April 15, 2015 by carrievijil

Homestay in Mai Chau Valley

April 13, 2015 Since we were stranded in Hanoi for an extra couple of days due to issues with our Egyptian Visas, we decided to take advantage of the extra time and get out of the city. We decided to go on a 3 day visit out to Mai Chau Valley to do a homestay in a village in the mountains. We thought this would be a great opportunity to get out of the city and to see the countryside and how the people in the villages actually live. We were not disappointed in the scenery, that is for sure! It was about a 4 hour drive to the valley and we stopped on the road above the village to get some great pictures of the view.

Mai Chau Valley

Once we arrived to the village, we had lunch at a local home. It was fabulous! I think that when we get home, I need to learn how to cook Vietnamese food. From there, we too, bikes into the house where we were going to be staying for the night. Luckily, they had a perfect bike for Hayden to ride on. (He hasn’t gotten the hang of bike riding again following surgery). After a few minutes (and a VERY rickety bamboo bridge), we got to the house where we would be staying. It was a stilt house where you sleep on the second level on a bamboo floor with a mattress on it. It was a little unnerving to step on the floor for the first time, because it’s just pieces of cut bamboo and you can see right through the floor! The bottom level of the house (ground floor), is used for eating, hanging out, etc. The area was absolutely beautiful…the pictures don’t do it justice. Hayden also made a new friend, the local dog which he named Fluffers (the dog didn’t have a name according to the people at the house).

Bicycle built for two!

Stilt house

Sleeping in the stilt house

View of Mai Chau Valley

Hayden’s new friend, Fluffers

The next day, we got up and started to head up to the mountain via motorbikes (which we had to learn to ride before we took off). It was a little nerve racking to start, but we got the hang of it. On the way up, we made a quick stop at a chopstick factory which was very different. Basically a big covered area with a couple of machines that split bamboo into smaller pieces to make the raw chopsticks (they also made icecream bar sticks). It took about an hour to get to the starting point of the trek up the mountain. It was a beautiful climb and we had a great group of people. We met 4 really nice girls (2 from Germany, 2 from Holland) that we talked to much of the way up and back down. We did lots of walking up to the top and even got to do a small river crossing. It was actually pretty funny because there was a bridge to cross the river, but the guy that built the bridge sits next to it and if you cross his bridge, you have to pay him 5,000 VND. We opted to walk through the water to save the money. Up to the village were many terraced rice fields, it was a beautiful walk up. Once at the top, we met 7 kids that were in the village while their parents were working in the fields. One of the older kids (about 10-13) watches them along with a grandmother. Hayden got to play ball with them and they were all jumping off of the rocks, it was a really neat experience. On the way back down the mountain, we stopped to skip rocks for a while at the river before getting on the motorbikes and heading back to the house for dinner and bedtime.

Ready for the motorbikes!

Quick stop on the motorbike tour

Chopstick factory

Trekking up to the village

River Crossing

Got a little wet on the water crossing!

Trekking up to the village

Terraced rice fields on the mountains

Met lots of kids in the village

Playing in the village

Playing with kids in the village

View of Mai Chau Valley

Skipping rocks at the river

That night, we had a BBQ dinner, which was great! They had a dance show after dinner where the local people did the traditional dances. Hayden, as always, was a hit with the girls. He was the first to volunteer to get up to do the dances. It’s so funny that he is so outgoing in a foreign country, but gets so anxious about these types of things at home.

Hayden and the dancing girls!

The next morning, we got up and took the bicycles and went to the 1,200 step cave. This cave was used during the bombings as a shelter for the local people. It was a VERY long climb to the top. Hayden counted each step and got to 1,148, so he felt a little cheated that he didn’t actually get to do 1,200…I was OK with the missing steps. After finally being able to breathe again at the top, it was a beautiful view. After getting back down, we stopped at a local market and had a pineapple on a stick! We figured it was a “real” pineapple popsicle. lol

100 done…only 1,048 left to go

View from the 1,148 step climb

Beat to the top by an 8 year old

I just about died…

Adventuring in the cave

Next, we’re on to Ho Chi Minh City for a few days before we move on to Cambodia and Thailand.

