Phan Rage

I had a blog post written in a Word document, but I forgot to put it on my USB drive. So forget about it. It has something to do with Top Gear, productivity and the fear responsibility of actually being in charge of my own passport for the first time in months.

All the pictures below come from my good friend Izzy, whose superior Powershot is still kicking it. All credit to her:

Ha Noi - we really liked it here. Four partial days is not a way to see this city; I'll come back.

Style is very important.

A shot from the infamous Bia Hoi Ha Noi. Fresh beer, i.e. kegged pilsner, comes at about $0.25 USD for 400 mL. WIth salty peanuts, ginger chicken and pomelo salad, I mean come on, wow. It just keeps coming.

Rice paddies outside a H'mong village. Places still look like this, apparently. Thank God.

Inside out H'mong village homestay, preparing for lunch. Very nice rice wine here, which is consumed from a large clay pot through bamboo straws. The women and children can drink, too. The fresh forest vegetables were delicious.

Ha Long Bay, oh joy. It's not that I don't like fog (I do - remember the Great Britain post earlier in the blog?), but that I don't like tourism. At least, not the kind of tourism they do here. You'll see what I mean when you see...

The caves. Supposedly a UNESCO World Heritage site, but more like a poorly-done Disney ride. No sense of the mystic. The best part of Ha Long Bay were the haircuts/dyes and the second ride on the Immodium Express (just kidding about the last one.

Remember that train ride I was whining about? This was the impromptu 'cultural exchange' (an SIT-approved euphemism for imbibing in alcohol). Because honestly, when you're on that train for 36 hours, what else is there to do? 

On top of the Red Rock in Nui Chua National Park - the campsite that night were hammocks in trees next to a gorgeous mountain stream. Showers were Dr. Bronner style and intensely refreshing. Pictures of the waterfalls to come once Eliza uploads her photos and I can steal those...

The inlet near the Raglai village.

Cham pottery - notable for being made without a pottery wheel.