the Netherlands: amsterdam

When I landed in Amsterdam I was in for a rude awakening...I hadn't checked the weather report before flying, but I assumed it would be summer weather, just like it was in kyiv, and Barcelona...it wasn't...AT ALL...it was only 15C! I was not prepared, to say the least...
I had the address of my hostel, and the name, but I didn't really know how to get there...so I went to the information desk, and the guy told me what to do...a quick train ride, then a quick walk...
I'm glad I knew the name and the directions, and I had google mapped it before arriving, otherwise it would've been very difficult to find...it was actually quite large, and quite new, but located in a residential area not so close to the city centre...plus they didn't have street signage pointing the way, as hostels that have been around for a while do...

Eventually I did get there, chatted with another girl in the room for a while, then tucked in for the night...
The next morning I was up early to make sure I got to the airport on time to pick up Katie for her first trip to Europe! As she arrived she told me she'd had a first class seat, how awesome is that???
We took her stuff back to the hostel, and left it in my room, as the clerk told us she would sleep in there that night...we got back early enough that we were able to eat breakfast before heading out...not much variety, and all carbs, but at least it was food...

The hostel had given me an information sheet when I checked in, telling which trams to take to go different places of interest to tourists...we used the information to find a tram to take us to an area called leidesplaan (sp?)...i didn't have a guidebook, so i was feeling rather naked...i'd located a bookstore close to this tram stop, so that was the first order of the morning...the bookstore dealt only with travel related books/maps/etc, totally awesome...they had a special deal going, so i got a couple travel journals along with my guidebooks...yahoo!

we spent the rest of the day just wandering wandering wandering...the city centre of amsterdam is built on and around canals, with small bridges going over each of them in many places...
we found anne frank's house at one point, but the line seemed awfully long, so we decided to come back later...when we came back later that evening, the line was still long, but quite a bit shorter than we'd seen earlier, so we joined up...it was really windy, so i was cold in only my t-shirt and skirt...

i visited anne frank's house with my family when i was only 11 years old (i think that's the right age?) and i remember thinking it was so small...i don't know why, but during this visit the house seemed quite big to me...that being said, considering the number of people who lived there, and weren't able to go outside at all or even out of just a few rooms, it is really small...8 people hid in a small part of the house, just missing the end of the war...it's still a mystery as to who turned them in to government officials...

we went to a pancake restaurant for dinner...a huge list of options for flavours, both savory and sweet...they aren't pancakes as american's think of them, more like blinis or crepes...we split a pancake with bacon and cheese, YUM...
on the way back to the hostel we bought 24 hour public transport passes on the tram, we hadn't been able to do it in the morning...considering katie had to deal with jet lag, she did really well and didn't seem tired at all...
the next morning we had the same breakfast at the hostel, then started walking...we wanted to take a few photos of places we'd seen from the tram the morning before...

we walked through one park, found a big supermarket, etc...in the supermarket i found the sprinkles section: YUM...how has this tradition not spread to other countries? who wouldn't want sprinkles on toast as breakfast??!!
after a while we caught a tram to the central train station...in front of the station are several places to hop on a tour boat, or park your bike...(there are bikes EVERYWHERE in amsterdam)...we followed one of the streets, which took us to a central platz called the dam...there is a palace on one side, a statue in the middle...the guidebook told us this is where demonstrations and big announcements take place...

after a bit of people watching we kept walking, eventually getting to the bloemenmarkt, which was originally a floating tulip market...it doesn't float anymore, but it's still huge...you can buy tulip bulbs, in any color or variety...tulips are my favourite flower, i would've bought them if i had been able to carry them with me...
we used free wifi at a nearby cafe, also warming up a bit...from there we walked to a company called gassan diamonds...the netherlands is one of the most popular places in the world to buy/sell diamonds, and this place offered a free tour of sorts...we got an explanation of how diamonds are made; we were also able to see artisans cutting diamonds and got an explanation as to how this works as well...the last part of the 'tour'  was in a secure room where our guide showed us diamonds...

he gave us the information (cut, clarity, carats, etc) about each diamond, then we were able to take a closer look...i have expensive taste :)...in the souvenir shop katie and i each took advantage of the free coffee/tea...
afterward we wandered a bit more, just to see where we would end up...we got to the central train station, and decided to hop on a tram just to see where it went...fun :)
after dinner at a thai place we went back to the pancake restaurant from the night before and indulged in a dessert pancake...YUM...