April 14, 2015 by carrievijil

Ha Long Bay Cruise

April 10, 2015

After a couple of days in Hanoi, we are getting out of town to go out onto Ha Long Bay. We have heard great things about the area, so we decided to make it a 2 day cruise. It’s also a pretty long bus ride (about 4 hours) out to the bay, so this would be much less rushed than doing it all in a day.

Once we got to the harbor, we took a little tender out to our boat. We were certainly glad that we chose the boat that we did because some of the ships on the water looked like they could sink at about any time!

Royal Palace Cruise Ship

Catching some rays

We got all settled in and had lunch on the boat as it was departing for the cruise. After about 3 hours of cruising, we got to a fishing village in Ba Long (little dragon) Bay where we went on a kayaking trip. It was really cool! Hayden said that he thought they all must be millionaires in Vietnam because they had houses on the water. We had to explain the difference of having a house on the water for enjoyment and for necessity. We got to take a nice 45 min trip around a mountain and see different parts of the village. It was very cool to see.

Kayaking on Ha Long Bay

Tiny mountain…lol

Ha Long Bay

Floating village on Ha Long Bay

Kayaking on Ha Long Bay

Unfortunately, it was a little cool and misting outside, but that didn’t stop us from jumping in the water when we got the chance. It was brisk (to say the least), but the water was warmer than the air, so it wasn’t all that bad. After that, we got back into the boat and started to get ready for dinner and the party/karaoke night. We got to dress up in traditional clothes which was fun.

Dressing Up!

The next morning was another day of sailing around the bay. We certainly had a nice view to wake up with!

Ha Long Bay

Following another couple of hours of sailing, we got to “Surprising Cave”. It was discovered a couple of years ago by a student studying geology and turned out to be a huge cave area. We had fun walking through the cave and pointing out different shapes that we could find inside with the rock formations.

View from Surprising Cave entrance

Surprising Cave

On the way back out of the cave, there were some ladies on boats selling everything from fish to squid to Oreos! They will actually drive their boats up to the windows of the cruise ships and you can buy stuff out of your window…pretty awesome!

Selling fish

Selling EVERYTHING!

We made it back to the hotel that same evening after returning to the harbor and taking another 4 hour bus ride back. Next on the agenda is a trip out to Mai Chau Valley to do a homestay in a local village…definitely a cultural experience!

April 13, 2015 by carrievijil

Around Hanoi, Vietnam and Ha Long Bay

What I Saw:

I saw Ha Long Bay. I got to swim in the bay and kayak too. I also got to see the fishing village and the Karst mountains. I also saw a prison in Hanoi.

My Favorite Part of the Day:

My favorite part of the day was listening to karaoke on the cruise.

What I Learned Today:

While I was in Hanoi, I saw the Hoa Lo Prison. The Americans were kept there, we saw pictures of them. We saw the tunnels where the Vietnamese prisoners escaped. We also saw the prison cells. I learned that Ha Long Bay has Limestone or Karst mountains. Ha Long means “big dragon” and Ba Long means “little dragon”.

April 13, 2015 by carrievijil

History in Hanoi, Vietnam

April 8, 2015

We have now left China and are currently in Hanoi, Vietnam. Getting here was uneventful which is always good! The flight from Hong Kong was very nice. The airlines are much different than in the US…on a 2 hour flight, we got a full lunch service! Once we landed, got through customs, and made it to our hostel, we pretty much just stayed in for the evening…we were pretty tired.

After a good night’s sleep, we started the day running over to the Egyptian embassy to apply for our Visas to travel there in June. Since we left last month, the Egyptian Visa regulations have changed and now we need to have them prior to entering the country instead of just getting them in the airport. Luckily, we are able to get them directly from the embassy here in Hanoi.

