14.04 - Day 17 - Bai Tu Long Bay to Hanoi, Vietnam
Tuesday 14th April
Bai Tu Long Bay to Hanoi, Vietnam
Temperature Min 24, Max 37. Hanoi Min 26, Max 34
11,094 steps
Everyone is up and about a bit earlier this morning on Dragon Legend - not least because breakfast is only 6:45am to 7:15am. This is a function of the fact a proper brunch meal will be served at 10:30am. In between then, after yoghurt, fruits, croissants and banana bread (skipping the eggs station), there is a choice of more kayaking or a water taxi ride instead or skip both and stay on the boat.
The name water taxi is a slight stretch, it's more a case of staying on the tender. At breakfast we decide I'm kayaking and Sienna and Seb will watertaxi with Mema and Pawpaw. However, as we're getting on the tender, Sienna changes her mind - and like me, jumps into her swimmers. In the time it takes the tender to reach this new kayak pontoon Seb also now wants to kayak.
Completely unrelated, Branston and Omily also opt for kayaking. So with the same child pairings as yesterday and solo for me, about half the boat disgorges onto kayaks. There's a bit more current today and indeed some swell too, enough to send two ladies back to the pontoon.
Sienna and Omily pick up their strong technique from yesterday while Seb and Branston are slow to start but power home in the end after a tight lap of a shell covered vertical karst. At least it's some sort of work out after all the food we've had.
Back to the tender back to Dragon Legend to shower and pack - bags needing to be ready outside the room by 10:00am. Seb is playing chess with Branston while Sienna and Jessie play and swap phone numbers.
Lunch is a buffet inside, another veritable feast - from pumpkin soup to spring rolls to squid and fish to sushi to chicken and rice to salad. And it all tastes great.
We've asked for - and managed to get - direct transfers to Hanoi skipping the detour to a water puppet show that we saw last time. It’s kind of quirky but we'd rather the extra two hours in Hanoi. As such, we’re soon cruising into port and ushered onto the first tender along with others not treading the usual path. Jessie and her mum are heading direct to Ninh Binh, whilst the extended American family are off to the airport to fly to Hue.
Theirs a one hour flight, ours a 13-hour train ride to come. Hugs and handshakes goodbye and we realise we've got our own minibus to take us back to Eliana Ruby three hours later by 2:30pm.
A new launderette has opened two doors down so we chuck stuff in to wash before wandering up Steel and then Hardware Street (my names). Hanoi has a number of pockets of concentrated shops - it does aid navigation on the hectic streets as you weave on and off uneven pavements and onto the road around parked scooters.
Coffees and smoothies are had in an air conditioned sanctuary as it is very warm outside. Later, after a short rest, we all walk out to the lake stumbling upon Tooth Street - not a street of dentists, but where Seb’s tooth fell out eating a Banh Mi two years ago. Sienna and Seb share one now to keep them going.
Past the Water Puppet Theatre, colourfully celebrating 40 years today since it opened. After a few minutes at the lake Seb suddenly flakes out - the last 48 hours of action catching up to him - so I take him back to Eliana Ruby while Sienna has dinner with Mema and Pawpaw overlooking the lake.