after returning from haarlem the next day, we hopped on another tram we hadn't ridden, this one went in a totally different direction...this one we rode all the way to the end, then went all the way back into the city...we found a new place to have dinner...meatballs for our main course, then two different dessert options...mini pancakes with ice cream and a big pancake with bananas and chocolate...YUM...
the next morning we had breakfast, then checked out of the hostel...we figured out how to store our bags at the central train station, then walked to one of the many canal boats for a tour...the boat we chose cost 8euro...on the other side of the same canal the boat tour cost 15euro...katie and i both wondered if it was really twice as good a tour...we both enjoyed the tour, even though it sprinkled from time to time...
as we got off the boat, we walked by a church and found the opening to be only five minutes away, so we stuck around...the inside of the church was pretty, i'm glad we saw it though it wasn't stunning...

we stopped at another random restaurant for lunch, i had steak...not the best steak i've had, but not awful...the best part of the meal was the brownie i had for dessert at another cafe...YUM...
from there we walked back to the train station, and left the city...

italy: pozzuoli and vesuvio

My first train from rimini took me to bologne, where i almost ran through the train station to get my second train...the bologne train station is undergoing some renovation, and the tracks are on three levels...when i had to transfer there on my way to rimini i figured some of it out, but i still found it confusing, and not very efficient when you have to book it from one level to another...my second train went from bologne to napoli, where my friend ken picked me up at the station...yay for door to door service...

on the way home we picked up food for dinner and our excursion the next day...dinner that night was steak on the grill, YUM...a simple, but great meal, looking out over a beautiful bay, during sunset...i don't think it gets any better :)

the next morning we had to get up early to get ready for the day...ken's friend came over to drop off food for the bbq later that evening...the three of us drove to a meeting spot to get everyone corralled, then the convoy drove to sorrento, through the town to the port...

i don't know who had arranged everything, but someone had rented three boats for the whole group to take out for the day...the plan was to spend the day going around the island of capri, celebrating the birthday of the US...

it was a fabulous day...beautiful weather, beautiful people, lots of patriotic clothing...

at one point we saw a superyacht with the stars and stripes, so someone looked up the boat...the limitless is owned by the guy who owns victoria's secret (among others)...it was a BIG BOAT...i'm sure the limitless was greeted by every american in the area who saw the flag :)

during the day the boats stopped a few times to play in the water, jump off rocks, etc...so much fun...id forgotten how much fun it is to play in water, i haven't done it in ages...i put suncream on a couple times, so my sunburn wasn't nearly as bad as i expected...yay :)

after returning home ken started prepping everything for a 4^th of july bbq he was hosting...the first guest to arrive was a french chick, carrying a french flag...i yelled 'allez les bleus' which surprised her, as most of her friends in the area do not speak french or know much about the country...she had the flag because france and germany were playing in another round of the world cup...(a few minutes after she arrived and we put up the flag, a house across the way put up the german flag...i loved the trash talk)

over the rest of the evening people arrived, ate food, talked with each other, took photos, etc...a great time was had by all...i ended up crashing before everyone left, i was so tired...

the next day we took it easy...waking up late, breakfast, watching tv, generally relaxing...i laid out on the balcony, forgetting that my back had already had enough sun...ooops...

the next morning was sunday, and i was wide awake at 0614...we had breakfast, and eventually got on the road...i sortof played tour guide, the guidebook gave vague directions as to how to get to vesuvius...remember when mom and i visited naples in december and i said that during my next visit i wanted to hike vesuvius? That's what we did...

we took an accidental detour, since the highway signs were not terribly clear as to where to exit...after the whole thing was over, we came to the conclusion we'd come up the opposite side of the mountain from what we intended to do...anywho, after driving through a few neighborhoods, we found the mountain, or more specifically, a parkplatz...

from there our options were limited to one: take a 'bus' a good portion of the way up, then walk from there...the path for walking was really loose, i'm glad i was wearing closed toe shoes...it was an easy walk, taking about 15 minutes i think? The views over the side were awesome...

when we got to the top we heard a brief by one of the park rangers...she told us about a few of the worst eruptions of vesuvius, as well as how it is expected to behave in the future...because of the most recent eruption it is no longer possible to walk all the way around the rim, but you can get pretty close...looking down into the middle, you don't see anything liquid...it's hard to imagine how this volcano has caused so much destruction over history...

on the way back, we missed the bus going down, so after hanging out for a while, we started walking...the weather was awesome, why not?