From the embassy, we took a short taxi ride to the Ho Chi Min mausoleum and Palace grounds where he lived while in and out of office. The mausoleum was a very cool place; you walked through and there was an actual (wax, I think) likeness of Ho Chi Min in a coffin. It was very quiet and somber. There were quite a few school groups there and I think it was the biggest line that we3 have encountered in Vietnam! After going through the mausoleum, we went through his living area, which was really neat. He had a few different houses that you could look into. We also saw his cars and walked through the gardens; it was a beautiful area.

One Pillar Pagoda

From there, we went to the Temple of Literature. It was a quick walk through the park, but interesting to read the history. Students used to be tested after completing their testing, if they were successful, they had their names etched into a stone with all of the successful testers for the year. (Kind of like the first yearbook!)

Temple of Literature

That afternoon, we went to the Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton). It was certainly eye opening!! It was certainly not a place that I would even want to be kept involuntarily. We saw the remaining cells, the women’s prison, solitary confinement and death row.

Hoa Lo Prison

Hoa Lo Prison Main Cell

Hoa Lo Prison Women’s Cell

Hoa Lo Prison Solitary Confinement

Hoa Lo Prison Death Row

There was also a section on the American pilots kept during the Vietnam conflict. Wow…talk about seeing information from a different side!! They had a bunch of pictures showing the prisoners playing basketball, eating Christmas dinner, having a BBQ, and made it look like it was a resort. There was even a section in the short video that told how the Americans enjoyed their stay and that they were glad to be captured in Vietnam instead of another country and how they now saw how Vietnam was in the right and that the US was totally wrong to invade. Regardless of everyone’s personal political views, it was certainly set up to make it seem like we were pretty terrible. It’s strange to read the placards referring to the US as the “American Aggressors”, etc.

Hoa Lo Prison…American’s Clothing

Hoa Lo Prison…John McCain’s Flight Suit

Hoa Lo Prison… Pictures of American Pilots

The last section of the prison contained some pieces of sewage pipes where some of the Vietnamese prisoners escaped early in the century when Vietnam was controlled by the French. It was crazy how tiny the pipes were and how they managed to fit…goes to show how insanely skinny the prisoners were to have been able to get out that way.

Hoa Lo Prison Tunnel Escape

After a very serious afternoon of history, we went to the Water Puppet Theater for a show in the evening. It consisted of wooden puppets that are used to act out a play on a pool of water and are controlled from behind the stage by the puppeteers. Musicians play along with the show…it was very cool. Hayden enjoyed it very much. After the show, we had a great dinner on the roof level of a restaurant near our hostel with a great view of the lake in the center of town.

Water Puppet Theater

Dinner View

For the next two days, we will be going out on a cruise in Ha Long Bay. We have heard great things about it, and are looking forward to seeing the Bay for ourselves!

April 7, 2015 by carrievijil

Hong Kong Disneyland Day

What I Saw:

I went to Disneyland in Hong Kong and I went on all of the rides.

My Favorite Part of the Day:

My favorite part of the day was everything!

What I Did:

We got to be the honorary guests an I got to open the gates for the people. We were the first ones in the park. We went on Space Mountain two times. I likes the RC Ride too.

April 6, 2015 by carrievijil

Finishing Up China in Hong Kong

April 6, 2015

Well, we’re more than a month into our trip and I am amazed how fast time has flown by. I can’t believe that it’s already been almost 5 weeks! So far, we are having the time of our lives. We have only had a few spats (mostly about homework…either Hayden not wanting to do it or Adam and I getting frustrated at each other trying to figure out who is teaching what.) We have had great luck finding our way around the cities and the only thing that has been lost so far was Adam’s Legoland California hat. (He left it on a train). Not too bad!!

We are in Hong Kong right now and it has been a great change from mainland China. After spending four weeks eating local food and having very little English/Western culture around us, Hong Kong has been quite a change! I hate to admit that our first night here we went to Outback Steakhouse for dinner. We had cheese fries and steak…it was so good. Lol

Outback Steakhouse!

