It is time for our Christmas break. I would like to wish you all a happy and safe holiday season. Catch up with friends and family but remember to put your feet up and relax.
I am leaving you with some great reading for the holidays. Nicole Graham continues her series about travelling in Vietnam. Sit back, read it and relax.
Our 2 hour trip to Hoa Lu, south of Hanoi began just like every day… we got up at 7:00am for an early morning departure. By this stage my husband was questioning whether we were on a holiday because for him a holiday is about sleeping in and relaxation. For me it was easy to get up early because there is so much to explore and I was also very “click happy”.
Hoa Lu, was the ancient capital of Vietnam during the 10th century and today it is also known as “Halong on land.” When you see the sky shots of Halong Bay and Hoa Lu they are amazingly identical, the only difference is that the islands are surrounded by water in Halong Bay, and in Hao Lu, the mountains are surrounded in lush, greenery. Truly, the island and mountains structure and placement are identical - amazing!
Our driver than wound his way through the small country villages nestled in amongst the limestone mountains… some of the roads were so small that I was sure we could reach out and touch the walls of the houses as we drove by. As usual in the country side of Vietnam we saw cows, buffalos, goats and dogs meandering along and across the roads, land and waterways. Once we arrived at Van Lam Village we stopped in to have lunch at another local village, the speciality of the area is its goat dishes. I was a little hesitant but after trying some of the dishes, goat was actually mouth watering - especially cooked with all the Vietnamese spices.
After lunch we hopped on a Sampan for a spectacular 2 hour cruise through numerous waterways, beautiful 
rural landscape of limestone cliffs and rice paddies, to the stunning Tam Coc caves - Tam means 3 and Coc means caves. It was a funny boat ride because once out of the eye of the authorities, locals were on the water being very entrepreneurial - people offering to take your photograph; tuck shops on the water with crisps, fruit and cold drinks and craft markets selling anything from handmade bags to tablecloths.
As we passed others we realised that we will soon be in the same situation as they were… we were a captured audience! Our Sampan driver offered a range of handmade products from pillow cases to t-shirts. The driver opened up her silver box and tried to sell us everything even going as far as showing us photos of her family and her children. They were not going to let us get away easily. I bought 2 little hand sewn bags… it was difficult to say no. They’re definitely not shy.
After our sampan cruise we headed back to Hanoi to prepare for a 13 hour, overnight train ride to Danang, not far from Hoi An, which was our next stop on our Vietnamese holiday.
Nicole Graham 2008
Nicole Graham is a success Coach, Facilitator and Online Entrepreneur. Aside from managing her businesses, www.moderngoddessonline.com; www.moderngoddessgifts.com; www.moderngoddessmagazine.com, Nicole is an avid traveller and keen photographer. All photographs shown in the article were taken by Nicole.
Welcome to Nicole Graham, guest travel writer, with part 2 of her series about Vietnam.
In my first article, Pagodas, Temples and Rickshaws I mentioned that Hanoi, Vietnam is a great base to see some of the other sights of Vietnam.
One of those sights is the beautiful Halong Bay north of Hanoi. It is a three and a half hour drive away so we stayed overnight as we didn’t want to rush around and miss the opportunity to stop along the way, take in the picturesque country-side, quaint towns and of course do some shopping.
We ventured into Bat Trang, a ceramic village where most of the people that live in the village make an array of ceramic goods from traditional tea pots and ornaments, to modern vases and crockery. I couldn’t help myself; I have a love of elephants so we now have two large ceramic elephants that we use as side tables when needed. I digress… as a wannabe artist, to watch the people work away moulding and painting was inspiring.
Then we continued on to But Thap Pagoda, which is situated on the dike of the Duong River, Thuan Thanh district, Bac Ninh province. The pagoda was built in the 17th century, during the late Le dynasty and its founder was the Chinese Buddhist Priest, Zhus Zhus, who died in 1644. There are 10 building on the pagoda land and the pagoda is very important to the local people in the province.
As we discovered, the Vietnamese people revere Guan Yin, Goddess of Compassion and Mercy. She had a special place in the But Thap Pagoda and she was gorgeous… the whole statue, including its pedestal, is 3.7m tall. Behind her there is a round back board, forming a circle 2.2 m in diameter. The circle has 14 layers of 789 arms with an eye in each palm. Forty-two more arms encircle the waist, making various mudras (gestures of the hands).
The next day we headed out to see some of the 2000 islands around the area and the natural caves of Dau Go and Trinh Nu. We spent 5 hours on the bay and enjoyed a fantastic seafood lunch.
Once we got to Halong Bay we freshened up, ventured out to look around the local market and have dinner at a local restaurant. As we expected, the food was fresh and delicious.
While out on the bay we stopped in at a Village with a difference… I had imagined a small village nestled into one of the many islands but instead all the local villagers live on the water in their floating homes (literally they are homes on the water; they are not living on boats). They even have a floating school which is funded by UNICEF. Many of the homes have dogs because they guard against anyone stealing the fish from their farm.