Maybe halfway down another bus came along and made us climb aboard...argh...we'd enjoyed as much walking as we'd been able to do...

back in pozzuoli we found a small hole in the wall cafe for lunch...YUM...it seemed to be family owned, and ken was convinced it had mafia connections...i don't know about that, but the food was fantastic...seafood pasta, YUM...this is the kind of place i want to make 'mine'...i want to come back regularly, so the owners get to know me well, and i never have to worry about ordering a specific meal :)

our late afternoon activity was going to the sulfatora...it's a wide area with natural steam vents...you can wander just about anywhere you want to go, there is almost nothing blocked off...(i kept thinking that in the states everything would be blocked off, you wouldn't be able to get anywhere close)...some of the vents had a very strong sulfur smell, others were just plain hot...i loved the colours of the minerals...

after we got home a couple friends came over for dinner, then we watched a movie called lawless...i love long holiday weekends with good people :)

the next morning we were up to go on another boat...the renting had been done from another port, so we didn't have to drive so far, or go so early...the boating crew this day was smaller, only 6 of us total, on one boat...

this time the boat was driven around the island of ischia...another beautiful island...there are hot springs in a few places around the island, we stopped a few times...one spot was small, and located near a former brothel...(from waaaaaaaaaay back when)...the other springs area was a lot bigger, and filled with people...i soaked up more sun than i needed, but it was worth it...another day when i looked around and knew i get to have an amazing life...

we loved the seafood pasta restaurant so much we wanted to go back...unfortunately it was closed on mondays...argh...

the next day my host went back to work, i enjoyed relaxing around the house for a while before walking into pozzuoli...i like this town, a lot!

Pozzuoli is where you can find the 3^rd largest roman arena in italy...there are also ruins of a temple in another area of town...plus the little port is beautiful, and still used by locals...i saw fisherman fixing their nets, sitting under umbrellas...

i saw several beautiful churches, none of them big...one of the churches i saw entirely by accident, as there was a tour group inside when i walked by, otherwise it would've been closed and locked...

i didn't get to see the cathedral in town, the guys in the information office told me it was closed except on weekends...

it was hot while i was wandering around, but the heat didn't really hit me until i was climbing up the hill to go home...at that point i just wanted to sit down and wait a few hours until my host drove by me on the way home so i could hop in the car...hot hot hot!

When he did get home we wanted to go to a chicken place for dinner, but it was closed for random cleaning...so we went back to the seafood pasta place...yahoooo!

We had a few others with us, and the family remembered us...(more likely, they remembered my friend, cause he is a big guy)...another fantastic meal, this one served family style...seafood pasta, spaghetti bolognese, wine, meat, etc...i felt pregnant when we left, hee hee...

germany kicked brazil's ass that night in football...

the next morning i woke up with an awful headache, and went back to sleep as soon as my host left for work...a few hours later i felt better, got dressed and headed out to see the arena...(it was closed the day before)...it was fun to wander around, there weren't too many other visitors...i wish it was possible to wander around the upper layers as much as the underground areas...

i laid out again that afternoon...since the house is on a hill, there was an awesome breeze, so i never felt hot even though the sun was strong...

i was sad to leave pozzuoli the next day :(

argentina: ushuaia...fin del mundo

it took three buses, and two countries to get from el calafate to ushuaia...the first bus (which departed at 0300, ugh) took me from el calafate to rio gallegos...i was lucky enough to find a plug with which i was able to recharge my iphone while waiting in the bus station in rio gallegos...the second bus wasn't nearly as nice as all the other buses i'd ridden around argentina...i was in the front seat, but it didn't give me a view...unless you count staring at a curtain behind the driver a 'view'...ugh...this second bus took me through chile, which was NOT a fast part of the journey...we stood around for what seemed like ages...

crossing into chile involved everyone getting off the dust and queueing in a office of sorts, i think it was a security check...we walked through a metal detector, and our carryon bags were put through an x-ray like you see at the airport...i don't know if they checked any of the luggage carried under the bus?
after getting back on that bus, we traveled along a semi paved road through chile...exiting chile was fine and dandy, there were a couple stalls selling snacks...(i didn't buy anything, but i presume they accepted monies from chile and argentina)...several kilometers down the road was the immigration office to argentina...since i was probably one of just a few americans coming back into argentina, i had another adventure with my visa reciprocity receipt...

