Vietnam and a clear reminder that I could never live here. Being strapped for cash, I set a goal to only use the remaining dong I had left for the entirety of my stay. So I’ll try to be a bit more objective on how things went.
If you’re like me, you’ll get upset by litter easily. When coming to Ha Long, be weary of peering to closely to the water and what lurks around. I have been dejected by tourism often for this filthy and unnecessary by-product. It just demonstrates how little humans pay towards their environment. After going to multiple pockets of the world, I firmly believe in that statement.
The other worldly nature of the bay is quite real.
The air was very crisp and a good reminder that one should come to the site in layers. My budget boat was a little shoddy but pleasant enough to appreciate the scenery around me. The weather made it a bit chillier than usual, as well.
Going through made me think I was back playing Kingdom Hearts at the End of the World, where each little island represented the remnants of worlds lost to the Heartless. As you go deeper into the water, it makes hard not to believe that Ha Long surely worked as a source of inspiration for that Kingdom Hearts world’s design.
After a day of boating around in the dreary weather, it was clear that it was wise to only spend a day out here.
Day 21
Final day. I only had like US$3.50 in VND.
It was a little rough.
The lake was actually one of the only free things around. And by free, I mean only the actually walking around the lake part, not he temple that is actually there.
Actually the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is also free in itself. However, his house and the museum cost extra and are my part of the same ticket. I am mostly upset at all this because when I looked it up online I saw that there were cheaper tickets for combined viewing and that has since changed. In turn, I flipped the bird and called it a day after seeing how humans continue to deify individuals, even in a “socialist” country.
Not the best end to an overall fun trip, but hey I can finally go back to Korea. Southeast Asia is not too shabby, but the even more questionable politics and general overload of tourism reminded me how nice it was to be in an area that was not as hectic.
