The beautiful Ha Long Bay...

I can't believe it's already November 10th. Time flies. My Vietnam visa is up on the 12th and I'm been trying to decide what border into Laos would be the best to cross. Once I get to Laos I'm thinking 2 weeks there and then moving down into Cambodia for 2 weeks. Anyways, I've been in Hanoi the past few days. It's the capital and has a population of about 7 million people. A couple days ago Alec, the Norweigen girls, and I visited Ha Long Bay. We took a mini bus (3 hours) to the bay and boarded our boat (picture). There were 16 people on the boat. Lunch was prepared for us when we arrived and then it was off to explore. We sailed to a beautiful cave (picture) that was found in 1993 and walked around it for a bit until it was time to move on to my favorite part of the cruise...kayaking (picture). The weather was calm and cool and the water was glassy. I kayaked for an hour and then returned to the boat. After dinner the sun began to set and everyone moved to the top deck of the boat for some drinks and to chat it up. It's always fun talking with other travelers about where they have been and where they plan to go. We shared a couple bottles of Hanoi vodka and it was off to bed. Morning came sooner than I wanted but if you wanted breakfast it was at 7:30 sharp. After goofing around for a couple hours on the boat we sailed back to land, ate lunch at a local restaurant and headed back to Hanoi. It was definitely a highlight of Vietnam and something I'll never forget.
I'm sitting outside my hotel on the busy streets writing this thinking about the past 4 weeks in Vietnam. I've definitely stepped outside my comfort zone. I've visited maybe 8 or 9 cities here. The less touristy cities are where I have experienced the most. I remember walking down the streets of Can Tho and being starred at by everyone I walked by. I'm guessing because I'm white and they were probably thinking why is he here. Not to mention I'm taller than 99 percent of everyone. Opening a menu and seeing zero English is also quite the experience. I've learned there is a risk you take when a local Vietnamese person asks where you are from. Saying the US, America, or the states is an experience in itself. Often times the response is nothing at all or very little. Animosity towards the US is still alive and well in Vietnam. I don't feel unsafe here but I make sure to observe my surroundings wherever I go. The past couple days I've tried an experiment to prove my point. When I've met someone, say at a food stall or in a restaurant I say I'm from somewhere else...I've used South Africa, Australia, and Canada. You can laugh. Sometimes they were the first countries to pop into my head. The responses and conversations were much more enthusiastic and welcoming than if I would have said the US. This is not the case with everyone here, in fact most of the Vietnamese people I come in contact with are friendly and helpful...thank god because I've been lost a few times.
On a side note, milk is impossible to find in Vietnam. I love milk and I've found it twice since I've been here. Anyways, I'll put some pictures up with this post as usual. Sorry there won't be any of my booty this time haha. I miss all my family and friends back home and can't wait for Christmas! My favorite time of the year. Until next time...love