this second bus took us to rio grande, where i got on my third and final bus...i think i left my hat on the second bus, boooo...this last bus took us to ushuaia, arriving 4 hours later than i had been told it would arrive,  (this didn't surprise me at all) at 2200...since it was so late, i walked to the first hostel listed in the guidebook and took a dorm bed...
ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world...fin del mundo; end of the world...it's WAY down there...(seriously, get a map out, take a look to see how far south ushuaia is located)...some people ride a bus all the way from buenos aires, which must take ages and ages and ages...

breakfast was included in the price of my hostel, it was awesome!! the best part was the egg station...i got to cook eggs howeva i wanted :) ...sunny side up, in case you were curious...
it was windy and snowy that day...ugh...not really what i wanted, but not horrid either...since it was sunday, not a lot was open...ooops...it's hard to wander around a town when the weather is driving you crazy and nothing is open except for expensive cafes...i did find an open souvenir shop, there were HEAPS of postcards, and just about any other souvenir i might possibly want...

this is a town from which soldiers headed to the islas malvinas depart, so there was a memorial dedicated to those who gave their lives during that ill fated mess...
i only wandered around until mid afternoon before calling it a day...i found a place to eat an early dinner, then hung out in the common area of the hostel...my big accomplishment was turning in laundry to the hostel...it was sooooo nice to have clean clothes again :)
the next morning i gorged on breakfast (again) and packed up my stuff...i left my pack in the hostel, then walked around town again...the weather was a lot better, there was some sun, and i was in a better mood...i stocked up on postcards, wandered around the port area, and generally enjoyed the colours of the city...

since ushuaia is bordered on one side by mountains, there is a lot of skiing...in other words, there are a lot of outdoor activity shops in town...i looked around a lot, it was soooo tempting to buy a new winter jacket, and snow pants...
i returned to the hostel and picked up my bags, then walked 2 kilometers and checked into another hotel...i wanted a room to myself for my last night in ushuaia...after checking in, i spread out postcards everywhere...i wanted to make sure everyone on my list was going to get at least two...(i know, i'm crazy)
i woke up to a hotel with no power...that wasn't terribly fun...it came back on soon enough, thank goodness...

what was not turned on was hot water in my room...i had to go to the front desk to ask for the hot water to be turned on so i could take a shower...ugh...
i used my last couple hours to walk around more, finding areas i hadn't seen...it was sunny and lovely, and i wanted as much vitamin D as i could get...the taxi to the airport cost me more than i expected, and i also had to pay a departure fee...since i'm american, i had to pay more for that fee...argh...i had to exchange some money to do that, at least i was able to do so at the blu market rate, not the official rate...i was really annoyed, and i'm sure it showed in my behaviour...i hate these surprise fees...

i had two security checks before the flight (don't know why)...the flight hurt my ears, a LOT...it's a three hour flight from ushuaia to buenos aires...
i would love to return to ushuaia, and explore more of that province of argentina...there is a (reportedly beautiful) national park close by, i want to see it...ushuaia is also where many ships heading to antarctica depart from; antarctica is definitely on my bucket list...

halong bay

one of the places i didn't get to go the last time i was in vietnam is also one of the most well-known areas in vietnam, halong bay...i ate breakfast, checked out of my hotel, and was picked up by the tour bus, near the start of all the pickups...i got a seat near the front of the bus, which is always important to me, given my tendency to end up with motion sickness...

boarding the boat:)

it's a four hour drive from hanoi to get to the port where everyone gets on a boat...not surprisingly, there was a stop about halfway through, at a (huge) place where we could buy snacks and souvenirs...tons and tons of tour buses stopped at this place, there was nothing else anywhere close...i always wonder how many people actually buy stuff (other than food i mean) at these places...during the bus ride i figured out where most of the others were from, it was fun to listen to the conversations...there were two other american girls sitting in the back, and i learned that they were also teaching in korea...they didn't stop talking the entire bus ride, and their voices carried...i was once told that i'm the loudest person a certain someone knows, so now, everytime i hear people who are louder, i laugh and wonder what that original person would think...(does that make sense to anyone but me?)...also on the bus were three dutch, a spaniard, and i've forgotten who else...the american girls dominated the conversation...the guide tried to teach us a few things to say, but the only one i remembered was "thank you"...it sounded like 'gom eun' to me...
at the port, our guide collected our passports, and went to get our boat tickets...there were a lot of people milling around, so the whole area was rather confusing...when he came back with the tickets, he handed those out, as well as our passports...this was when he told us that our tour included everything but drinks, and that there would be drinks available for purchase on the boat...he also told us that if we brought drinks on the boat from other sources that we'd have to pay a service fee...i HATE when those sorts of things are told to the guests when it's too late to do anything about it...that's not what i signed up for, and i wasn't inclined to "obey"...

