hello from vietnam

we are now about halfway done with the vietnam leg of the trip. so far, it has been crazy and intense. here is the past 6 days in a nutshell:

hanoi:
good food
the most insane traffic ever
so many motorbikes
so much beeping
no traffic lights, gas stations, rules, or anything that resembles order or the suggestion of order
way fewer dogs than thailand (because they eat them)
way colder than i anticipated (but i bought an amazing coat)
way rainier than i anticipated (i am mad at myself for not packing my raincoat)
some good sightseeing
super cool water puppets (wonky wooden puppets dancing around in the water accompanied by live vietnamese folk music)
crazy taxi drivers

to cat ba island:
train, bus, boat, bus - all the most insanely crowded public transport you could ever imagine

one day at the beach (it was almost sunny)

the boat ride in the limestone bay:
found some rock climbers who wanted to go out and share the cost of the boat
the boat was not a sailboat
tide was too low to climb
it was chilly and cloudy
amazing delicious lunch
kayaking and swimming and freezing
tons of amazing giant limestone islets
water washing away the bottom of the rocks and housing lots of black crabs
cool beaches, collecting seashells
we finally saw one junk rig sailboat on the bay
rain
partial refund for everyone because the climbers didn't get to climb
seafood hot pot deliciousness for dinner
leaving one day earlier than we thought because it is too cold for the beach

overnight bus to hue:
15 hours instead of 11
smelly gross bathroom
small beds made for tiny asian women (about 1 foot too short for luke)
bus did not look like the picture we saw
crazy beeping bus driver
feeling disgusting upon our arrival in hue
bombarded by taxi drivers
everyone wants to "help" you and is super persistent
we pretended to do sign language and be deaf in order to avoid people
finally found a room
things are more peaceful now
taking a break this afternoon, sleeping in tomorrow

vietnam is an interesting, intense, beautiful place. but let's just say i am glad to have lived in thailand and not here!