Home at last! A final blog posting

We arrived home at 11:30 AM yesterday after a five hour flight at midnight from Hanoi to Narita, an eight hour layover in Narita, and a twelve hour flight to Minneapolis. It seems that when I crossed the international date line - I gained the the power to fly home in 'one day'.

Anyway, looking back on this three week cycling/kayaking trip, I have to say that it was fantastic - far better than I could have imagined.


This is a rare photo of me at a rest stop in the country southwest of Hanoi. It's a part of the country I really enjoyed.

I enjoyed the company of Harriet, David, and my sister Allison. The other twelve people in our group were all enjoyable - and I'll miss them. Our leaders were personable, knowledgable, articulate, well organized, and safety-conscious. The food, nearly every bite, was fabulous.

Weather was colder than I expected, in the north, and I had neither enough warm clothes, nor enough presentable (or even clean) clothes. We traveled a bit too light.

David shared on Facebook (Jan 7, 2012):
"It was completely crazy, and I would do it again and again and again if I had the chance."


That means we accomplished something great, beyond 260 miles.

Finally, two more photos - a domestic scene from the north:



and some friendly kids from the central region near the sea:


Thanks for following my blog!
I've had fun, and I enjoyed the process of putting it together.

- Laura

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City of Narita and Shinto Temple

We arrived at Narita airport at around 7 AM, and with only our carry-on luggage, we left the airport and caught a ten-minute ride to the city of Narita.
Amazed at the cleanliness and order, we indulged in some street food.



Roasted chestnuts and a cup of coffee.

We walked directly to the local Shinto temple, and it turned out to be an important day. A speaker, music, some sort of fire ritual, and a procession of priests. It was pretty amazing. Unfortunately, I captured most images on the Nikon, so I can't share right now. Here's a poster for the temple.




Here is a poster from the grounds of the temple - and it seems perfectly comprehensible to me . . . .


except do they exclude all dogs, or just terriers?

Now we are hanging out at Narita airport, waiting for a 2:30 flight. Here's how David feels:



The good news is that we will sleep in our own beds tonight!

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Study on Buddhas: Buddha on the Mountain

Well, I didn't manage to get my final blog from Hanoi sent from the before the taxi arrived. And there is not wifi (that I can access) at the Hanoi airport. That blog, and this one, will have to wait for Narita.

In the national art museum, I learned that there is a Buddha figure that I had never seen or heard of before.

Most of us know of the fat-bellied happy Buddha one sees in the shrines in Chinese/Vietnamese restaurants. We saw that Buddha in every Buddhist temple we visited in Vietnam too.
There is also the Indian style, who seems at peace (see last Hanoi blog).

Then there in the Buddha on the mountain. Here are three different examples:


Second one - in a further state of emaciation:


And even more emancipated.


Would like to look into this more deeply sometime. Seems like he's the suffering Buddha.

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Last day in Hanoi

We had one last day to wander around in Hanoi before heading to the airport at 8 PM.
We started with a quick walk around Hoan Kiem lake (sorry, didn't get a scenic shot of lake).



Next stop, the National Museum of Art.
A Buddha of Indian extraction (there is a better way to put that, but I can't find it today).



An ear-cleaning Buddha (? - I can't remember what the description said)



Some fantastic lacquer paintings - here is one example:



And a close-up of center top (Uncle Ho reviewing troops).



And to take a break, we had coffee and French pastries at a French cafe. Pretty authentic taste.



Then, off to the airport!

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Halong Bay trip

Spent the last three days/two nights on a cruise junk in Halong Bay. This is the most popular tourist destination in Vietnam.

On the first day, we had a tour of a floating village, conducted in small boats powered by standing oar women. One tour stop was under a natural arch.



Closer view of some karst formation hills, viewed from our junk.



We kayaked through two caves to get to this isolated lagoon.


Here are two photos of the most interesting food so far - fried sea mantis. Here are four on a plate :




And here is one, with praying apparatus extended.



Finally , a photo of our luxury junk. Four of the biking 16 couldn't join us, so the remaining twelve have had this boat to ourselves.



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Heading to Halong Bay

We have completed the cycling portion of our trip.

I say 'goodbye' to my sister Allison, who heads home to spend some time with her family. It was wonderful to spend time on this trip with her.

We are getting on a bus to drive four hours up the coast to Halong Bay. It should be beautiful, so I hope to be able to send another post or two - if I find a hotspot.

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Touring Hanoi

We spent today touring Hanoi, starting with the Temple of Literature, which provides a well-preserved example of vietnamese architecture. Founded in 1070 and dedicated to Confucius, it was the beginning of the university system.


Turtles carry texts, and names of scholars.


Temple dedicated to Confucius.

We then toured Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. A place of somber respect, we wound past Ho's body under the close scrutiny of numerous guards in crisp white uniforms who insisted on a respectful demeanor from the visitors (and no photos are allowed inside).


The mausoleum from the outside.



Ho Chi Minh's office.



Curried trout with braised greens and noodles.

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More Mai Chau scenery

Mai Chau scenery is particularly beautiful, with the mountainous backdrops.



And the people are a bit more prosperous than the central coast area from a few days ago. But the land plots are smaller than in the south, so farmers grow produce more for their own consumption.


Terracing is extensive, and the water supply arrangement is an engineering feat.



Finally, it has been down in the low sixties for the past few days, so some of us purchased textiles to keep warm.



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Home visit and other highlights

We stayed last night in the village of Buoc with a host family from the Thai Duc minority.
We slept dormitory style in a large room, on mats.

All sixteen of us on front of our home for the evening.



A view of a chopstick factory, with fresh bamboo stock in foreground.



Completed chopsticks



Karst features seem to emerge from rice fields.




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Biking in region of Mai Chau

Rode in the bus for four hours yesterday to the southwest of Hanoi to start riding to the home stay.

Fantastic biking on smaller roads and paths, and even some off road riding. Here are some riding scenes:

The first quarter mile of cycling-


Up close to a water buffalo.


Path too narrow to risk riding - at least for most of the clumsy Americans in our group.


Allison taking a photo of landscape from the roadside next to a handcart.


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