we got on the boat, and he gave a longer speech, telling us the schedule for the rest of the day...he also introduced the captain, and gave us a few details about the boat...(where it was built, how much it cost, etc)...after the speech we were checked into our rooms, i ended up sharing with one of the dutch girls...then lunch was served...5 or 6 courses? it was great food, i enjoyed every bite...and ate way too much, of course...i was sitting at a table with the three dutch folks, so the conversation was in both languages...

after lunch was over everyone went outside and relaxed, enjoying the scenery...it was sooo nice to lay in the sun and just watch the world go by...who doesn't like this kind of scenery? it wasn't as stunning as i expected, but still absolutely lovely...two hours after leaving the dock, the boat arrived at a cave...

i've forgotten the name of it, which can probably be found in my guidebook...not surprisingly, our boat arrived about the same time as every other boat, which meant the area was uber crowded...yuck...howeva, i knew going in that halong bay would be busy, and that i wasn't going somewhere secret...our guide bought our tickets, we got off the boat and walked up the stairs...the cave isn't at water level, you have to walk up about 50 stairs (give or take) to get to the entrance...and it's not a spelunking kind of cave...the caverns were HUGE, there were pathways through the whole thing...

 our guide told the group various facts about the cave, like how old it is, how big it is, how many people see the cave, etc...at least, i assume he did, i wasn't paying much attention to him...many areas were lit with coloured lights, i tried to get a few good photos...i kept getting distracted by photo opportunities, and ended up behind most of the group, but oh well...i reasoned to myself that i wasn't missing much...i've seen a fair number of caves, and i've never heard anything super different from "this cave has been around for a long time"...hee hee...

eventually we all got out and gathered together to get back on a smaller boat...(this smaller boat took us from the big boat to the cave earlier)...the smaller boat then took us to an area where we could go kayaking...think recreational kayaking, like you did at summer camp years ago...not kayaking on whitewater rapids where you need a skirt...i ended up in a boat with an aussie girl, we had fun paddling around for 45 minutes...when we brought our kayak back to the kayak place we were losing light, fast...

halong bay isn't mountainous exactly, but when the sun goes behind one of the karsts, you don't see much anymore...the american girls were 15 minutes late bringing back their kayak, and since it was chilly by that point, people weren't happy...they apologized, saying they didn't know what time they were supposed to come back...the little boat took us all back to our big boat...just after getting back on the big boat, ladies rowing boats filled with snacks and drinks rowed up to the big boat and tried to get us to buy stuff...

their prices were way cheaper than the big boat...they were pretty persistent, but i didn't want anything, so i was good at ignoring them...a few folks did buy from rowboat ladies, and that's when one of the big boat waiters came out and handed them a laminated paper that said how much they had to pay as the service fee: $8 for a bottle of wine, $1 for soft drinks and cans of beer!!! how ridiculous is that? i said it was ridiculous, AND that we hadn't been told about this 'service fee' before the tour started, and he told me to be quiet...i told him that i would not, and that he shouldn't tell me to be quiet, because i'm the customer...he said the boat had drinks, so we didn't need to buy from the rowboat ladies...i told him the big boat drink prices were ridiculous ($1 for a small bottle of water on the big boat, vs less than 50 cents for a big bottle of water in hanoi) so it wasn't a service to the customers at all...i don't think anyone paid the service fee, because it was such a ridiculous amount, and we all felt the whole thing to be underhanded...first, in not telling any of the guests that the fee existed, and second in not telling how much it was until after people bought stuff off the rowboat ladies...
anywho, after that was dinner, another 5 or 6 course meal...YUM...when we all finished  eating and the plates/food had been cleared, our guide turned on the karaoke machine...he seemed oblivious to the massive feedback, though the rest of us were covering our ears...one of the american chickies seemed keen to sing all night long, the rest of us didn't care...i stayed for a little while, then went to my cabin and read for a while before sleeping...the chick i shared with came in not too much later, having stayed up drinking with her friends...about an hour later, she puked...whoops!! fortunately, nothing other than her sheets got dirty...i'm sure the housekeepers enjoyed the smell...whoops...