The second day in Hong Kong, we went to HK Disneyland. It is the smallest of the Disney parks, but it actually worked out great because we got to see everything in just that one day. They had some rides that were different from the US parks, so that we pretty cool. Hayden (who normally is not a fan of rollercoasters) was super brave and went on Space Mountain as well as the RC Racer ride (goes back and forth on a track straight up and straight backwards). He has now decided that he LOVES Space Mountain and can’t wait to get back to Orlando to spend an entire day going on Space Mountain.

HK Disneyland

Airborne Hayden

Toy Story Land at HK Disneyland

Future King of Camelot

Small World with the beautiful mountain backdrop

Buzz Lightyear

Crazy driver on the road

Space Mountain!

Hayden and Adam were a little bummed because they are currently building the “Iron Man Experience”, but it’s not opening until 2016.

Bummer….

The most awesome part of the day was the very beginning when we were waiting for the park to open and they asked if we wanted to be the honorary first guests for the day…of course we said yes! We got to go in early, welcome everyone to the park and Hayden got to turn the key to open the gates. They took lots of pictures and we got a certificate and everything…it was pretty awesome.

Honorary First Guests

For the past two days, we have been on the Hong Kong Hop-On, Hop-Off bus tour. It’s very touristy, but Hong Kong is so huge that this was really the best (and cheapest) way to see the city in the short time that we have here. We were able to see Hong Kong island (which is where we are staying), Kowloon on the other side of Victoria Harbor, and the Aberdeen/Stanley beach areas. The area really is beautiful, too bad it’s so expensive! This is the first city where we have been over budget and we completely blew it!

HK Beaches

Hayden apparently had too much fun at Disneyland the previous day because he pooped out for about an hour of the bus tour. lol

All toured out!

We also went to the top of Victoria Peak (the highest place in the city). It was an amazing view. It was sunny when we were up there, but there was still some haze over the other side of the bay. The view was fantastic, but we were only up there for a short time…it was pretty hot up in the sunshine.

Victoria Peak

The last thing we did was go to the Hong Kong skyline laser light show last night. We had high expectations for this because we had heard that it was really cool. I guess we are a little spoiled by the light/fireworks shows at Disneyworld, because the laser show was kind of a letdown. There were a few buildings with the dancing lights and about five buildings with lasers on top, but the skyline is so long that it dwarfed the show and wasn’t all that impressive. It was still cool to see the skyline lit up.

Hong Kong Skyline

“Garden” seating at the waterfront

We’re now getting ready to start packing up and we fly out this afternoon. From here, we are heading to Hanoi, Vietnam. We are going to spend about a month in SE Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand). We only have the first city scheduled/planned, so the rest of the month will be a little bit of winging it. We’re hoping that we can find some good beaches to relax at and get lodging as we go. We have our tent, so if it comes to it, we can always camp.

April 5, 2015 by carrievijil

Reed Flute Caves in Guilin, China

What I Saw:

I saw there Reed Flute Caves stalagmites, stalagtites, and pillars. I also saw Elephant Trunk Hill.

My Favorite Part of the Day:

My favorite part of the day was seeing the pagoda on the top of Elephant Trunk Hill.

What I Learned Today:

I learned that the Reed Flute Caves are over 180 million years old. It was named for the reed that grows out of the cave. It can be made into flutes. It was rediscovered in the 1940s by refugees running away from the Japanese troops.

April 5, 2015 by carrievijil

Guilin: The Li River and the Reed Flute Caves

April 1, 2015

We have just finished up three days in Guilin, China. If there is one place so far that we were wishing that we could spend more time, it would be here. There was so much to see and we didn’t even scratch the surface on the things to do.

