en-VY 07 - The Final Seal

I would first like to apologise for the rather 'slip-shot' last entry but once you've had your fingertips insensate in near-freezing temperature you'd understand my predicament. As previously mentioned, we left China with mixed feelings - humbled, satisfied, relieved, and forlorn all at once. Having travelled in long-distance buses throughout Yunnan, framed by gorgeous and awe-inspiring backdrop, left us humbled by God's mighty creation. We couldn't, in a hundred years, have imagined that such beauty would unfold before our eyes. Satisfied by the opportunity to witness these unparalleled creations, we were relieved to have left behind the unimaginable lifestyle of it's local inhabitants (am not being rude here but we just couldn't comprehend how one could subject himself to such level of hygiene). Having said all these, we knew, deep down in our hearts, that we would miss every second of this remarkable experience, especially the locals who have touched us with kindness and their ready smiles.

The 27th saw us leaving Kunming for warmer weather in Vietnam. Our first stop, as you may have already know, wasn't quite what we expected. It literally threatened to freeze us to death but having had experience in the unforgiving altitudes of Zhongdian and Deqin we pressed on. But credit has to be given to our visit to Cat Cat Village. It was our only opportunity to experience tribal life upclose and personal. What stuck us most was the warmth that exude from the resident H'mongs as we graced their homes. Our body and mind took another 3 days of bashing before we left Sapa on the evening of 30th for Hanoi via train. Against all odds (ie. advise from hotel owners in Sapa) we secured ourselves hard sleeper tickets for USD12/pax. it was a considerably good deal as the state of the 6-men cabin totally surpassed our expectations. We were indeed more fortunate to have shared the cabin with 2 other Singaporeans who were on their last leg of their 6-day north Vietnam visit.

Hanoi was nothing new to us but the main draw was really Ha Long Bay. It was tough securing a room that morning since it was New Year's Eve so we were a bit apprehensive in getting ourselves a package to Ha Long the day after. Having recalled from an earlier walk about town that a particular agency offered a package for 2D1N for USD26/pax, we returned and jumped on to the bandwagon. Lucky for us they still had vacancies then despite high demands over the New Year. We were to find out that the blessing was to be more than just the reasonable price. That night, we joined throngs of Vietnamese by Hoan Kiem's shore to usher in the new year. Never did we imagine that, despite the crowd, the countdown was to be a major let down as there was no synchrony. It felt more like a private affair where several groups huddled and chanted their own countdown and launched their own dismal 'fireworks'. With the excitement of Ha Long bearing down on us, we made a quick exit to rest for the night.

Like I've said, Ha Long was generous on its blessings. 3 hours out of Hanoi saw us awestruck by the sheer beauty of thousands of limestone peaks thrusting out of the emerald sea. Nong Chia was to be our home for the night and we were very fortunate to have found companions in an Australian couple, Richard and Janet, as well as a shy Japanese lady, Akiro. We hit it off at lunch and we soon found ourselves engaged in a lively conversation on a wide range of topics from religion to personal travel experiences. I couldn't help but felt very humbled by Richard's and Janet's readiness in sharing their tremendous wealth of experience and knowledge with us. That coupled with the sheer beauty of the dragon's descent (especially at dawn and dusk with its crimson-coated sky) made for a great seal to our 1-month odyssey through Vietnam and Yunnan. The apex had to be our quiet time at the deck after dinner, gazing into the sparkling night horizon...

Well, we will be leaving Hanoi early tomorrow morning. I couldn't believe that 1 month passed us by all to quickly. Of course, I could sit down at this internet cafe raving about what we have been through in our journey but we know, and probably you as well, that no amount of words could ever do justice to what we have experienced in the past 27 days...

PS: I haven't got any time to reply to past comments so yes Ezdi please link me up and Naz fret not, the camera is still safe and sound and as for the kickass photos, well I'll let you be the judge ;)