the next morning my cabin partner slept and slept and slept, i woke up early (0600 local time) and changed quietly, the went out to the deck to wait for breakfast to be served...in keeping with what had happened at every previous meal, it was served later than the time they told us...oh well...also in keeping with every previous meal, there was a lot of food, and it was good...i continued to overeat...hee hee...we weren't able to get into the dining room at all early, because that's where the boat staff slept...after breakfast everyone checked out of the rooms...the boat then 'drove' through more of the bay, which was again nice and relaxing...after another hour or so, all of us on the 3 day/2 night tour got off the big boat and switched onto a smaller boat...those on the 2 day/1 night tour stayed on the big boat, which then made it's way back to the original port...the smaller boat then went for an hour to cat ba island...it's an island in the bay that has a national park...we got off the boat, and got on bicycles that were conveniently waiting for us...i remembered to check my tires and my brakes before taking off, thank goodness...

the ride went around part of cat ba island, which has it's own national park...the bikes were one speed cruisers, not exactly built for speed...one of the ladies in the group is really into triathlons, and does a lot of riding at home in/around london (she's an aussie) so this bike wasn't exactly up to par...hee hee...there were a few hills, which were probably only challenging because the bikes weren't exactly speedy...our guide paused several times, so no one ever got too out of breath...

 the ride took us through a couple really small villages...surprisingly, as we rode through, no one tried to sell us anything...at least, not that i was aware...that was a nice difference from the rest of the country...who can resist taking a photo of one of the super cute kids we saw? she didn't talk at all, she just looked...

after riding one way, everyone took a break...well, sorta...i didn't feel the need to buy a drink or any food, so i went walking...the ladies i walked with were both aussie, including the one i mentioned previously...this trip was a catch up for them, they hadn't seen each other for three years, though they had both previously worked together at a hospital...they're physio therapists...they get to work out while at work, how awesome is that? the triathlete and i kept getting into discussions about gadgets and races and training in general...

eventually this boat took us to our hotel on cat ba island...i had the choice of staying in a bungalow, which sounded rustic, and during this trip, i was over that...as we dropped off those who had chosen the bungalows, i was glad i had gone for the hotel...the bungalow was on a nice beach, but it was small, and there was no where else to go...the benefit i would've had if i had stayed there would've been a lot more area in which to swim...there wasn't a decent swimming area in cat ba town, which is where my hotel was located...a bay filled with boats...the triathlete did find a small swimming area, but was creeped out by the locals watching her swim, so she was only in the water for 15 minutes...i walked around cat ba town with the other aussie...we strolled through a local market (which was definitely for locals, as no one tried to sell us anything, and we were just stared at more than anything) and of course i spotted a bakery...i think there is some part of my genetic makeup that never misses a bakery...lol...we both bought treats, she shared with the triathlete...i was thinking only of myself, and of course bought more than i should've...lol...

 after the walk/bakery stop/swimming the three of us rested up before dinner...also choosing the hotel were two aussie boys, but they'd spent most of the tour drinking, so we weren't expecting them to be on time...as it turned out, they didn't show up for dinner at all...which was a mistake on their part, as the food was the best of the entire tour...the same 5 or 6 course meal as usual, all of it great food...breakfast the next morning was lovely as well...a buffet with LOTS of options...fruit, rice, porridge, fried eggs, soup, etc...i ate...too much...again...the boys did make it to breakfast:)
after breakfast we checked out, and got back on the boat...just before boarding i bought blueberry ice cream flavoured oreos...i'd seen them around, and just because i thought the flavour sounded interesting, i figured i should try them...oreos aren't something i crave very often, and i wasn't craving them at this point either, but i wanted to try the flavour...they were good...from there, the boat went by to pick up the folks at the bungalows (the three dutch and the two loud americans)...from there we rode about an hour, then transferred to a bigger boat, just like the one we'd been on earlier in the tour...that boat took us back to the original port in halong bay...and from there, we all got back on the bus, and "enjoyed" the ride back to hanoi...over all, i enjoyed the tour, and i'm glad i did it...but halong bay didn't stun me like i expected...i'm probably just jaded...the best part of it all was being on the "roof" of the boat, and just relaxing as it cruised through the bay...soooo nice:)