Happy New Year from Vietnam

By the time midnight hit, we had made our way back to beer junction, which was shutting down, but we were able to celebrate just in time. You'll notice at the end of the video, Whitney is reacting to the woman store owner telling us to get away from her store and stop making noise.

Sorry the video is so dark.

Dalat wine

Another highlight of the evening (for Whitney and Jen) was finding a cheap bottle of local red wine called Vang Dalat.

Red balloon

A highlight of the night was this GIANT red balloon we bought just before midnight.

Lake front

Even though it was drizzling out, many locals were out celebrating. The lake front looked like a carnival with people selling balloons, food and candy. Here is a picture of a guy selling cotton candy from the back of his motorbike.

New Year's Eve

We spent New Year's Eve in Hanoi with our Swiss friends that we met on our trip to Halong Bay. We started the night at our favorite spot - beer junction and then we headed to lake to check out how the locals would celebrate the New Year.

Shoes

Whitney also bought a new pair of shoes. The vendor was not happy with Whitney's low offer, but everything worked out in the end and Whitney bought the shoes.

More clothes for China

Now that we are back in Hanoi, we are preparing for our next adventure to China. Since the weather will be freezing, we are stocking up on some hats, gloves and pants. Here are some photos of Whitney negotiating the price of some socks and gloves. As you can tell by her face, she was not happy with the price, so we went to the shop across the alley and got what we wanted.

Back in Hanoi

Once we were back on land, the four of us headed over to (you guessed it) beer junction in the Old Quarter of Hanoi for a relaxing evening of cheap beer and food.

This place promised to have the "coldest" AND "coolest" beer on the block.

Pearl farm

We also passed one of the pearl farms in Halong Bay.

Frog island

On the boat ride back, our guide pointed out "frog island".

Goodbye

Sadly, the next morning, we got back on the boat and headed away from Cat Ong, our little slice of Vietnamese heaven.

Zach

This is Zach, the resort's resident guard dog. He was usually found like this, guarding the floor near the pool table.

Dinner

After the swim (and a VERY hot shower), it was time for dinner. We were treated to a great seafood BBQ. Our guide, Duc, is pouring some wine and explaining what we're the meal is all about.

Swim

Mike and Andy took a swim in the not so warm water.

Pool

And the boys played pool.

Cards

The girls played cards.

Free afternoon

We had the afternoon free to relax and do what we wanted at the beach resort. We and our new Swiss friends (Andy and Jen) decided to just hang out.

View

The view from our room wasn't too shabby at all.

Our room

Checking into our room - a basic, but great, beach bungalow.

Island video

A video showing the private little Cat Ong Island and the other islands around it.

Cat Ong Island

Here is a view (as we approached) of the resort where we stayed on the private island. Just a hand full of bungalows on the beach. The island, called Cat Ong Island which means "man island", was about 2 kilometers around.

Fishing village

We passed a fishing village on the way. They live floating on the water and harvest fish for sale to the mainland.

There was a woman in a boat which could best be described as a floating 7-11 ready to resupply tourist boats.

Two kids rowed by on a little boat as well. The boy was using his feet to paddle.

Island formations

On the two hour boat ride to the island, our guide pointed out islands that looked like various shapes. First example was "tea pot island".

Boat ride to the island

At this point, Whitney and I (and a Swiss couple) split apart from the rest of the group (who were only on a one night trip - we are on a two night trip) and headed to the tour company's little private island for the day and another night.

Great view

Beautiful views from the cave exit.

Legs

One of the rock formations at the cave exit looks like two legs dangling.

Turtle rock

This rock formation looks like a turtle, a very lucky symbol to the Vietnamese. You are supposed to rub its head for good luck (and the Vietnamese leave money as an offering as well).

Inside the cave

The inside of the cave was enormous (some rooms the size of an opera house). Pictures don't do justice to the size because of the bad lighting inside. Here are a few pictures as we walked around. It took about 50 minutes to get through the whole cave.