As soon as we arrived, we got to our hostel, dropped our packs and headed out for the afternoon. We still seem to have trouble finding our hotels/hostels when we get into town, but we always figure it out eventually! J We were staying pretty close to the Li River, so lots of the “touristy” stuff was nearby. We spent the afternoon at Elephant Trunk Hill and walked all around the park that they have there. We were able to climb to the top of the mountain and see some pretty nice views of the area. We also climbed down into the center of the cave and spent a while just hanging out.

Elephant Trunk Hill

After that, we were a little pooped from all of the traveling and decided to head back. On the way back to the hostel, we saw a stand selling Bamboo juice. Ever since the pandas in Chengdu, Hayden has been saying that he wants to be a panda bear, so this was his chance. He did try it, but wasn’t really a fan.

Bamboo Juice

The next morning, we got up and wanted to go see the Reed Flute Caves first thing in the morning. We took that public bus out to the caves (gotta love the $.20 bus fare!) When we got to the caves, the lady told us that there was an English speaking tour at 10:30, so we decided to wait…it turned out to be perfect because we were the only ones there and got a private tour! The caves were BEAUTIFUL! The lights made it took so cool and they had a really neat movie about the history of the caves. We were very impressed with the entire tour.

Reed Flute Caves

For our final day in Guilin, we signed up for a Li River cruise. We knew that we wanted to take this cruise ever since seeing the geography in the China movie at Epcot. J The “Dragon Tooth Mountains” are along the river and they were definitely worth seeing! The cruise took about 4 hours and was a relaxing ride down the water. The views were fantastic and we met several nice people on the cruise. Hayden made a friend that was his same age, so they spent the entire cruise running around and playing.

Sword Fighting!

Li River Cruise

We finished up the cruise in a little town called Yangshuo. We really wished that we could have stayed another night to hang out in this town. They had local fisherman that would take you out on a little bamboo raft and show you how they fish. They have trained birds that will dive for fish and bring them back to the top where the fishermen will take them out of their mouths and collect them. It’s a little sad because they tie off the bird’s necks so that they can’t swallow the fish, but it’s not tied tight at all and they give the birds the small fish at the end.

The very end of the trip was a little dramatic because our bus had a tire blow out! We had to pull over into a local auto place and we got to watch the guy change the tire for about an hour or so. Luckily, they had a spare and we made it back by 6:30 pm or so.

Overall, it was a very cool three days and now it’s on to Hong Kong!!

March 31, 2015 by carrievijil

Stone Forest and New Friends in Kunming

What I Saw:

I saw the stone forest and how it was made. I saw the clothes the people wear. I also made two friends that live in Shanghai.

My Favorite Part of the Day:

My favorite part of the day was playing Pokémon with my two new friends, Noah and Casey.

What I Learned Today:

I learned how the stone forest was made. First, the two plates come together and form cracks. Next, the rain water erodes the rocks down in the cracks. Last, the rocks become like trees and that is how the stone forest is made. The rocks are Limestone.

(Hayden is wearing the traditional clothes of the Yunnan Province)

March 31, 2015 by carrievijil

Leshan Giant Buddha

What I Saw:

I saw the largest stone Buddha in the world. We saw the cave tombs.

My Favorite Part of the Day:

My favorite part of the day was seeing the clay animals, there were horses, pig, dogs, chicken. These animals were in the tombs.

What I Learned Today:

The biggest Buddha was built to calm the river. After it was built, with all the rocks and the Buddha done, it did calm the river, it was safe for ships to pass. A structure (protecting it) was destroyed and sacked by the Mongols during the wars at the end of the Yuan Dynasty.

Vijil Family World Tour

Our Amazing Family Adventure

Author: carrievijil

Homestay in Mai Chau Valley

Ha Long Bay Cruise

Around Hanoi, Vietnam and Ha Long Bay

History in Hanoi, Vietnam

Hong Kong Disneyland Day

Finishing Up China in Hong Kong

Reed Flute Caves in Guilin, China

Guilin: The Li River and the Reed Flute Caves

Stone Forest and New Friends in Kunming

Leshan Giant Buddha