We also stopped at the Dau Go cave which is not only known for its beauty but also famed for its historical 
tie to the Vietnamese history. The cave dates back to 1288 when a Vietnamese general, Tran Hung Dao fought against the Mongolian troops. He used the cave to hide his force during the war.
The cave is huge and a natural wonder of Vietnam. While on the island, we climbed the 90 rocky steps to walk through the cave and admire its stalagmites, stalactites and water filled stone wells. To highlight the cave’s beauty there are coloured lights lit throughout. Our tour guide was able to point out different crystals, meanings and images of the shadows the cave displayed.
Later in the afternoon we headed back to Hanoi - we slept most of the way… being a tourist is tiring and it was better for the soul to sleep rather than watch the chaotic traffic on the trip back.
© Nicole Graham 2008
Nicole Graham is a success Coach, Facilitator and Online Entrepreneur. Aside from managing her businesses, www.moderngoddessonline.com; www.moderngoddessgifts.com; www.moderngoddessmagazine.com, Nicole is an avid traveller and keen photographer. All photographs shown in the article were taken by Nicole.
Welcome to Nicole Graham, our guest travel writer, with part one of her series on travelling in Vietnam.
Bip bip bip bip; beep beep; honk honk; toot toot; ring ring was the chaos we found ourselves in while travelling to our hotel. There were push bikes, scooters, motor bikes, cars, vans, truck and in amongst it all, people leisurely walking across the road.
Those walking were carrying anything from small 
backpacks slung over their shoulders to produce wrapped up on the heads to basket of fresh fruit carried like a set of scales.
Those on push bikes, scooters and motor bikes carried things from the weekly shopping to massive amounts of toilet paper, plastic balls to ladders, panes of glass and many bunches of flowers.
That was our introduction to Hanoi, Vietnam.
Apart from the colourful sidewalks and the chaotic streets, there are some amazing sites in and around Hanoi. If you look past the busy-ness of the city; the scenery and park areas are beautiful as are the Pagodas and Temples.The country is rich in history and legend has it that Vietnam is over 4000 years old however based on the only reliable source; the country is at least 2700 year old. It has had its struggle for autonomy and fought off the Chinese, French, and Japanese, then during the Vietnam War, the North was supported by China and the Soviet Union while the South was supported by the United States.
Upon arriving in Hanoi we familiarised ourselves with the city, had a massaged and took the afternoon easy. We did splurge and have a night at Bobby Chin’s - a restaurant named after the Chef and Travel Show Host, Bobby Chin. Living in Hong Kong, my husband and I enjoy his TV series, Asian Street Cafes.
The next day was pretty busy seeing the sites… Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum - it’s amazing how many 
people line up to see the tomb of an old leader. The line easily stretched two normal size blocks and we were told many Vietnamese will visit the Mausoleum once in their life time to pay their respects to Ho Chi Minh. We also walked around the former residence of Ho Chi Minh; he was a humble man who never felt comfortable in a grand palace and instead chose to live in a 2 room bungalow that contained his bedroom and his office.
We visited a couple of well known and important Pagoda’s - religious buildings in honour of Buddha. They were amazing with life size Buddha statues and traditional instruments used in ceremonies.
The One Pillar Pagoda is an architectural gem. It was originally built in 1049, and then reconstructed in 1955 after it was destroyed. Legend has it that King Ly Thai dreamt of the goddess Quan Am (better known as Kwan Yin or Guan Yin in the Western world) sitting on a lotus leaf and offering him a son. Soon after the dream, the Emperor’s wife provided him with a male heir. In gratitude, the king built the pagoda to honour the goddess. Some have said that the pagoda resembles a lotus climbing out of the water.
After lunch at a local restaurant, we visited the Temple of Literature, Historical Museum and Ngoc Son Temple - these temples are religious building in honour of Confucianism and displayed beautiful, traditional artwork, statues and ceremonial instruments. All temples and pagoda’s are rich in history and traditions.
After a busy day we spent the rest of the afternoon on a Rickshaw tour around the Old Quarter supposedly getting to see their antique shops but they looked more like the Chinese $2 stores that supply anything and everything.
Of course the rickshaw ride was interesting… we navigated some busy intersections and having seen the chaos of the roads previously, I spent some of my time with my eyes tightly shut trying to avoid the closeness of cars, trucks, motor bikes and other rickshaws.
A trip to Hanoi is a must see and is also a great base to see some of the hidden gems of the region.
© Nicole Graham 2008
Nicole Graham is a success Coach, Facilitator and Online Entrepreneur. Aside from managing her businesses, www.moderngoddessonline.com; www.moderngoddessgifts.com; www.moderngoddessmagazine.com, Nicole is an avid traveller and keen photographer. All photographs shown in the article were taken by Nicole.
